Recent Discussions
Design AI guardrails to support and secure enterprise-ready apps and agents in Microsoft Marketplace
As AI-powered apps and agents become more autonomous, clearly defined guardrails are essential for helping protect sensitive data, control system behavior, and meet Marketplace certification and enterprise security expectations. This article explores how software companies can design enforceable guardrails that enable safe AI autonomy—supporting reliability, scalability, and customer trust from day one. Read the full article: Designing AI guardrails for apps and agents in Marketplace
Join Marketplace at Microsoft Build!
The Marketplace team will be at Microsoft Build, June 2-3 in San Francisco, CA! We hope you'll join us in the Hub to meet with experts on how to build, publish, and monetize apps and agents with Microsoft Marketplace. "Favorite" the Marketplace lightning talk which covers the start-to-finish publishing process and highlights benefits and incentives available from Microsoft for software developers: Monetize apps and agents with Microsoft Marketplace Check out the full catalog to explore sessions across the topics: Cloud Platform & Data, Developer Tools & Frameworks, Apps & Agents, Model Training, Windows, and Responsible AI. Can't make it to San Francisco? You can always register for the digital experience. See you there!
AI Skills Navigator
We are interested in registering and appearing in the AI Skills Navigator, and we would appreciate some guidance on the correct process and requirements. Specifically, we would like clarification on the following points: Is it necessary to be already enrolled in the Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Program in order to appear in the AI Skills Navigator? What is the recommended enrollment process for the Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Program (key steps, validations, approximate timelines, etc.)? Once registered as a partner, is there any additional registration or specific configuration required for the organization to appear in the AI Skills Navigator? Are there any minimum profile requirements, certifications, or designations needed for a partner to be visible in the AI Skills Navigator? From which portal or tool is this visibility managed (Partner Center, Microsoft Learn, or another platform)? Any official documentation, links, or practical experiences would be greatly appreciated. Thank you very much in advance for your support.
Partner Center enrollment blocked — Trust Code 715-123160, requesting manual review
Our company Veri-Tech, Inc. (DUNS 144980978, EIN 41-4881091) is a newly incorporated ISV building a Microsoft 365 compliance SaaS platform. We are attempting to enroll in the Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Program on our veri-tech.net tenant but enrollment is blocked by the trust check. We were previously using the domain Veri-Docs.net and suspect that may be one of the issues. We still own that domain but migrated to Veri-Tech.net. We cannot open a support ticket because the workspace dropdown is empty (known issue for blocked enrollments). Reference: 715-123160 Transaction ID: 5af23702-444a-4445-8e95-2deee3725858 Correlation ID: 37a4fe58-7dd2-47e3-86d8-63201771fed7 Tenant: veri-tech.net (9f4013fc-c093-45b1-9774-fce211cd0359) DUNS: 144980978 Contact: mailto:email address removed for privacy reasons Requesting expedited manual review and enrollment reset. Thank you
Question on MPO and Partner Quotes, what is your best practice?
Hello community, a question regarding how does MPO accelerate your deals? Today, direct to customer private offers can accelerate deals by using the private offer process for a customer to "electronically sign" a document attached to the private offer. However, for MPO we do not have a way for a channel partner (aka: reseller) to "electronically sign" a partner quote via Marketplace because MPO does not have a way to attach a pdf that the partner exclusively sees & accepts. In other words, any pdf we attach is also visible to the end customer which we do not want. As a result, we struggle to use MPO to accelerate deals (note: we are in discussion with partners about using REO but they also want to use MPO) Have you considered the MPO partner quote scenario and if so, have you found a way through this to accelerate deal making? What do you do?
