Recent Discussions
Announcing the new and reimagined Microsoft Marketplace
Today, Microsoft launched the reimagined Microsoft Marketplace—your trusted destination for cloud solutions, AI apps, and agents. By unifying AppSource and Azure Marketplace, the new experience accelerates business transformation for customers and unlocks fresh growth opportunities for partners. The Microsoft Marketplace is now a single place to discover, try, buy, and deploy cloud-based innovations. Learn how these updates can help you expand your reach, differentiate your solutions, and deliver trusted outcomes by reading this blog.
Deployments calculation for Modern Work
Deployments score is calculated by dividing the Active usage values by the Qualified usage values and multiplying by 100 - this result must be greater than or equal to 40 percent, in order for achieving points required for membership qualification, If the results are less than 40 percent, then the customer in question will not meet the basic requirements, and no points are given. As of now, the Active usage value is the number of licenses available on a tenant, and not the actual amount of active users with a valid license assigned. Customers often have licenses with yearly commitment and also have an overage of MS 365 licenses, due to employee hirings and layoffs. This means that the calculated usage percentage if mostly lower than the real life percentages and can never reach 100%. If a customer has a negative development in employee count during the year, it can result in a declining usage score, negatively affecting the points required for the Partners membership eligibility. This even if the actual usage percentage in the customer's end is increasing. We think that the calculation for Deployment score should be changed to reflect the number of acutal active and licensed users (like the Active usage value) , and not be based on the number of licenses available on the tenant.NEWSLETTER: Nonprofit Partner Community Update | October 2025
We’re excited to announce the release of the October 2025 edition of the Nonprofit Partner Community Update! Download the Nonprofit Partner Community Update | October 2025! This month’s publication is packed with new resources, program announcements, and partner enablement opportunities designed to support your success in the nonprofit sector. 🔍 What’s Inside: FY26 Nonprofit Partner Kickoff Resources – including session recordings, decks, and a feedback survey. Partner Readiness & Demand Generation Programs – six Microsoft Elevate initiatives to accelerate awareness and growth. Campaign-in-a-Box – ready-to-use marketing assets for nonprofit outreach. Updated Nonprofit Partner Readiness Site – now featuring simplified navigation and new AI-powered solution plays. Partner Marketing-as-a-Service (PMaaS) and Event Co-Marketing Programs – to help amplify your impact. New Nonprofit Events Site – a centralized hub for discovering free virtual and in-person events. New Nonprofit Validation Partner – Microsoft has partnered with Goodstack to streamline eligibility verification. Featured Customer Success Story & Resource Materials – real-world examples of nonprofit transformation with resources to replicate your own success. 📄 Read more ...
Pending Oct 1 Direct Bill requirement changes.
Has anyone figured out a way to move Azure Plan subscriptions from Direct CSP to Indirect CSP without incurring customer downtime? Microsofts stance on this is absurd. Move and rebuild resources in a new Azure Plan subscription because technically Microsoft cannot reassign billing and they cornered all their new as of last year direct bill partners into tripling their revenue in 5 months with their May 2025 announcement. (300k to 1M) My clients have resources deployed that are supported but discontinued for new deployments and have global resources that cannot be subscription moved. None of this work was planned in their development budgets. I'm supposed to give them an extended, unplanned downtime so that their subscriptions are not locked due to these new Direct bill requirements. Every part of this move requires downtime in operations that was not requested by my customers. They will not look at the business continuity outage Microsoft is causing them favorably. Has anyone made any headway towards a reasonable solution to the problem. Thanks Derek Licciardi
Legal-entities and sub-units in Microsoft Partner Center terms
Hi, I represent several partners with Microsoft, and we are fast growing. In our enterprise, we do as several others, we move around locations, merge them, and restructure to improve efficiency and quality. Recently Microsoft also notified us to update and improve several of our MPN/CSP identifiers with updated information, which resulted in this post about missing features and hidden Microsoft data not available in Partner Center. Starting out as a partner, you add your company in Partner Center, creating your PGA and first PLA account. Your PGA now refers to your legal entity, and your PLA is now a sub-unit under your PGA. So far so good (for a CSP business, you have your PGA be the MPN id and your PLA the CSP id). As time goes by, your business grows and you start buying other MS partner companies. In comes account merge in partner center to the rescue. This will merge your MPN (not CSP, I know, atleast not in terms of your GDAP or customer relationships, but everything else), so that all your competencies, reports and information is updated accordingly. The company you have bought and merged now still has their CSP business, but reporting under your PGA. Both their original PGA and PLA accounts are now PLA