May update: What’s new in Security for partners

News and Announcements

• Publish a Copilot agent or analytics solution in the Microsoft Security Store: Expand your reach within the Microsoft Security platform and unlock new revenue opportunities by publishing a compliant Copilot agent or analytics solution to the Security Store. This gives identity, data protection, and compliance teams a unified way to discover, evaluate, and deploy partner solutions directly inside the workflows they already use. Learn more about how to structure your offer and prepare to list it today. 

• The Azure Security Engineer Associate (AZ-500) certification is retiring: This certification is retiring in August 2026 and will be replaced by the new Cloud and AI Security Engineer Associate (SC‑500) certification. We're providing a transition period where partners can use either certification to meet skilling requirements for the Solutions Partner designation for Security and relevant specializations. 

• Secure Boot certificates are expiring: Secure Boot certificates are reaching the end of their planned lifecycle and begin expiring in late June 2026. Partners and customers will need to update these certificates ahead of the expiration in order to benefit from the security in Secure Boot. Review the first set of tools, now available to proactively update your Secure Boot certificates. 

• Security Dashboard for AI, board-ready visibility into AI risk: Learn how chief information security officers (CISOs) are using the Security Dashboard for AI to compile board reports, create a shared intelligence layer across security teams, and manage AI risk across agents, apps, and platforms. Use the dashboard to lead executive-level security conversations with customers grounded in AI governance, unified visibility, and business risk outcomes.  

• Hyper-scale your SOC with Microsoft Defender: Join this upcoming webinar on May 12, 2026 at 9:00 AM PST to learn how to securely scale your security operations center (SOC) using Microsoft Defender’s unified role-based access control (RBAC) and delegated access capabilities. Discover how to enable multiple SOC teams to operate within a shared environment, apply granular, role-based scoping across data and workloads, and manage multi-tenant access for managed security service providers (MSSPs) and global organizations—all without compromising governance or control.  

• Microsoft Sentinel adds unified RBAC with row-level access: Microsoft Sentinel now supports unified role-based access control (RBAC) with row-level scoping, bringing centralized permission management and granular data access into the Microsoft Defender portal. This enables multiple SOC teams to securely operate in shared environments while ensuring users only see the data relevant to their role or scope 

• Securely delegate access with GDAP in Microsoft Sentinel: Granular Delegated Admin Privileges (GDAP) is now extended to Microsoft Sentinel, enabling secure, scalable delegated access across tenants directly in the Microsoft Defender portal. Built on a consent-based, Zero Trust model, GDAP allows organizations and MSSPs to manage multi-tenant access with precision while unifying SIEM and XDR governance in a single experience 

• Agent 365 – Your Data Security Controls Mechanics Video: Quickly identify and secure AI agent risks before they become incidents. See how Microsoft Purview in Agent 365 helps you monitor active agents, assess risk, detect sensitive data interactions, and confirm policies are working—within familiar security workflows. Use this demo to spark executive conversations, accelerate assessments, and position services to extend data security and compliance to AI agents. 

• Run a campaign with Microsoft Agent 365 campaign in a box assets: Partners who have access to Partner Marketing Center Pro access through a Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Program partner benefits package, Solutions Partner designation, or ISV Success enrollment can explore and run the full campaign end-to-end, while those using Partner Marketing Center can download a limited set of assets to support execution. 

Incentives and Offers

• Extended Microsoft Purview Suite for Business Premium promo: Customers who have licensed Business Premium with Microsoft 365 Copilot Business or Microsoft 365 Copilot qualify for 50% off enhanced data protection on Purview Suite for Business Premium. This limited-time offer has been extended through July 1, 2026. 

• Explore the new digital incentives guide experience: Now delivered through an online experience, the Microsoft Commercial Partner Incentives Guide offers clear navigation, direct paths to engagement, and faster access to up-to-date guidance. Explore the new incentives guide now, and join one of our upcoming partner community calls to share feedback so we can continue to evolve the experience.  

• Explore the AI Business Solutions & Security Partner Experience (ASPX): Check out the new ASPX dashboard in Partner Center that brings Microsoft-aligned insights directly into partners’ workflows. It provides a unified view of customer usage, licensing, renewals, security readiness, and incentive eligibility—aligned with the same models used by Microsoft’s global sales force. 