Direct Bill Partner Status - Terminated
Hello, I'm writing here after four months of unresolved escalation through every standard support channel, and after reading the recent threads from ShayD , swathen , and ElDani . Our case appears to belong to the same family of issues, and I'm hoping raising it publicly will help both reach the correct internal Microsoft team and establish the broader pattern that seems to be affecting multiple partners across different markets. Who we are We are a longstanding Microsoft CSP partner based in Mongolia. We are the only Direct Bill CSP partner in the country, one of our market's top CSPs overall, and a multi-time Microsoft Country Partner of the Year. We service a large active customer base across enterprise, public sector, and SMB segments. What happened February 2, 2026: Original support case opened regarding a billing report discrepancy that surfaced in our Partner Center data. March 31, 2026: Microsoft formally acknowledged, in writing, in case #2602020010000623, that the discrepancy was caused by a Microsoft-side reporting error — not by any action or non-compliance on our part. April 1, 2026 — one day after the written acknowledgment of fault: Our Direct Bill Partner status was revoked by the system, and our Partner Center management capabilities were disabled the same day. We can no longer provision, modify, or service customer subscriptions. Since April 1: We have opened five separate support cases attempting to resolve the revocation. Each has been force-closed with instructions to file a new one. None has produced a named owner, a timeline, or a resolution path. Responses have consistently been variations of "under review" or "identifying the correct team." A TP&D ticket filed on the recommendation of our ASfP support manager was closed as out-of-scope. Our ASfP manager has confirmed that they cannot identify the correct internal escalation path, and mentioned that similar cases have been observed in other markets recently. Current impact A large base of end customers — including public sector and enterprise accounts — can no longer be properly serviced through their established CSP relationship. As the only Direct Bill CSP, our incapacitation effectively means Microsoft currently has no functioning Direct Bill CSP coverage in an entire country. Any customer requiring services through this channel has no path to receive them at the moment. Customer impact is accelerating each week the situation persists, and the reputational consequences are extending into the local market more broadly. What we're asking for Escalation of the above tickets to the appropriate CSP Accounts & Enrollment team, or to whichever internal Microsoft team owns erroneous Direct Bill revocations arising from billing report errors. Reinstatement of our Direct Bill Partner status, given that Microsoft has already formally acknowledged in writing that the root cause was an internal reporting error. Assignment of a named owner with authority to drive this to closure — not another ticket transfer into a queue. A broader note for Microsoft and the community In the past several weeks, multiple partners have posted here about erroneous or unexplained Direct Bill terminations. ShayD 's thread (resolved after Microsoft formally acknowledged the termination notice was sent in error), @swathen's thread (revenue classification / visibility gap causing an eligibility review failure despite provable revenue), and ElDani 's thread (Direct Bill account suddenly suspended April 1, 2026 — same date as ours) all share meaningful structural similarities with our case. Our situation makes at least the fourth public report of a similar pattern within roughly the last two months. I'm raising it here not to escalate emotionally, but because it genuinely seems worth Microsoft's internal attention that this may be a systemic issue in the billing classification or partner status pipeline, rather than a set of unrelated isolated cases. If anyone at Microsoft is tracking this pattern internally, our case is one more data point and we'd welcome being part of whatever review is happening. Any Microsoft employee who can help route this to the right team, or any partners who have successfully navigated a similar situation, please reach out. Full case documentation — including Microsoft's written acknowledgment, the complete chronological case history, and supporting materials — is available on request through direct message. Thank you for reading.
Direct Bill - Suspended
Hello Today our CSP Direct account was suddenly suspended, and unfortunately we still do not know the reason. We opened a support ticket immediately and received a phone call shortly afterwards informing us that the case had been escalated to the Accounts and Enrollment team. However, since then, we have not received any further updates, nor any reply to our follow-up emails. At the moment, existing subscriptions are still being renewed automatically, which is a relief, but we are currently unable to perform any management actions on the existing subscriptions. I am becoming increasingly concerned that this may be one of the cases I have seen mentioned here by other partners. We currently manage hundreds of customers and thousands of subscriptions, all of which are now effectively without commercial management. Has anyone gone through a similar situation and can offer any advice, guidance, or suggestions on how to escalate the case and speed up the resolution process? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance. DanielWhy governance is essential for scaling AI apps and agents in Microsoft Marketplace
