How to Choose a Microsoft Integrator: The Questions to Ask

This is the most revealing question, and the most rarely asked. Will the consultant presenting the proposal be the one doing the work? Is the project subcontracted, partly or entirely? Is there an offshore team in the chain? There is often a gap between the sales team you meet during pre-sales and the technical team that actually delivers. Ask to meet the consultant who will really lead the work, and have the proposal state whether subcontracting is possible. It is not disqualifying in itself, but you need to know beforehand, not after.

Since 2022, Microsoft replaced the old Gold and Silver competencies with the Solutions Partner program, with designations by area: Modern Work, Business Applications, Security, Data & AI, Infrastructure, Digital & App Innovation. They are earned through a partner capability score that measures net customer adds, individual consultant certifications, and usage growth and deployments at customers. Two useful checks: ask which precise designations the provider holds, since they must match your need, and ask for the individual certifications of the consultants who will work on your project. A provider claiming to be a "Microsoft partner" without being able to say which is being vague about something verifiable.

A few concrete questions beat a long pitch. On scope: what is not included in the proposal? A good provider answers precisely, a poor one deflects. On what comes next: what happens once the project is delivered, who answers if a user is blocked, within what timeframe, and is it billed? On reversibility: if we change provider in two years, what happens, are the licenses in our name, do we get the documentation? On failure: tell me about a project that went badly and what you took from it. That last question is very instructive: a provider claiming never to have hit a difficulty either lacks experience or lacks candor.

A few things deserve your vigilance. A quote with no detail: a single lump sum with no breakdown makes comparison and cost control impossible. A proposal made without a prior audit: pricing a project without looking at your existing setup is guesswork. A pitch that avoids limits: every tool has constraints, and a provider mentioning none will let you discover them mid-project. Pressure on timing: offers expiring Friday are a sales technique, not a technical argument. No verifiable references in your sector or company size. Finally, be wary of a provider who says yes to everything: a partner who tells you frankly that part of your need is outside their scope is more reliable than one who promises it all.