Readers React to the Microsoft Partner Network
Our readers had some thoughts about the changes to the Microsoft Partner Network. The initial response, at least among those motivated to post, is quite skeptical.
My favorite comment came from Peter Hohaus of Melbourne, Australia, who left this on one of the blog entries:
"The following quotation is frequently attributed to Petronius. Whoever said it it quite neatly sums up my reaction to the Partner Program changes: 'We trained hard...but it seemed that every time we were beginning to form up into teams, we would be reorganized. I was to learn later in life that we tend to meet any new situation by reorganizing; and a wonderful method it can be for creating the illusion of progress while producing confusion, inefficiency and demoralization.'"
I'm not sure it's fair to the work Microsoft has undertaken here, but the sentiment is pretty hilarious. I hadn't seen that quote before, although it's apparently an old standby. Petronius, according to the occasionally reliable Wikipedia, was a Roman courtier during the reign of Nero. As Peter suggested in his comment, the Petronius attribution appears to be apocryphal, and the quote probably emerged in the second half of the 20th century.
John Maultsby in Kansas City writes:
"Whatever happened to the ISV or Independent Software Developer status? There are many ISV's that develop using MS tools for MS platforms that do not sell directly to the end user. Our dealers or system integrators sell and install the products for the end user. Where do we fit?"
It's a fair question. While I haven't seen detailed descriptions for what each of the new Competencies contains, I'm going to venture a guess that the Software Development Competency is ISVs' new home. I hope to dig into details of the Competencies with Microsoft soon.
A reader in Virginia opines:
"This sounds like a way to weed out some Gold partners from the top tier. Where's the benefit for the other 95 percent of us?"
I think this reader has nailed it on the weeding aspect.
And finally, another reader from Houston says:
"It ain't broke. 'Standard'? Couldn't they have hired an ad agency to come up with some descriptor less blah and more customer confidence-inspiring than 'Standard'? 'Standard' sounds like the level of competence and customer concern you get at discount software stores. Not persuasive. Not conducive. Not inspiring."
Posted by Scott Bekker on July 16, 2009