Microsoft Solutions Partner Infrastructure: Solv Qualifies

Navy Solv Systems title card reading 'Infrastructure Solutions Partner', with the Azure icon at the centre of a hub of Microsoft product icons: Entra ID, Key Vault, SQL Server, Azure Cost Management, Azure DevOps and Azure SQL Database.

In Short: Solv Systems Is a Microsoft Solutions Partner for Infrastructure (Azure)

This week Solv Systems qualified as a Microsoft Solutions Partner for Infrastructure (Azure), one of the three Azure pathways behind Microsoft's Solutions Partner for Cloud & AI Platforms badge. Microsoft awards it to partners who score at least 70 of 100 points on its partner capability score, with points in every metric, measured from real customer Azure usage and from certifications held by the partner's people. We also qualified in the other two pathways, Data & AI and Digital & App Innovation, so Solv now holds all three.

For a data and AI consultancy, infrastructure is not a side line. Every Fabric, Power BI or Azure data platform we build sits on networking, identity, gateways and capacity decisions, and this designation is Microsoft's validated signal of capability in exactly that layer.

Solv Systems' Microsoft Solutions Partner badges: Cloud & AI Platforms, with Data & AI, Digital & App Innovation and Infrastructure

Key Facts

3 of 3 Azure pathways qualified: Data & AI, Digital & App Innovation and Infrastructure
70 of 100 points is the minimum partner capability score, with points needed in all 5 scored metrics
20 points each are available for intermediate and advanced certifications on the Infrastructure pathway
Measured by Microsoft from Partner Center data, not self-declared

What Is the Microsoft Solutions Partner Infrastructure Designation?

The Microsoft Solutions Partner for Infrastructure (Azure) designation recognises partners with proven skills and customer outcomes in running core Azure infrastructure. Since August 2026, Microsoft shows it to customers under the Solutions Partner for Cloud & AI Platforms badge, alongside the Data & AI (Azure) and Digital & App Innovation (Azure) pathways. Qualifying in any one of the three earns the badge; each pathway is still scored and earned separately in Partner Center.

What sets the Infrastructure pathway apart is its certification requirement. Microsoft scores all three Azure pathways on the same customer measures, so the skills it asks for are what define the pathway: Azure networking, hybrid Windows Server, Azure Virtual Desktop and SAP on Azure, built on Azure administration and solution architecture. Our overview of what the Cloud & AI Platforms designation means explains how the badge and the pathways fit together.

What Are the Infrastructure (Azure) Designation Requirements?

Microsoft's partner capability score has five metrics for the Infrastructure pathway, and a partner needs at least 70 of 100 points with one or more points in every metric:

Net customer adds (up to 30 points) - growth in customers with meaningful Azure consumption, year on year
Intermediate certifications (up to 20 points) - certified individuals, after an Azure Administrator prerequisite
Advanced certifications (up to 20 points) - certified individuals, after an Azure Solutions Architect Expert prerequisite
Usage growth (up to 20 points) - year-on-year growth in customers' Azure consumed revenue
Deployments (up to 10 points) - the breadth of distinct Azure services customers use, excluding Virtual Machines and VM licences

That last rule matters. A partner cannot reach the score by lifting servers into virtual machines alone; it has to show customers using a range of Azure services.

Which certifications count for Infrastructure (Azure)?

The skilling metrics are built in steps. Both start with the foundation credentials and then score the specialist ones:

Intermediate prerequisite: Azure Administrator Associate (AZ-104)
Intermediate, scored: Azure Network Engineer Associate (AZ-700), or Windows Server Hybrid Administrator Associate (AZ-800 plus AZ-801)
Advanced prerequisite: Azure Solutions Architect Expert (AZ-305, which also requires the AZ-104 credential)
Advanced, scored: Azure Virtual Desktop Specialty (AZ-140), or Azure for SAP Workloads Specialty (AZ-120)

Fundamentals certifications such as AZ-900 do not count. Microsoft's Azure designations page is the authoritative source for the current list.

Why Does Infrastructure Matter for a Data and AI Consultancy?

Most of our work is data and AI: Microsoft Fabric and Azure data platforms, Power BI and AI on top. But the questions that decide whether a data platform is safe and affordable are infrastructure questions:

Secure networking. Private endpoints and private links for Azure data services, and network controls around Fabric workspaces, so data does not travel over the public internet. Our guide to the Microsoft Fabric security model covers the layers involved.
Reaching on-premises data. On-premises data gateways and hybrid connectivity, so Fabric and Power BI can read from SQL Server and line-of-business systems that still live in a server room.
Identity and secrets. Microsoft Entra ID for users, groups and service principals, managed identities where possible, and Azure Key Vault for anything that must stay secret.
Moving legacy workloads. Taking SQL Server, SSIS and SSAS estates onto Azure and Fabric without losing the business logic built into them.
Cost and capacity governance. Sizing Fabric and Azure capacity, setting budgets and alerts, and keeping an eye on spend after go-live - see our guide to Fabric capacity administration.