under you PGA. So far this seems to be good, but now you are missing out on some data hidden internally in Microsoft, that is nowhere to be seen, and impossible to update: this original merged PGA still refers to the original legal-entity, and the PLA is still NOT connected to your PGA, but the original PGA, which is now a PLA under your PGA. So, something like, Your PGA --> The merged PGA (which is now a PLA) --> The merged PLA. Confused yet? Now, this merged company should at some point in time become something else, maybe a department or separate location of your company. Or maybe you even move that as a department or location below some other company you have in your enterprise portfolio. Now comes the headache of updating your CSP - PLA identifiers with correct legal information. There is currently nowhere you can read what PLA id-s are considered as legal entities, and nowhere your PLA says which legal entity they are connected to. Even filing this with MS partner support is a no-go, this information is hidden so far behind support/MCAIPP/CSP/direct/indirect/vetting/engineering/developers and god knows what, that it is currently not possible to update any of it. Not even getting to read the structure of the identifiers is possible. I hope Microsoft can understand this is a big compliance issue over time. How many tax forms or payout accounts do you need? How many are using the same legal info for the same tax forms? Regardless of being a direct or indirect partner, who should really receive the bill? Who ends up as the owner of the different agreements? (I know this usually works out one way or another, but how many hours could have been saved on partner support if this was not a headache?) We need to be able to see where each identifier is connected in terms of sub-units and legal-entities. Whether by self-service or MS partner support, we need to be able to provide updates on this structure. We need to be able to change any PLA between being a legal entity or a sub-unit, and telling which legal-entity owns the sub-unit or parent legal-entity. Different partners have different setups, we have an enterprise setup where one company fully owns all the others and plan to fully merge them within a single legal entity, but still owned by the enterprise. Others have separate companies working together sharing Microsoft competencies and benefits under one umbrella. Having a way to let Microsoft know about structural changes and having this information visible and correct in partner center is crucial when working as a partner over time. Bonus tip: Most countries, even Norway has officially available records on all companies registered, on official website or by official APIs - by looking up any company registration id, you can have the 100% accurate information for all legal entities, and all sub-units, we even give you the company registration id inside partner center for your benefit.
Tech Talks presents: Employee Self-Service Agent in Copilot Studio
Join us on Thursday, September 25th at 8am PT as Jolene Tam, Senior Product Marketing Manager, M365 & Copilot and Mohanraj Ganesan, Principal Product Manager, Microsoft present 'Employee Self-Service Agent in Copilot Studio'. Join us for an overview and demo of the Employee Self-Service Agent, your single front door for HR and IT support — streamlining how employees get information and get tasks done for their most common workplace scenarios. Jump start your HR and IT support with Employee Self-Service Agent, which works with your existing systems and agents, without users needing to navigate to other tools or apps. In this session, see how you can set up, configure, and extend the Employee Self-Service Agent in Copilot Studio. Reduce implementation time with pre-built connectors to knowledge sources and systems of record, along with accelerators for preconfigured workflows and topics. It’s also highly extensible via Copilot Studio to tailor the agent for your organizational needs. We hope to see you there! Call to Action: Click on the link to save the calendar invite: https://aka.ms/TechTalksInvite View past recordings (sign in required): https://aka.ms/TechTalksRecordingANNOUNCEMENT: Introducing Goodstack, new nonprofit validation partner
Microsoft has partnered with Goodstack, a third-party validation supplier, to verify the eligibility of nonprofit organizations, public libraries, and public museums. Eligibility criteria. The eligibility validation process is based on criteria provided by Microsoft and uses publicly available and locally relevant information, along with the details you submit during registration. Review eligibility criteria. Eligibility validation process. Goodstack will compare this information against Microsoft’s nonprofit eligibility requirements. As needed, Goodstack may reach out directly to agents or organizational contacts to request additional documentation to complete the validation process. Questions? The Microsoft Elevate support team is available to answer any questions about Goodstack and the eligibility validation process. Submit an inquiry.ATTENTION: This discussion board (Partner Support Offerings) is set to archive on October 1st, 2025
You will no longer have access to past posts or information. Please get what you need from this space in preparation and should you need new information on this program please visit: Microsoft Premier Support for Partners homepage. Thank you for being part of the community and following along in the Partner Support Offerings Discussion board. We truly appreciate your partnership and look forward to connecting with you via our homepage link above. THANK YOU PARTNERS!
