What are the eligibility criteria for a partner to become a T1 partner of modern work?

For Modern Work, eligibility and criteria differ depending on what is being targeted:

1. Becoming a CSP Indirect Reseller (already met in this case)
   Indirect Resellers enroll in the Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) program and work through Distributors (indirect providers). They must:

• Enroll in CSP as an Indirect Reseller and maintain that authorization annually.
• Work with an indirect provider (Distributor) that has a direct relationship with Microsoft and provides support, pricing, and billing.

2. Modern Work – Solutions Partner designation (SMB or Enterprise track)
   To qualify as a Solutions Partner for Modern Work (which is typically the prerequisite for Modern Work-related benefits and specializations), the partner must meet specific metrics and skilling requirements. These are split into SMB and Enterprise tracks:

• Workloads considered (both tracks):
  Intune, Exchange Online (EXO), Microsoft 365 Apps/ProPlus, SharePoint Online (SPO), Teams, Teams Meetings, Teams Phone calling 1p/3p, Teams Platform, Yammer.
• Deployments / association type:
  • SMB track: Deployments measured under CSP association. Metric is the net count of tenants that meet a 40% Active/Qualified usage threshold for CSP, considering current and previous year.
  • Enterprise track: Deployments measured under DPOR association. Metric is the net count of tenants that meet a 40% Active/Qualified usage threshold for DPOR, considering current and previous year.
• Usage growth metrics:
  • SMB track: Usage growth measured via CPOR and CSP for the above workloads, based on the active usage difference between current year and last year.
  • Enterprise track: Usage growth measured via CPOR and DPOR for the above workloads, based on the active usage difference between current year and last year.
• Customer eligibility thresholds (Modern Work Enterprise) for customers counted toward these metrics include:
  • Paid Available Units (PAU) > 300 for at least one workload.
  • At least one net qualified tenant (Net Customer Adds).
  • At least one CPOR or DPOR net qualified deployment in the last 12 months.
  • Usage growth thresholds (e.g., CPOR growth 1000 MAU overall; DPOR growth 4000 MAU overall) at least once per customer.
• Skilling requirements (both SMB and Enterprise tracks):
  Intermediate certifications – qualifying individuals must hold any of:
  • Microsoft 365 Fundamentals
  • Microsoft 365 Certified: Messaging Administrator Associate
  • Microsoft 365 Certified: Teams Administrator Associate
  • Microsoft Certified: Identity and Access Administrator Associate
  • Microsoft 365 Certified: Collaboration Communications Systems Engineer Associate
  • Microsoft 365 Certified: Endpoint Administrator Associate (formerly Modern Desktop Administrator Associate)
  Advanced certifications – qualifying individuals must hold:
  • Microsoft 365 Certified: Enterprise Administrator Expert (Exam MS-100)
  • Teams Meetings and Meeting Rooms Technical Assessment.

3. Modern Work – Certified Software / Marketplace readiness (if offering software)
   If the goal includes becoming a Solutions Partner with certified software in Modern Work (for example, Modern Work apps in Marketplace), additional requirements apply:

• Solution must be listed in Microsoft Marketplace (Modern Work solutions do not need to be transactable at this time).
• Solution must complete the Microsoft 365 App Compliance Program certification.
• Customer success requirements, such as:
  • Partner commercial performance (e.g., USD 100,000 Marketplace Billed Sales or 50,000 Teams Apps MAU over trailing 12 months).
  • Solution customer satisfaction (e.g., ≥ 4.5 average Marketplace rating with ≥ 15 ratings, or two artifacts of referenceable customer evidence).

4. Indirect Reseller vs. other CSP roles
   The context provided describes eligibility for Indirect Reseller in CSP and Modern Work Solution Partner criteria, but does not define a separate “T1 Modern Work” status beyond CSP role types (CSP, DPOR, CPOR) and the Modern Work Solution Partner designation.

To move from indirect-only status toward higher Modern Work benefits, the key levers in the documented criteria are:

• Meeting Modern Work Solution Partner metrics (deployments and usage growth via CSP/CPOR/DPOR).
• Meeting Modern Work skilling requirements.
• If applicable, meeting Marketplace and app compliance requirements for Modern Work certified software.

References:

• Indirect Reseller eligibility requirements
• Solution Partner Designation qualification criteria
• Customer eligibility for Solutions partner
• Requirements for becoming a Solutions Partner with certified software for a solution area