A data platform built without these foundations tends to need re-work later, usually after a security review or the first large invoice. Building them in from the start is what we mean by a secure Azure landing zone for data platforms.

What this looks like in practice

In one engagement, we helped a financial services company move its legacy SQL, SSIS and SSAS estate onto Microsoft Fabric, with sources brought in through mirroring, pipelines and custom connectors, and every number checked against the old platform before the switch-over. In another, a holding group moved reporting off its live systems onto a Fabric lakehouse, after we compared a traditional build on separate Azure services with Fabric on cost and build effort. A third project replaced JET Enterprise cubes with Microsoft Fabric. More examples are on our case studies page.

What Does It Mean for Clients?

Microsoft describes a Solutions Partner designation as "a validated signal of capability which is recognized by customers and Microsoft sellers." In practical terms, for anyone looking for an Azure migration partner or an Azure infrastructure partner in the UK, South Africa or the US, it tells you three things about Solv Systems:

Certified people. Our consultants hold the Azure administration, architecture and infrastructure certifications Microsoft requires.
Real customer outcomes. The score depends on measured growth in customers' Azure usage and the range of services they run, taken from Partner Center data.
Direct Microsoft channels. Designated partners get Microsoft technical advisory hours and partner support incidents, which helps when an issue needs escalating.

It is not an endorsement, a guarantee or a warranty from Microsoft, and Microsoft is clear that partner selection rests with you. Where Microsoft runs programmes that support Azure migration and modernisation, designated partners can work with Microsoft on them when a client is eligible; we check eligibility case by case rather than promising it.

What Does It Mean for Solv?

Qualifying in all three Azure pathways reflects how we already work: data platforms, applications and automation, and the infrastructure underneath them, delivered by one team. Read about the other two pathways in our posts on Data & AI and Digital & App Innovation.

A Solutions Partner designation is also the prerequisite for Microsoft's specializations. The Infrastructure pathway is one of the routes to the Infra and Database Migration to Microsoft Azure specialization, which requires further performance and skilling criteria and a third-party audit. Given how much of our work involves moving SQL Server workloads to Azure and Fabric, it is a natural next step to look at, and we will share more if and when we pursue it.

Thank You to Our Team

This designation was earned by our consultants. The certifications that count were studied for and passed by people who were delivering client projects at the same time, and the customer metrics reflect work they did for clients over many months. It took sustained effort, and we are proud of every one of them. Thank you.

Working With Solv

If you are planning a SQL Server to Azure migration, putting a data platform on a secure footing, or trying to get Fabric and Azure costs under control, we can help:

Microsoft Fabric, data platform and Azure services - architecture, migration and build
Microsoft data governance - access, security, lineage and policy
Power BI and analytics - reporting on top of a well-built platform

Get in touch to talk it through with one of our consultants.

Sources and Further Reading

Frequently asked

It is a Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Program designation for partners with proven skills and customer outcomes in core Azure infrastructure. Partners qualify by scoring at least 70 of 100 points on Microsoft's partner capability score, with points in every metric. Since August 2026 it is shown to customers under the Solutions Partner for Cloud & AI Platforms badge.

A partner needs at least 70 of 100 points across five metrics: net customer adds (up to 30), intermediate certifications (up to 20), advanced certifications (up to 20), usage growth (up to 20) and deployments (up to 10), with at least one point in each. The customer metrics are measured from Partner Center data on real Azure consumption.

Azure Administrator Associate (AZ-104) is the intermediate prerequisite, then Azure Network Engineer Associate (AZ-700) or Windows Server Hybrid Administrator Associate (AZ-800 plus AZ-801) score points. Azure Solutions Architect Expert (AZ-305) is the advanced prerequisite, then Azure Virtual Desktop Specialty (AZ-140) or Azure for SAP Workloads Specialty (AZ-120) score points. Fundamentals certifications do not count.

Cloud & AI Platforms is Microsoft's customer-facing badge for three Azure pathways: Data & AI, Digital & App Innovation and Infrastructure. Each pathway is scored separately, and qualifying in any one earns the badge. Solv Systems qualified in all three.

Because data platforms depend on infrastructure: private networking for Azure data services and Fabric, on-premises data gateways, Microsoft Entra ID and Azure Key Vault, and migrating SQL Server, SSIS and SSAS workloads. Solv Systems builds these foundations into every Fabric and Azure data platform it delivers.

No. Microsoft describes the designation as a validated signal of capability, based on certified skills and measured customer outcomes, but states it is not an endorsement, guarantee or warranty. Choosing a partner remains the customer's decision, so ask for relevant case studies and references as well.

It is an Azure specialization for partners that migrate servers and databases to Azure. A Solutions Partner designation in Infrastructure or Data & AI is a prerequisite, and partners must also meet performance and skilling criteria and pass a third-party audit. Solv Systems sees it as a possible next step.