Join us 25 September for a special session: MSLE AI Bootcamps – FY26 Evolution
Hello TSPs! Join us on Thursday, 25 September at 7:30am PDT for a TSP Special Session. We'll deep dive into the FY26 evolution of the Microsoft Learn for Educators (MSLE) AI Bootcamp delivery materials including social media strategy and customer-facing bootcamp materials. Download the .ics file for Teams meeting details and the link to join. Looking forward to seeing everyone who is interested in delivering the updated MSLE AI Bootcamps!Announcing the Migrated and Modernize Summit - September 23-24
Microsoft is hosting the Migrate and Modernize Summit digital event, September 23-24, to introduce new Agentic AI capabilit8ies that are reshaping how organizations approach cloud transformations. This event is designed for IT leaders, developers, and cloud strategists looking to accelerate migration, reduce complexity, and modernize with confidence. Event Highlights: Keynotes from Scott Guthrie, Jeremy Winter, Amanda Silver, and Cyril Belikoff Deep Dives into AI-assisted tooling and investment offerings Real-world success stories and live demos Region specific tracks tailored to your needs To learn more about the Migration and Modernization Agentic AI capabilities being announced make sure to register for the digital event below: Register Now (United States) Register Now (Latin America) Register Now (Brazil) Register Now (EMEA) Register Now (ANZ) Register Now (Asean) Register Now (Korea) Register Now (Japan) Register Now (India)BOOKMARK NOW: Refreshed Nonprofit Partner Readiness Site
🚀 Introducing the Refreshed Nonprofit Partner Readiness Site! We’re thrilled to announce the launch of the refreshed Nonprofit Partner Readiness site 🎉 This redesigned experience is built to empower our nonprofit partners with streamlined navigation, updated solution area content, and a robust set of tools to support your mission-driven work. Whether you're looking for skilling resources, campaign assets, or guidance on Microsoft’s AI-powered solutions, the new site brings it all together in one intuitive hub. 🌟 What’s New? Improved Navigation: Tab-based structure across 16 solution areas for easier access to content and return paths to the homepage. Fresh Content: New assets including the Copilot & Agent Playbook, updated Event How-To Guides, and localized partner playbooks for global reach. AI Innovation: Explore how Microsoft Power Platform and Copilot Studio enable nonprofits to build intelligent apps and agents for scalable impact. Campaign-in-a-Box: Ready-to-use templates for events, emails, and registration pages to help you launch with confidence. 📣 Why It Matters This refresh is part of our broader Microsoft Elevate initiative, aligning nonprofit and education partner resources under one unified experience. It reflects our commitment to helping partners navigate the evolving nonprofit landscape with tools that are modern, mission-aligned, and AI-ready. 💬 Join the Conversation We invite you to explore the site, share your feedback through the Partner Desk, and contribute to the ongoing evolution of our partner ecosystem. Let us know what’s working, what’s missing, and how we can continue to support your success. 🔗 https://partner.microsoft.com/en-US/solutions/nonprofitWATCH NOW: FY26 H1 Nonprofit Partner Kickoff Recap
🎥 Missed the FY26 H1 Nonprofit Partner Kickoff? No worries! Catch up on all everything you missed! ✅ Playback & View Sessions Access session recordings and presentation decks of the FY26 Microsoft Elevate Nonprofit Partner Kickoffs: Americas/EMEA session recording | deck ANZ / Asia session recording | deck 📣 Reminder You can also find these sessions listed on the Nonprofit Partner Readiness site landing page under the Community updates section.Announcing: AI Office Hours for Microsoft Partners in the DACH Region
The AI Office Hours for Microsoft Partners are back! Four sessions, four hot topics, one goal: helping our Microsoft partners in the DACH region get ready for the next wave of AI. 🗓️ Oct 2 – Agents & APIs - Azure AI Foundry register here: AI Office Hours (DACH region): Opening Episode – The State of Agents on Azure AI Foundry 🗓️ Oct 30 – Architecture Patterns of Autonomous Agents register here: AI Office Hours (DACH region): Autonomous Agents on Azure AI Foundry 🗓️ Nov 21 – Ignite Special Episode – Key Announcements & Highlights register here: AI Office Hours (DACH region): Ignite Special Episode – Key Announcements & Highlights 🗓️ Dec 12 – AI-Ready Infrastructure register here: AI Office Hours (DACH region): AI-Ready Infrastructure Please join! We are looking forward to the conversations, questions, and ideas that will come out of this series.Tech Talks presents: The Microsoft In a Day (XIAD) program overview, updates and upcoming events
Join us on Thursday, September 18th at 8am PT as Alisha Dranitsaris, Partner Enablement Program Manager, Microsoft presents 'The Microsoft In a Day (XIAD) program overview, updates and upcoming events'. We hope to see you there! Call to Action: Click on the link to save the calendar invite: https://aka.ms/TechTalksInvite View past recordings (sign in required): https://aka.ms/TechTalksRecordingMark your calendars! On September 23-24, Microsoft is hosting the Migrate and Modernize Summit.
