by Nicole Dezen, Chief Partner Officer and CVP, Global Channel Partner Sales
AI has moved decisively into production, and customer expectations are rising with it. Organizations want measurable business outcomes as they put agents to work across more complex processes and embed intelligence throughout their operations. At the same time, security, governance, and responsible AI must be built in from the start.
For partners, this creates practical opportunities to shape strategy, build solutions and services, and guide customers from AI adoption to lasting business value.
That is what makes Microsoft Ignite 2026 such an important moment. As Microsoft's flagship annual event, Microsoft Ignite brings together customers, partners, Microsoft leaders, and industry experts to explore the technologies, ideas, and conversations shaping the future of business. This year, it takes place November 17–20, 2026, at the Moscone Center in San Francisco and online.
Microsoft Ignite provides a clear view of where customer needs and business priorities are headed, practical insight into the technologies organizations are adopting, and opportunities to connect with Microsoft experts, customers, and peers across the ecosystem. Direct access to Microsoft’s roadmap and product direction informs where you focus, invest, and grow.
Registration for in-person and online experiences is open. Secure a spot for your team, then use the partner business view of the schedule builder to start building your agenda.
I’m looking forward to connecting with partners throughout Microsoft Ignite and seeing how you are putting Microsoft innovations to work for customers across every segment, industry, and geography.
Learn where customer opportunity is headed
Frontier Transformation reflects the shift toward AI and agents becoming repeatable, governed capabilities, embedded in how organizations work, serve customers, and run business processes. That shift requires both intelligence and trust. Customers need AI grounded in their data, applications, workflows, and business context. They also need security, governance, management, and measurement built into how AI operates.
Partners bring those pieces together. At Microsoft Ignite, you will see the latest product direction across AI, data, and security and decide which capabilities, solutions, and services to build next.
Your opportunity is clear in every customer segment. If you serve small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs), your priority is making AI practical and secure through repeatable solutions and services that are easy to adopt and manage. If you work with midmarket and enterprise customers, your focus is reimagining core business processes, modernizing architectures and data estates, and meeting broader security and governance requirements as customers move toward agent-operated workflows.
Turn innovation into practical expertise
Microsoft Ignite provides access to Microsoft leaders, engineers, and product teams, along with technical sessions, demonstrations, labs, and skilling experiences designed to connect product direction with implementation.
One place to bring that perspective together is the Frontier Transformation Partner keynote on Wednesday, November 18, from 9:00–10:00 AM PT.
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