Hoboken, New Jersey - (Vocus) April 30, 2013 —eMazzanti Technologies, a Hoboken and New York City area computer consultant, recently received the new Microsoft Small Business Competency certification—one of only 400 computer consultants worldwide that have qualified for the designation so far. Small Business customers are typically defined as companies with less than 50 employees.
“When you achieve the Microsoft Gold Small Business Solution Provider competency, you demonstrate greater value to your customers by showcasing best-in-class capabilities that have undergone a rigorous and auditable approval process.” said Jennifer Mazzanti, president of eMazzanti Technologies. “Competency requirements are designed to closely align with customer needs.”
Gold Small Business Competency Qualifications
In order to qualify for the new Gold Small Business Competency, an IT consultant must meet the following criteria:
1. Pass the qualifying exams
An organization must employ or contract with two Microsoft Certified Professionals (MCPs) who meet the following requirements.
- One MCP must pass two exams from the following list:
Exam 70-680: TS: Windows 7, Configuring, Exam 70-687: Configuring Windows 8, Exam 70-688: Managing and Maintaining Windows 8, or Exam 70-689: Upgrading Your Skills to MCSA Windows 8
Exam 74-324: Administering Office 365 for Small Business
The other MCP must pass two exams from the following list:
Exam 70-169: TS: Windows Small Business Server 2011 Standard, Configuring
Exam 70-410: Installing and Configuring Windows Server 2012 or Exam 70-642: TS: Windows Server 2008 Network Infrastructure, Configuring
Exam 70-680: TS: Windows 7, Configuring, Exam 70-687: Configuring Windows 8, or Exam 70-689: Upgrading Your Skills to MCSA Windows 8
Exam 70-688: Managing and Maintaining Windows 8
Exam 74-324: Administering Office 365 for Small Business
- For countries where Microsoft Office 365 is not yet available:
An organization must employ or contract with two MCPs who have passed two exams from the following list:
Exam 70-169: TS: Windows Small Business Server 2011 Standard, Configuring
Exam 70-410: Installing and Configuring Windows Server 2012 or Exam 70-642: TS: Windows Server 2008 Network Infrastructure, Configuring
Exam 70-680: TS: Windows 7, Configuring, Exam 70-687: Configuring Windows 8, or Exam 70-689: Upgrading Your Skills to MCSA Windows 8
After the MCPs have passed the required exams, IT professionals must contact their local Regional Service Center to continue the enrollment process.
2. Meet the revenue commitment
Microsoft Partner Network members with a gold competency must meet a minimum revenue commitment based on geography and competency.
3. Pass the licensing overview assessment
The licensing overview assessment is the same for every competency that requires it. A company must employ or contract with one person who has passed the assessment (which then counts toward all gold competencies).
4. Sign the Microsoft Online Services Partner Agreement
A company must employ or contract with one person who has enrolled as a Microsoft Online Services partner and signed the Microsoft Online Services Partner Agreement (MOSPA). The administrator for a company must review and sign the Online Services Partner Agreement.
5. Pass the business-focused small business assessment
A company must employ or contract with two people who have passed the business-focused Small Business assessment. See the Small Business Assessment Readiness Guide for details on how to prepare and take the Small Business assessment at the Partner Learning Center.
6. Provide customer evidence
Customer references demonstrate an IT professional’s success at building and deploying solutions relevant to the Small Business competency. Approved references can be used toward earning or renewing a competency for up to two years.
A company must submit five unique customer references that feature the implementation, deployment, customization, or maintenance of any of the following products:
Office 365
Windows 8
Windows 7
Windows Server 2012
Windows Server 2012 Essentials
Windows Server 2008
Windows Small Business Server 2011
Each customer reference must feature a project that you have completed within the past 12 months and that can be verified with a customer.
7. Gather customer feedback
A company must use the Customer Satisfaction (CSAT) Index survey to measure performance and help drive customer satisfaction.
“Obtaining the Gold Small Business Competency yields three major benefits to our IT consulting firm,” said Mazzanti. “It showcases our expertise and proven skill set. It provides market differentiation making us stand out in the crowd. And, eMazzanti gets priority listing on Microsoft’s partner site and a stream of high-quality referrals.”
About eMazzanti Technologies
With a company name that sounds more like a purebred, high-performance sports car than a IT support and consulting firm, eMazzanti Technologies is all about delivering powerful solutions in a variety of Outsourced IT services, such as cloud computing, managed printing services, PCI DSS compliance, computer network management, network troubleshooting, business continuity and disaster recovery, green computing, mobile workforce technology, information security, cloud computing, cloud computing services, and business information optimization in the most efficient manner possible. The Hoboken, N.J., firm is located in one of the most densely populated – and competitive – regions in the U.S. It provides business technology consulting services for companies ranging from home offices to multinational corporations in the New York metropolitan area, the United States and throughout the world. eMazzanti Technologies is Microsoft’s 2012 Partner of the Year for the third year, WatchGuard’s Partner of the Year for three years running and made the Inc. 5000 for the third year in a row. For more information contact: Carl Mazzanti 201-360-4400 or emazzanti.net. Twitter: @emazzanti , Facebook: Facebook.com/emazzantitechnologies.
Carl Mazzanti is Co-Founder and President of eMazzanti Technologies, Microsoft’s four time Partner of the Year and one of the premier IT consulting services for businesses throughout the New York metropolitan area and internationally. Carl and his company manage over 400 active accounts ranging from professional services firms to high-end global retailers.
eMazzanti is all about delivering powerful, efficient outsourced IT services, such as computer network management and troubleshooting, managed print, PCI DSS compliance, green computing, mobile workforce technology, information security, cloud computing, and business continuity and disaster recovery.
Carl Mazzanti is also a frequent business conference speaker and technology talk show guest and contributor at Microsoft-focused events, including frequent prominent roles at the Microsoft Inspire (Worldwide Partner Conference / WPC).
Carl, a serial Entrepreneur, gives back to the community through Entrepreneur teaching engagements at Georgetown University, the company’s ocean wildlife conservation effort, the Blue Project, and Tree Mazzanti.
