Recognition is nice. Patterns are better.

Jul 7, 2026  •  2   • 390 

Last year I wrote about becoming a Microsoft FastTrack Recognized Solution Architect for the first time. At the time it felt like a personal milestone. This year it happened again.🎉

Recognition is temporary

One thing many people don’t realize is that the FastTrack Recognized Solution Architect designation isn’t something you earn once and keep forever.

Every year you need to demonstrate that you’re still actively designing complex customer solutions, still contributing to the community and still meeting Microsoft’s requirements. The engineering team reviews new customer implementations and evaluates whether the recognition should be renewed.

So yes, I’m incredibly happy to have received the recognition again. But that’s not what made me smile the most.

Three.

While looking through this year’s list something suddenly stood out.

There are only three FastTrack Recognized Solution Architects for Power Platform in the Netherlands. All three work at… Blis Digital.

Architecture doesn’t happen in isolation. Every customer project teaches something. Every design review sharpens your thinking. Every discussion with colleagues makes your own solutions better. Having three recognized architects in one company means you constantly challenge each other to improve.

Some numbers

According to Microsoft’s current list:

• 🌍 Around 170+ architects worldwide have earned the FastTrack Recognized Solution Architect designation across Dynamics 365 and Power Platform.
• 🤝 They represent roughly 84 partner organizations globally.
• 🇳🇱 Only three architects are recognized for the Power Platform track in the Netherlands.
• 🟠 All three are part of the same company: Blis Digital.

That’s a statistic I certainly didn’t expect.

Architecture is a team sport

Microsoft describes the recognition as being awarded to architects who consistently demonstrate deep architecture expertise while delivering high-quality customer solutions.

That sounds individual. Reality isn’t. Every architecture review involves developers asking difficult questions.

Consultants challenging assumptions. Customers explaining why your first idea isn’t the right one. Colleagues pointing out something you completely missed. Good architecture is rarely the work of one person. It’s the result of lots of conversations.

Looking ahead

Power Platform keeps changing. AI is becoming part of almost every solution we design. Architectures evolve. Best practices evolve. Customer expectations evolve. And honestly, that’s exactly what makes this job fun.

So yes, I’m grateful to be recognized again. But even more, I’m grateful to work with people who make me a better architect every single day. Here’s to another year of learning.