• New capabilities in Microsoft Agent 365 and new Microsoft Defender and GitHub integration: New Defender capabilities in the Agent 365 tooling gateway, now in preview, gives security teams visibility to detect, block, and investigate threats to AI agents. Additionally, a Defender for Cloud integration with GitHub Advanced Security, now generally available, provides unified security visibility across the development lifecycle so teams can track vulnerabilities from source code to deployed applications and speed resolution. 

Skilling and Events

• MCAPS Start for Partners and the Security Partner GTM Kickoff are coming: Don’t miss this critical FY27 planning moment. Hear directly from Microsoft executives on FY27 priorities, learn how to build your strategy around Frontier Transformation, and gain insight into the market trends and investments shaping FY27 growth. Save the date for MCAPS Start for Partners on July 22, followed by the Security Partner GTM Kickoff on July 28, to align to Microsoft’s security strategy across enterprise, Cloud Solution Provider (CSP), and small and medium business (SMB) segments, and prioritize the right solutions. Walk away with practical guidance, ready-to-use enablement, and the skilling resources needed to build and scale your security practice. 

• Microsoft 365 Business Premium, Defender, and Purview: Deployment Best Practices: Join this five episode webinar series focused on the end‑to‑end journey for deploying and securing Microsoft 365 Business Premium plus Microsoft Defender and Purview Suites. Each episode centers on a key security pillar—identity, device management, endpoint protection, email and app security, and data protection—progressing from foundational capabilities (P1) to advanced (P2). Each episode blends core Business Premium configurations with advanced security scenarios to help organizations adopt a comprehensive, modern security baseline. 

• Explore Microsoft Partner Digital Skilling Journeys: This curated skilling experience offers presales, sales, and tech skilling experiences designed to enhance your knowledge aligned with partner strategic wins. First-time users may need to register—use your work email credentials to sign up, answer a few questions, and receive tech and sales-ready skilling experiences customized to your interests and goals. 

• Join the SMB Deployment Guides and Best Practices for Microsoft 365 Business Premium Defender and Purview Suites course: Sign up for this on-demand course to get hands-on experience implementing Microsoft 365 Business Premium security features with best‑practice deployment across five key areas: Identity & Access, Device Management, Device Security, Email and App Security, and Data Security. 

• Sign up for the Any Agents, Any Code: Design, build, and govern agents on Microsoft's AI platform course: Join this demo-driven session to learn how to design and implement a complete multi agent architecture across low code and pro code, using Microsoft's integrated AI platform. 

• Join in-person workshops around the world: Join us at upcoming skilling workshops taking place around the world. 
• • Power the Frontier Firm with Microsoft Agent 365 & Microsoft 365 E7 - Sao Paulo: This one-day sales readiness workshop will show partners how to position Agent 365 within Microsoft 365 E7, articulate the Frontier Firm vision, and drive customer-ready AI value. Join on Monday, May 18 from 9:00 AM-5:15 PM BRT. 
  • Implement Agent 365 to Secure Al Apps, Copilot & Agents - Sao Paulo: This one-day workshop focuses on securing and governing AI agents using Microsoft Agent 365. Join in-person on Tuesday, May 19 from 9:00 AM-5:30 PM BRT. 
  • Sovereign Cloud Lead The Conversation - Tech Deal Ready – Copenhagen: Join this presales workshop on designing and pitching Microsoft Sovereign Cloud solutions on Wednesday, May 20 from 9:30 AM-3:15 PM CET. 
  • Power the Frontier Firm with Agent 365 & Microsoft 365 E7 – Ottawa: This one-day sales readiness workshop will show partners how to position Agent 365 within Microsoft 365 E7, articulate the Frontier Firm vision, and drive customer-ready AI value. Join on Wednesday, June 3, from 12:00 PM-5:15 PM EDT. 
  • Implement Agent 365 to Secure Al Apps, Copilot & Agents – Ottawa: Join this one-day workshop focused on securing and governing AI agents using Microsoft Agent 365 on Thursday, June 4, from 9:00 AM-5:30 PM EDT. 

