Recently, CloudRoute received a Gold Certification from Microsoft. We were very proud to announce it to our Channel Partners and Media Contacts. The Gold Certification was in addition to five other Silver Certifications that we've achieved over the course of less than a year with Microsoft. Still, I was surprised when I one of our press contacts reached out and wanted to discuss the certifications. Well, not the Microsoft certifications specifically, but certifications in general. The questions were “Is there value to having these certifications today? Why should a company take the time to invest in them? Does anybody really care?”

Now, I must admit, I originally sent out the press release with the expectation that we might get a few mentions and perhaps our channel would find the information of Interest. I was actually surprised that a press contact responded. However, her interest was not in the Gold Certification from Microsoft but the overall intrinsic value of certifications in and of themselves. So, why do we get these certifications?

The first reason is that it benefits of CloudRoute and our Partners. Certifications are an investment in our technical staff demonstrates that we are experts in Cloud Services, Office 365, SharePoint, Yammer, Skype for Business, Azure, Intune, any other Microsoft Online solution. Our Channel Partners and their customers expect CloudRoute to expertly assist in the implementation and support of these solutions. The certifications demonstrate to our employees that we're going to invest in them to get and maintain the required expertise, and it demonstrates to our Channel Partners that they can promote CloudRoute as a supplier of Microsoft Online Solutions to their customers with a genuine belief that they will be properly supported. The certifications are a measure of trust and confidence in the skills that CloudRoute will deliver a positive customer experience.

The second reason certifications are important is to the Channel Partner. The Partner can decide which certifications to acquire that specifically support or relate to their business. The selected certifications demonstrate their credibility and ability in specific areas and develop their employee technical skills. In fact, certifications can be used as a recruiting tool by the Partner as it adds to the career value of the technical staff. Therefore, certifications are good for both for prospecting as well as employee recruitment and career development.

Finally, the investment in certifications indicates CloudRoute’s commitment to Microsoft and, in return, justifies Microsoft’s marketing and sales investment in CloudRoute. Microsoft has thousands of relationships around the world and partners get noticed because they are selling and getting certifications. This additional attention is critical to getting marketing, sales and product support. CloudRoute is very active in various Microsoft incentive programs that deliver benefit to our Partners and Customer.

So, are certifications worth the effort? Absolutely! Read the VAR GUY article “CloudRoute’s David Byrd on Why Vendor Certifications Are Still Cool” and let me know what you think.