You and your organization have done the hard work of earning Microsoft certifications. Now, do the easy work of renewing them.
Certifications demonstrate individual technical expertise and establish that a Microsoft Cloud Partner has the technical depth and breadth to deliver successful customer solutions. Likewise, certification renewals show commitment to staying at the forefront of rapidly evolving cloud technology. Individuals can keep up with the latest technology features and skills by taking a free renewal assessment to extend the value of their certifications. Partner organizations can also use the Partner Center dashboard to see a summary of employee certifications, training details, and renewal dates.
Renew certifications on your schedule
Today, you renew certifications annually by taking a free, online renewal assessment at any time during the six months prior to your renewal date. The unproctored and open-book exams only cover recent technical updates, so they’re shorter than the original certification exams.
Even better: you control when and how you want to study. Microsoft Learn has collections of bite-sized content that you can access at any time. You see which technical skills will be measured and choose the topics you want to dig into. Flexible, hands-on learning gets you to your renewal goals at your own pace.
Once you pass the assessment, your certification badge is updated in less than 48 hours. There is no limit to renewal assessment retakes. If you don’t pass, you can try again immediately. After the second try, you'll need to wait at least 24 hours between future attempts. You just need to pass the assessment before your certification expires.
Steps for renewal
The steps to renewal are simple and straightforward:
- Go to the Certification Dashboard
- Link your certification email address with your Profile on Microsoft Learn
- Prepare with free, self-paced learning modules on Microsoft Learn
- Pass the renewal assessment before your certification expires
Review your organization’s certification progress
Highly skilled employees are a critical component of delivering cutting-edge customer solutions. Microsoft certifications prove your employees have the right skills and capabilities to design true digital transformation. They are also a key metric for achieving Microsoft Cloud Partner Program Solutions Partner designations. Helping employees maintain active certifications is important for partners to achieve these designations and earn specializations.
Partners can choose to earn one Solutions Partner designation, or go further and pursue subsequent ones. Each designation shows your organization’s dedication to skilling up staff. This dedication pays off in increased visibility in the Microsoft Marketplace and opens up possibilities for cooperative selling opportunities with Microsoft field sellers. Microsoft-certified employees are a valuable and quantifiable asset to any partner.
The free, online assessment tool and flexible training content on Microsoft Learn have reduced the stress, complexity, and cost of certification renewals. Individual team members receive an email notifying them they are eligible to take the free renewal assessment. The Partner Center dashboard provides the big picture of an organization’s overall certification progress in a single and comprehensive dashboard.
Viewing the employees with Microsoft certification, as well as those in the six-month window for renewal eligibility, is easy. Simply log into the Partner Center dashboard and navigate to the Insights tab. From there you can review your User Skill Report or Training Report to find insights on the certifications, assessments, and examinations employees have completed.
Certification’s role in the Microsoft Cloud Partner Program
Organizations—regardless of size or industry—want to engage solution providers who have skilled technology experts to design and deploy solutions specific to their business. They look to the Microsoft Cloud Partner Program to find partners who understand legacy, current, and future cloud technologies, as well as their business challenges and desired outcomes. These organizations know that a Microsoft Cloud Partner goes through rigorous evaluation.
The skilling component—the capabilities and skills of the employees with intermediate and advanced certifications—is one of the metrics the program measures. Show clients that your partner organization not only keeps up with change but also gets ahead with its focus on continual learning and certification. Get started today by checking employee renewal eligibility and encouraging employees to renew their certification.
You can also set your organization and team up for success by encouraging them to use the available Microsoft Learn resources to prepare for new certifications using on-demand, self-directed training that works for their schedule.