If you are an ISV producing code that runs using Microsoft tech on Windows, it is not particularly difficult at all to qualify as at least a Silver-level partne

If you are an ISV producing code that runs using Microsoft tech on Windows, it is not particularly difficult at all to qualify as at least a Silver-level partner. It's kind of a PITA to run your applications through the verification process every couple of years, but it's not hard, more tedious; or you can get a couple people to pass some of the certification tests.