• Check out the latest live virtual skilling events: 
  • Implement, Govern and Scale Data Security with Microsoft Purview in the era of AI: Learn how to implement and govern Microsoft Purview data security on Monday, May 11 at 9:00 AM IST and Thursday, May 14, at 1:00 PM IST. 
  • Implement threat protection with Microsoft Defender XDR: This course covers Microsoft Defender XDR for unified, AI-driven threat protection. Join on either Wednesday, May 13, at 8:00 AM CST or Thursday, May 14, at 1:00 PM CST. 
  • France Certification Week: MAICPP – Cloud & AI Platforms + Security: Prepare for your certification exam with expert-led training focused on Azure AI, infrastructure, cybersecurity, threat protection, and more. This workshop will be delivered in French. Join on either Monday, May 18, at 9:00 AM CET or Friday, May 22, at 7:00 PM CET. 
  • Modernize and optimize your SOC deployment with Microsoft Sentinel: Learn to deploy, configure, and optimize Microsoft Sentinel within the Microsoft Defender portal on Tuesday, May 26, at 9:00 AM IST or Wednesday, May 27, at 1:00 PM IST. 
  • Threat Protection and Incident response with Microsoft Sentinel within Unified Platform: Unified threat protection and response using Microsoft Defender, Sentinel SecOps. Join on either Tuesday, June 2, at 9:00 AM IST or Wednesday, June 3, at 1:00 PM IST. 
  • Frontier Partner Summit: This event serves as a key activation point, translating skilling strategy into coordinated partner execution. Join us on Tuesday, June 9 from 8:00 AM to 12:00 PM PDT.  

• Check out the latest on-demand skilling opportunities: Across Security you'll find opportunities for members in your organization to expand the presales, sales, and technical skills that can grow your Security practice.

Go-To-Market

• Explore the Security and Compliance for SMB campaign-in-a-box: This collection is designed for partners to drive demand for unified, AI-powered security and data protection using Microsoft Defender and Purview suites for Business Premium. Access ready-to-use marketing assets  engage small and medium business (SMB) customers, and showcase how you can simplify security and support secure AI adoption. Partners who have access to Partner Marketing Center Pro access through a Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Program partner benefits package, Solutions Partner designation, or ISV Success enrollment can explore and run the full campaign end-to-end, while those using Partner Marketing Center can download a limited set of assets to support execution. 

• Download the new SMB deployment guides for Defender for Business Premium and Purview for Business Premium: To access clear guidance, best practice configurations, and key decisions, partners need to deliver secure, consistent outcomes for small and medium-sized business (SMB) customers. Use these guides alongside deployment accelerators to develop a faster, more repeatable path to value. For practical, hands-on readiness, partners can also enroll in the on-demand LevelUp course to follow guided deployments for Defender for Business Premium and Purview for Business Premium. 

• Access an expanded library of compliance assets: We're excited to announce the availability of assets designed to articulate differentiated Microsoft capabilities in compliance, security, and risk management, and address customer concerns with confidence. These assets cover a broad range of topics, including security assessments, regulatory readiness, data governance, risk management, and AI compliance. Learn more by selecting the solution plays below: 
  • Data Security 

• • Modern SecOps with Unified Platform 

• • Protect Cloud, AI Platforms, and Apps 

Customer Success

• Learn how Quorum Cyber and Microsoft are working together to protect voter data: Protecting voter data at scale demands around-the-clock vigilance, deep platform expertise, and zero margin for error. Quorum Cyber, a Microsoft partner that holds all four Security specializations, rose to that challenge by deploying Microsoft Sentinel directly within voter data nonprofit Data Trust's Azure environment, using Azure Lighthouse to unify security visibility across their entire estate while keeping sensitive data firmly within the customer's tenant. The result was 24/7 threat detection and response, giving Data Trust a single, transparent view of their security posture and evolving into a deeper partnership. 

• Learn how DEFEND brought a modern security posture to the New Zealand Ministry for the Environment: In this recent partner success story, learn how DEFEND, a New Zealand–based cybersecurity services provider, helped New Zealand’s Ministry for the Environment strengthen its security and modernize its cloud environment by consolidating multiple tools into an integrated Microsoft security stack, driving measurable security and operational gains.