The Cognizant Microsoft Business Group (Cognizant MBG) is proud to announce we have earned the Kubernetes on Microsoft Azure Advanced Specialization. Our core values call us to be innovative and, in that vein, we are constantly working to elevate our expertise to provide better service for our customers.
Modern applications are increasingly built using containers, which are microservices packaged with their dependencies and configurations. Kubernetes is open-source software for deploying and managing those containers at scale— it’s also the Greek word for helmsmen of a ship or pilot. Build, deliver, and scale containerized apps faster with Kubernetes.
By leveraging containers and Microsoft’s fully managed Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS), our customers can deploy and manage containerized applications easier, while taking advantage of integrated CI/CD and enterprise-grade security and governance. Kubernetes supports our customers’ cloud journey through App Modernization and provides development and operations teams the ability to rapidly build, deliver, and scale applications leveraging Platform-native services in Azure.
For several years, Microsoft has worked to develop a way to better-distinguish partners within their ecosystem. Over the past twenty-plus years, that has resulted in the requirements for partners to achieve a “Gold” or a “Silver” competency. As more partners became certified, Microsoft has worked to tighten the requirements for Gold partners, and as recently as four years ago, there were still a huge number of partners who had accomplished a gold certification but have not yet demonstrated true acumen in emerging cloud technologies.
To achieve the Kubernetes Advanced Specialization, our consultants showed proficiency in Azure through Microsoft certification, Kubernetes through Certified Kubernetes Application Developer and Certified Kubernetes Administrator certification, and implementation expertise by showcasing customer success stories with AKS deployments.
Partners with an active gold competency who demonstrate deep knowledge in a specific area may seek an advanced specialization. An advanced specialization assures potential clients that we meet the highest standards for service delivery and support. Clients want to know, as they browse through the public partner directories, which partners have truly excelled in specific technology areas. In order to accomplish that objective and better rank partners, Microsoft created two programs to badge specific partners with an indication of greater excellence:
- Azure Expert MSP partners (for managed services providers) – announced in July 2018
- Advanced Specialization partners (for professional services providers) – announced in July 2019
Both tracks started from a similar foundation–a partner would need to prove that they have done enough work in the particular domain area and are subject to a yearly audit conducted by a third-party to validate their accomplishments. Acquiring these advanced specializations results in a higher level of confidence customers could have in a partner’s ability to deliver services. Partners such as the Cognizant Microsoft Business Group, that is a globally managed services provider, as well as a traditional systems integrator delivering professional services engagements, needed to go down both paths.
Cognizant MBG has already passed the audit for seven of the Advanced Specializations which partners can obtain:
- Modernization of Web Applications to Microsoft Azure
- Windows Server and SQL Server Migration to Microsoft Azure
- Adoption and Change Management
- SAP on Azure
- Calling for Microsoft Teams
- Meetings and Meeting Rooms for Microsoft Teams
- Kubernetes on Microsoft Azure
We are currently pursuing our next Advanced Specialization. MBG anticipates that we will continue to excel at obtaining them as more and more of these are available.
If you’re interested in discussing any technological opportunities, reach out to a Cognizant Microsoft Business Group expert today.
