CGI, one of Canada’s largest IT consultancies, has been named a solutions partner for Microsoft Cloud.

That’s an unremarkably phrased but highly prestigious designation that Microsoft bestows on only a handful of companies. Those companies represent a small fraction of the thousands of partners the software giant has worldwide. 

There are many consultancies that specialize in helping businesses set up and use Microsoft software. When a consultancy performs particularly well, it receives a badge from Microsoft that designates it as a solutions partner. 

Having solutions partner status can provide lot of marketing value. It also comes with other benefits, including technical and sales assistance from Microsoft.

An even bigger achievement than winning solution partner status is being named a solutions partner for Microsoft Cloud, which is the destination that CGI has received. That designation means an IT consultancy is well-versed in all of Microsoft’s core products.

It took a lot of work for CGI to get to this point. The company has built up a workforce of more than 8,000 employees with Microsoft product certifications, which amounts to nearly 10% of its global headcount.

Microsoft organizes its business products into six broad categories: business applications, data and artificial intelligence, digital and app innovation, infrastructure, security, and modern work for enterprises. Becoming a solutions partner for Microsoft Cloud requires a company to demonstrate expertise, as well as drive significant sales, across all six of those products categories.

CGI has not only ticked that box but also earned multiple specializations on top of it. In the Microsoft ecosystem, a specialization is a destination indicating that a partner has significant experience with a narrow but important technical task, like helping clients modernize web applications.

“We are pleased to receive this designation from Microsoft as we continue to expand and deepen our services associated with the key technology platforms of our global alliance partners,” said Tim Hurlebaus, the CGI executive in charge of the company’s partnership with Microsoft. “We are well positioned to continue providing clients a range of technology options to ensure the best business outcomes for their organizations.”

Another notable aspect of CGI’s newly upgraded partner status is the go-to-market dimension.

Regular Microsoft partners receive multiple forms of go-to-market support from the software giant. In some cases, the tech giant will even assign some of its salespeople to promote a partner’s offerings.

There is a possibility that CGI’s new solutions partner for Microsoft Cloud status will give it access to additional go-to-market benefits. However, the companies haven’t spelled out exactly what the new destination will mean for their alliance.

What’s for certain is that CGI’s marketing people will now have an easier time promoting its Microsoft expertise. There are thousands of competing Microsoft partners out there that offer similar services as CGI, but only a few can say they’ve received the same amount of recognition from the tech giant. 

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