What does it really take to win Microsoft Partner of the Year, and more importantly, to build a business capable of earning it?

In this episode of Microsoft Mentors, Oli sits down with Rob Young, Founder and CEO of Infinity Group, to unpack the 25-year journey behind their transformation from a traditional MSP into a pure-play Microsoft Partner, culminating in global recognition as Microsoft Partner of the Year.

Rob shares the real story behind the award, not just the headline moment, but the years of strategic decisions that led to it: walking away from legacy revenue, committing fully to the Microsoft ecosystem, investing early in Dynamics 365 and Business Central, and embracing customer-zero adoption long before it became fashionable.

This is a candid, experience-led conversation about Microsoft partner strategy, business applications, cloud transformation, AI adoption, and leadership at scale grounded in reality, not hype.

👉 If you enjoy this episode, don’t forget to like, follow, and subscribe on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or YouTube.

💡 What You’ll Learn in This Episode

• How Infinity Group evolved from an MSP into a Microsoft Partner of the Year
• Why losing a customer to Office 365 became a turning point in their strategy
• The decision to go pure-play Microsoft, and what it really involved
• Why Dynamics 365 and Business Central became central to their growth
• What the “Microsoft Partner tax” actually means in practice
• How customer-zero adoption builds trust with Microsoft and customers
• Where AI, Copilot, and agents fit into modern Microsoft solutions
• Why AI initiatives fail without clear business outcomes
• Leadership lessons from scaling a 185-person Microsoft consultancy
• Why focus, credibility, and long-term thinking outperform short-term growth

💬 Memorable Quotes

“We actually lost a customer, and that was a massive eye-opener for us.”

“If we wanted Microsoft to believe in us, we had to be all in across the stack.”

“AI is just another business application if you don’t understand the problem you’re trying to solve.”

“We went through the same pain as our customers; data, security, governance.”

“You’ve got to let go and trust people if you want the business to scale.”

📬 Enjoyed the Episode?

Subscribe to the Microsoft Mentors Newsletter for insights, episodes, and leadership lessons from across the Microsoft Partner ecosystem:

👉 https://www.linkedin.com/build-relation/newsletter-follow?entityUrn=7175453155780915200

🔗 Links & Resources

Connect with Rob Young on LinkedIn

👉 https://www.linkedin.com/in/robyounginfinitygroup/

Explore Infinity Group

👉 https://www.infinitygroup.co.uk/

Connect with Oli Ridley on LinkedIn

👉 https://www.linkedin.com/in/oli-ridley/

Follow Cloud Decisions on LinkedIn

👉 https://www.clouddecisions.co.uk/

🏢 About Cloud Decisions

Cloud Decisions helps Microsoft Partners and Microsoft-aligned businesses build high-performing teams across Cloud, Data, Security, and AI.

As a trusted Microsoft Talent Partner, we combine deep ecosystem knowledge with data-led hiring strategies to help organisations scale sustainably and stay competitive as Microsoft technologies evolve.