As AI apps and agents become more autonomous and integrated across enterprise environments, governance is no longer a secondary consideration—it is foundational to building solutions customers can confidently adopt and operate at scale. In this Microsoft Marketplace blog, learn how governance transforms powerful AI capabilities into controlled, accountable solutions by establishing responsibility for system actions, defining acceptable behavior boundaries, and enabling ongoing review and auditability. The article outlines how effective governance for AI apps and agents spans three core dimensions—policy, enforcement, and evidence—ensuring that AI behavior in production environments remains intentional, explainable, and aligned with customer expectations. For software development companies building and publishing AI-powered solutions through Microsoft Marketplace, readiness is increasingly defined not by raw technical capability, but by control, accountability, and trust in real-world deployment scenarios. If you’re designing, publishing, or scaling AI solutions through Microsoft Marketplace, this guidance can help you strengthen enterprise trust and ensure your apps and agents are built for long-term operational success. Read the full article: Governing AI apps and agents for Marketplace | Microsoft Community HubExplore what’s new for Microsoft Marketplace partners in April 2026
The latest Microsoft Marketplace Partner Digest is now live—featuring key updates to partner Specializations, new Partner Center MFA requirements, and go-to-market resources designed to help software development companies build, publish, and scale transactable AI solutions. Catch up on the latest program changes and Marketplace opportunities to support your AI and co-sell strategies. 👉 Read the full article: Microsoft Marketplace Partner Digest | April 2026 | Microsoft Community Hub
Unified for Partners (UfP)
Hello! A few months ago at Microsoft Ignite, Dan Rippey shared an update on The Future of Partner Support - Customer + Partner + Microsoft. Dan brought 'Unified for Partners' center stage and mentioned that Microsoft is going into listening mode and taking partner feedback. It's easy to share feedback with Microsoft by visiting booths at Ignite. What are some ways partners can share feedback with Dan and others at Microsoft year round? For reference, we have a signed NDA with Microsoft if that helps! My first thought are the two community calls that were running for most of 2025. They were the CSP Technical Training Series and Microsoft Partner Community Q&A Call. However, I don't see any upcoming events scheduled... Thanks! -jonRECAP: Microsoft Elevate Partner Community Monthly Call - April 2026
It's not too late to catch the replay of this month's Elevate Partner Community call. What we covered: Recap of Partner Day Overview of the latest Partner Demand Generation Programs Overview of Partner Readiness Programs Introducing the Microsoft Dragon Copilot Offer for Rural Hospitals AI Business Solutions Transformation Playbook & Narrative Deck Microsoft AI Tour & AI Tour for Partners Featured Session: Security Programs & Incentives 👉Feel free to review the deck and watch the replay: Link to the deck: FY26 Microsoft Elevate Partner Community Call - April 2026 - PDF Link to the Teams recording: Monthly Microsoft Elevate Partner Community Call - April 2026 👉To get the Elevate Partner Community Monthly Calls on your calendar, sign up here.
How AI-powered software development companies are winning in Microsoft Marketplace
Artificial intelligence is transforming how software development companies build, market, and scale solutions across the Microsoft ecosystem. In this latest Microsoft Marketplace guest partner blog, explore how an AI-powered partner is using Microsoft Cloud technologies and Marketplace go-to-market capabilities to accelerate innovation, expand co-sell opportunities, and deliver measurable customer value. Learn how aligning AI-driven applications with Microsoft Marketplace can help software companies improve solution discoverability, streamline enterprise procurement, and unlock new revenue pathways through partner-led growth. Read the full article: The AI-powered partner: Winning in the Microsoft ecosystem | Microsoft Community Hub Learn more and attend the live webinar on April 28th: Maximize selling with Microsoft and Marketplace ROI - Microsoft Marketplace CommunityMicrosoft Training Services Partner Designation – Courseware & Completion Tracking Guidance Needed
Hi everyone, I am are currently exploring the process of achieving the Microsoft Training Services designation and would appreciate guidance from those who have already gone through this journey. Based on my understanding, courseware completions and related requirements appear to be key steps in achieving this designation. I would like to confirm if this is accurate and get clarity on the most efficient path forward. Specifically, I am looking for insights on the following: Courseware Requirements 1. Which official courses are required, and how are they typically delivered? Access to Training Materials 2. Is there a specific portal or program through which Microsoft-approved courseware can be obtained? Tracking Completions 3. How are course completions tracked and reflected within the partner account? Post-Training Process 4. What is the process for issuing achievement codes and conducting official post-training surveys (such as Metrics That Matter)? Any guidance, shared experiences, or recommended best practices would be greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance!
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- 5 MIN READThere’s a quiet shift happening in the Microsoft partner ecosystem—and it’s not just about AI. It’s about how partners work together. For years, many partners have tried to build “full-service”...Apr 14, 2026
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