MSP and Hyperscaler Perspectives on Cloud Partner Programs 

The Brief 

A cloud platform company wanted to understand how Managed Service Providers engage with Azure and Google Cloud partner programs, including the perspectives of people who had managed those programs from inside Microsoft and Google themselves. The study required two distinct participant types: current MSP professionals with at least a year of experience within official partner programs, and former hyperscaler employees who had recently left Azure or GCP partner-facing roles. 

Two Audiences, Two Sourcing Tracks 

For the MSP segment, sourcing focused on companies of 500 or more employees holding official partner status with Microsoft or Google, targeting cloud solutions architects, sales engineers, and account managers who understood the mechanics of the partnership rather than just the products. North America was the primary geography, with APAC also in scope. For the ex-hyperscaler segment, candidates had to have left Microsoft Azure or Google Cloud within the past 18 months and to have worked directly with MSP partner programs, eliminating people whose tenure predated current program structures. 

Screening for Program Depth 

Screeners were designed to distinguish genuine partner program knowledge from surface familiarity, probing candidates on specific program mechanics and their direct interactions with partner tiers, incentive structures, and co-selling arrangements. Quota management ensured the final sample covered both Azure and Google Cloud ecosystems rather than skewing toward the more widely represented Microsoft side. All 10 participants were delivered across the two audience types. 

• 10 experts sourced across two participant types 
• Dual ecosystem coverage across Azure and Google Cloud 
• 18-month recency cap for all former hyperscaler participants