Choosing a company to provide managed services or IT consultancy is a big decision. After all, you’ll be relying on them to keep your network up and running with no hitches, and ensure your hardware and software are running smoothly. They may even be responsible for your disaster recovery and cyber security issues. Not the sort of things you want to leave to chance.
So, how can you ensure you choose a highly-skilled, reputable company? One of the quickest ways to sort the wheat from the chaff is to check out a company’s Microsoft Solutions Partner Designations. These are commonly considered the ‘Gold Standard’ in IT accreditations.
Intersys has been steadily gaining Microsoft credentials since 2008, when we were first awarded our Small Business Specialist designation.
In 2025, we have gained three Microsoft Solutions Partner Designations that demonstrate the depth of our competencies in the Microsoft Cloud Environment. They are:
- Solutions Partner for Data and AI (Azure)
- Solutions Partner for Infrastructure (Azure)
- Solutions Partner for Modern Work
The Solutions Partner for Data and AI (Azure) Designation demonstrates that we have the capabilities to help our clients manage their data across multiple systems. This can then be used to engineer analytics and AI solutions for their business problems.
The Solutions Partner for Infrastructure (Azure) Designation shows our ability to help customers speed up migration of critical infrastructure workloads to Microsoft Azure.
The Solutions Partner for Modern Work Designation validates our competence in helping clients improve their productivity and make the transition to hybrid work using Microsoft 365.
All of the above also shows that we have committed to regular training and accreditation to maintain and grow our skills in the respective areas and use them to boost our client’s success.
We have helped a range of clients from the finance, insurance and pharmaceutical to education, legal and charity sectors power up their Microsoft environments. Click here to see some case studies.
What is a Microsoft Solutions Partner Designation?
In short, a Microsoft Solutions Partner Designation confirms that an organisation has technical expertise in a particular area. The accreditation is an important trust signal which demonstrates to customer organisations that their IT provider has passed Microsoft’s rigorous qualification criteria in a specialised subject (i.e. Azure environment, work from home solutions etc) and is recognised as having the necessary technical skills to help their customers get the most out of the Microsoft platform.
In the past, Microsoft offered competencies in a range of speciality areas such as Midmarket Solution Provider and Application Development, allowing organisations to highlight their areas of proficiency. Previously, there were two levels of competencies. In the same way that athletic competitions award gold and silver medals to the very best athletes, the very best Microsoft Partners received Silver and Gold level Competencies as a mark of exceptional work. Only a small percentage of companies achieved Gold. Intersys worked hard to hold and maintain a Gold Partner status for many years until Microsoft retired these competencies and moved to a newer breed of accreditations. They reflect changes to the modern work environment including increased use of the cloud and AI solutions.
In 2025, Microsoft has announced designations in six solution areas as part of the Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Program. These are Solutions Partner for Business Applications, Solutions Partner for Modern Work, Solutions Partner for Security, Solutions Partner for Data & AI (Azure), Solutions Partner for Digital & App Innovation (Azure) and Solutions Partner for Infrastructure (Azure).
What is involved?
As a Solutions Partner, we earned our designations in three specific solutions areas by meeting a partner capability score. This composite score marked our performance in the three main categories of performance (our ability to grow the customer base), skilling (our capabilities and skills as seen in our certifications and courses) and customer success (our ability to grow Microsoft’s products and services as used by customers).
Why are they important?
A company with a Microsoft Designation is likely to be proficient and reliable. These accreditations are not easily earned and must be renewed annually. This requires intense levels of study, continually learning the intricacies of Microsoft products and keeping up with the latest changes and developments in the tech world.
For customers, these competencies are an assurance that you are working with engineers who are among the most highly-skilled in the business, and with a company that has a proven track record of providing customers with exceptional service.
The Intersys Microsoft Partner list: all of our accreditations
Intersys is proud to hold a range of Microsoft Designations – accreditations that prove we are among the very best at what we do.
Microsoft Solutions Partner Designations
- 2025 Data and AI (Azure)
- 2025 Infrastructure (Azure)
- 2025 Modern Work
Microsoft Cloud Solution Provider — Modern Work
- 2024 Modern Work
- 2023 Modern Work
Microsoft Gold Partner and Silver Partner Competencies
- Gold Windows and Devices (2020, 2021, 2022, 2023)
- Gold Data Platform (2019, 2018)
- Gold Application Development (2019. 2018)
- Gold Midmarket Solution Provider (2017, 2016)
- Gold Small Business (2014, 2013)
- Silver Datacentre (2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018)
- Silver Cloud Productivity (2020)
- Silver Small and Midmarket Cloud Solutions (2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016)
- Silver Midmarket Solution Provider (2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011)
- Silver Small Business (2014, 2013, 2012)
- Silver OEM (2014, 2013, 2012)
- Silver Desktop (2012)
- Silver Devices and Deployment (2012, 2011)
Other Microsoft Specialisms and credentials
- Gold Authorised Education Partners (2019, 2020)
- Cloud Accelerate (2014, 2013)
- Small Business Specialist (2008 – 2013)
- Gold Authorised Education Partner (2020)
Below is a snapshot of our legacy Microsoft competencies.
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Our long history of maintaining and growing our Microsoft accreditations, provides strong quality assurance to potential and current customers.
Find out more about how we can help organisations with Microsoft 365 business support.