The VAR Guy wouldn’t be The VAR Guy if he didn’t check up on global VARs from time to time, and this time he’s taking a look at Technology Services Group (TSG). The Newcastle, Britain-based IT support company has earned three gold-level certifications in Microsoft Partner Networking, bringing with it an expanded relationship with Microsoft that continues to make TSG customers happy campers. Our resident blogger has the lowdown on the update …

Specifically, TSG received the following gold-level competencies:

Earning gold-level certifications with Microsoft can be a daunting task, requiring tests, customer references and a minimum number of Microsoft Certified Professionals on staff. But once earned, the certifications signal TSG — and other certified partners — embody all the things Microsoft requires to “meet Microsoft customers’ evolving needs in today’s dynamic business environment.” That’s good news for TSG, which should continue to see considerable growth thanks to its trio of certifications.

TSG CEO David Stonehouse called it a “challenging” journey but a rewarding experience, especially since “less than 1 (percent) of the 650,000 Microsoft Partners worldwide [are] good enough to achieve Gold and only 5 (percent) [for] Silver.” Stonehouse attributes its success to being “exceptionally well-placed,” thanks to “a team of dedicated experts in specialist areas far bigger than many of our competitors.”

Currently, TSG holds silver-level certifications for virtualization, messaging, midmarket solutions and CRM. It seems likely TSG will look to achieve gold-level status in all its specializations, so our resident blogger will continue to keep tabs on TSG as it flows and grows throughout the channel.