Microsoft is hosting the Migrate and Modernize Summit, a digital event to help you and your customers accelerate cloud migrations to Azure and simplify modernization. This event is appropriate for both partner and customers. As a partner, you will hear important product announcements that will enable you to: Transform your migration and modernization practice Leverage AI to simplify and accelerate Migrations and Modernization to Azure, unlocking new projects and revenue. Drive new leads Inspire customers to engage in an assessment using your partner organization and services. Unlock Azure Accelerate funding Activate Microsoft investments / partner benefits that drive your partner services. (Specialized partners) Your customers will learn how to make their cloud migration and modernization a reality with Keynote Presentations from Microsoft leaders such as Scott Guthrie, Jeremy Winter, Amanda Silver and Cyril Belikoff Breakout Tracks tailored for decision-makers and practitioners to see migration and modernization agents in action, as well as local tracks to go deeper on specific topics Customer Stories including Sanofi, Thomson Reuters, and OneDigital Live Demos to bring to life the latest innovations around AI-assisted tooling and products. Read the full blog hereMigrate and Modernize Summit! Sept 23-24 2025!
Partners, mark your calendars! On September 23-24, Microsoft is hosting the Migrate and Modernize Summit, a digital event to help you and your customers accelerate cloud migrations to Azure and simplify modernization. This event is appropriate for both partner and customers. As a partner, you will hear important product announcements that will enable you to: Transform your migration and modernization practice Leverage AI to simplify and accelerate Migrations and Modernization to Azure, unlocking new projects and revenue. Drive new leads Inspire customers to engage in an assessment using your partner organization and services. Unlock Azure Accelerate funding Activate Microsoft investments / partner benefits that drive your partner services. (Specialized partners) Your customers will learn how to make their cloud migration and modernization a reality with Keynote Presentations from Microsoft leaders such as Scott Guthrie, Jeremy Winter, Amanda Silver and Cyril Belikoff Breakout Tracks tailored for decision-makers and practitioners to see migration and modernization agents in action, as well as local tracks to go deeper on specific topics Customer Stories including Sanofi, Thomson Reuters, and OneDigital Live Demos to bring to life the latest innovations around AI-assisted tooling and products. Read the full blog hereUpcoming Azure Accelerate Webinar coming September 25!
We're excited to take the next step in the launch of Azure Accelerate - showing our ecosystem how partners are already seeing success with it! Azure Accelerate is Microsoft’s unified offering that brings together Azure Migrate and Modernize with Azure Innovate, built on the foundations of Azure Essentials. Azure Accelerate gives partners access to trusted experts, significant investments, and comprehensive coverage for every stage of the cloud and AI journey. Learn more!ICYMI: Upcoming Azure Accelerate Partner Webinar on September 25!
We're excited to take the next step in the launch of Azure Accelerate - showing our ecosystem how partners are already seeing success with it! Azure Accelerate is Microsoft’s unified offering that brings together Azure Migrate and Modernize with Azure Innovate, built on the foundations of Azure Essentials. Azure Accelerate gives partners access to trusted experts, significant investments, and comprehensive coverage for every stage of the cloud and AI journey. Learn more!
