What Is MCI?

Microsoft Commerce Incentives, commonly called MCI, is Microsoft’s centralized partner incentive program. It consolidates rewards for certified Microsoft Solutions Partners across six solution areas: Data and AI, Modern Work, Security, Infrastructure, Digital and App Innovation, and Business Applications.

Those incentive funds can be directed toward customer-facing activities, including assessments, workshops, and advisory engagements. The result is that qualifying companies can access expert-level engagements at subsidized or zero cost.

How the Money Flows

The flow is straightforward, but most companies never see behind the curtain:

Microsoft issues incentive rewards to certified Partners based on qualifying activity, primarily adoption and expansion of Microsoft solutions. Exelegent, as a certified Solutions Partner, earns those rewards and chooses to direct them toward reducing the cost of customer engagements. For qualifying companies, this can reduce an engagement that would typically cost tens of thousands of dollars to little or nothing out of pocket.

Who Qualifies?

MCI partner-subsidized engagements are not available to everyone. The typical qualifying profile for companies working with Exelegent as their Microsoft Solutions Partner is:

If your company does not meet every criterion, it is still worth a 15-minute conversation. Partial subsidy options sometimes apply, and the call is the fastest way to confirm where you stand.

What Can You Access Through the Program?

Through Exelegent’s MCI partner incentive funds, qualifying companies can access three types of subsidized engagements:

Why This Matters More Than Ever

Three trends are converging that make MCI-subsidized engagements increasingly valuable to IT and security leaders right now.

Microsoft Copilot raises the stakes on data governance

Copilot for Microsoft 365 surfaces data from across your environment based on user permissions. If your permissions are misconfigured, including overshared SharePoint sites, broad group access, or legacy external sharing, Copilot can expose that data to people who should not see it. A Know Your Data engagement addresses exactly this, and under MCI partner incentive subsidies, it costs your company nothing to find out where you stand.

Security assessments are now table stakes for cyber insurance

Underwriters increasingly require documented risk assessments as a condition of coverage, or use them to price premiums. An executive-grade cybersecurity assessment with a quantified dollar risk score and remediation roadmap is exactly what your broker needs. Getting that report at $0 out-of-pocket changes the calculus on whether to prioritize it.

License waste is a real CFO conversation

The average mid-market company uses a fraction of the security features included in Microsoft 365 E3 or E5 licenses. An M365 Optimization Review identifies which capabilities you are already paying for but not using, and builds a roadmap to capture that value. For a CFO looking to justify existing Microsoft spend, this engagement delivers a concrete answer.

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What Happens After You Reach Out

The process is designed to be low-friction on your side:

• Step 1: Fill out the form. An Exelegent Microsoft Partner specialist reviews your profile and reaches out within 1 business day. No IT prep needed.
• Step 2: 15-minute qualification call. We confirm which MCI partner-subsidized engagements are available to your company, explain what you receive, what it costs, and what happens next.
• Step 3: Microsoft sends an engagement confirmation. Once your eligibility is confirmed, Microsoft sends a formal approval email to your organization. You accept participation directly with Microsoft.
• Step 4: Engagement begins. Exelegent coordinates the engagement, prepares the Statement of Work, and delivers the full assessment. You receive the complete deliverables: report, risk score, and roadmap.

There is no obligation to purchase anything after the engagement. The assessment is a standalone deliverable. If what we find creates a project you want help with, we will present options. That decision is entirely yours. Utilize the funding opportunities available to you.

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Frequently Asked Questions About MCI

What does MCI stand for?

MCI stands for Microsoft Commerce Incentives. It is Microsoft’s centralized partner incentive program that rewards certified Solutions Partners for driving adoption of Microsoft solutions across Azure, Modern Work, Security, Infrastructure, Data and AI, Digital and App Innovation, and Business Applications.

Is the MCI program the same as Microsoft funding?

Not exactly. MCI is a partner incentive program, not a direct Microsoft funding program for end customers. Microsoft rewards certified Solutions Partners with incentive funds based on qualifying activity. Partners like Exelegent then direct those funds toward subsidizing the cost of customer engagements. The subsidy comes through the partner, not directly from Microsoft.

Who is eligible for MCI-subsidized engagements through Exelegent?

US-based companies with active Microsoft 365 licensing and between 250 and 5,000 employees are the primary candidates. Eligibility also requires a decision-maker with budget authority, such as a CTO, CIO, CISO, or CEO, and the company must not have completed a partner-delivered assessment in the current Microsoft fiscal year.

What types of engagements can be subsidized through MCI?

Engagements that can be subsidized through Exelegent’s MCI partner incentive funds include cybersecurity assessments, data security discovery engagements, Microsoft 365 optimization reviews, Copilot readiness assessments, Sentinel and unified SecOps deployments, and Microsoft Defender for Cloud security posture assessments.

How much does an MCI-subsidized engagement cost the client?

For qualifying companies, the out-of-pocket cost ranges from $0 to minimal. The subsidy amount depends on the engagement type and the company’s specific eligibility. Exelegent confirms the exact cost during a 15-minute qualification call before any work begins.

Is there an obligation to purchase services after the assessment?

No. MCI-subsidized assessments delivered by Exelegent are standalone engagements. Clients receive the full report, risk score, and roadmap with no obligation to purchase additional services. If findings lead to a project the client wants to pursue, Exelegent will present options, but the decision is entirely the client’s.

What is the difference between a Microsoft Solutions Partner and a regular Microsoft partner?

A Microsoft Solutions Partner has met specific performance, skilling, and customer success requirements verified by Microsoft. This designation is required to access MCI partner incentive programs. Not all companies that resell or implement Microsoft products hold Solutions Partner status.

How does Exelegent apply MCI funds to client engagements?

Exelegent earns MCI incentive rewards by driving adoption of Microsoft solutions. Those funds are then applied to reduce or eliminate the cost of delivering assessments and advisory engagements to qualifying clients. The engagement nomination is submitted to Microsoft, Microsoft sends a formal approval email to the client, and the client accepts participation before work begins.