Best Practices: Using the SAP Business Suite Acceleration Program Whitepaper to Drive Demand
The SAP Business Suite Acceleration Program with Microsoft Cloud, powered by SAP, Microsoft, and Intel, is a compelling story for organizations seeking to modernize their ERP. The official whitepaper is a powerful tool for partners to spark interest, generate leads, and accelerate pipeline growth. Here’s how to use it strategically for demand generation. 1. Brand the Whitepaper for Credibility and Recognition Add your logo to the cover page alongside Microsoft, SAP, and Intel to signal your expertise and partnership status. Include a “Presented by [Your Company]” tagline to reinforce your role as a trusted advisor. Ensure branding is professional and does not obscure the original partner logos. Why it drives demand: Prospects are more likely to engage with content that feels relevant and endorsed by a local expert. 2. Use the Whitepaper as a Lead Magnet Host the whitepaper behind a gated landing page on your website. Promote it via targeted email campaigns, LinkedIn posts, and paid ads. Require registration (name, email, company) to access the download. Why it drives demand: Gated assets convert interest into actionable leads for your sales team. 3. Highlight Key Value Propositions in Outreach Reference measurable benefits from the whitepaper (e.g., “25% faster SAP deployment on Microsoft Cloud”). Use real-world scenarios (AI-driven procurement, Teams integration) to make the benefits tangible. Emphasize the joint innovation and reliability of Microsoft, SAP, and Intel. Why it drives demand: Clear, quantified value statements resonate with decision-makers and prompt further inquiry. 4. Integrate Whitepaper Insights into Campaigns Build nurture emails and social posts around the whitepaper’s findings. Use snippets and infographics from the whitepaper to tease content and drive clicks. Position the whitepaper as the definitive guide for cloud ERP transformation. Why it drives demand: Multi-channel promotion increases visibility and engagement, moving prospects through the funnel. 5. Leverage the Whitepaper in Events and Webinars Use the whitepaper as the foundation for webinars, workshops, or roundtables. Offer the whitepaper as a post-event resource to attendees. Reference its insights during presentations to establish authority. Why it drives demand: Events create urgency and interaction; the whitepaper provides lasting value and a reason to follow up. 6. Empower Sales Teams with the Whitepaper Train sales reps to use the whitepaper as a conversation starter. Provide talking points and objection-handling scripts based on its content. Use the whitepaper as a leave-behind in meetings or demos. Why it drives demand: Sales teams equipped with credible, content-rich resources can engage prospects more effectively. 7. Showcase the Power of Partnership Highlight the combined strengths of Microsoft, SAP, and Intel in your messaging. Position your company as the bridge between global technology leaders and local customer needs. Reference the whitepaper’s emphasis on innovation, security, and scalability. Why it drives demand: Customers want solutions backed by industry leaders and delivered by trusted partners. 8. Track Engagement and Optimize Monitor downloads, registrations, and campaign performance. Follow up with leads who engage with the whitepaper. Refine messaging and tactics based on what drives the most interest. Why it drives demand: Continuous improvement ensures your outreach remains effective and relevant. 9. Load Opportunities in Microsoft Partner Center For every qualified lead generated from your whitepaper campaign, create an opportunity in Microsoft Partner Center. Use Campaign ID: #PartnerGTM to tag the opportunity for reporting and attribution. Include “SAP Business Suite” in the opportunity description to clearly identify the solution focus. Ensure all relevant customer details and engagement notes are entered for effective follow-up and pipeline management. Best Practice: Regularly review and update opportunities to reflect progress, and leverage Partner Center analytics to measure campaign impact. Conclusion The SAP Business Suite Acceleration Program whitepaper is more than an informational asset—it’s a demand generation engine. By branding, promoting, and integrating the whitepaper into your campaigns and sales motions, you can attract qualified leads, build credibility, and accelerate customer engagement. Ready to drive demand? Start by customizing the whitepaper, launching your campaign, and tracking results for maximum impact.
Events
September 30 - October 1, 2025 | 7:00 AM – 10:00 AM AMER (PDT)
Overview
This bootcamp is designed to equip you with the AI skills and clarity needed to harness the power of Copilot Studio and AI ...
Online
October 1-2, 2025 | 7:30 AM – 10:30 AM ASIA (IST)
Overview
This bootcamp is designed to equip you with the AI skills and clarity needed to harness the power of Copilot Studio and AI Agents in Dyn...
Online
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