Partner news articles

Introducing Everpure Cloud Azure Native for Azure VMs

Agrima — Fri, 31 Jul 2026 18:04:34 GMT

Overview

We're excited to announce Everpure Cloud Azure Native for Azure Virtual Machines (VMs). With this release, Azure customers can provision enterprise-grade block storage volumes and attach it directly to their Azure VMs, all managed natively within the Azure portal. No appliances to manage, no complex storage stack to stitch together — just elastic, high-performance block storage that behaves like any other Azure disk.

This release solves three persistent challenges Azure VM customers face with traditional Managed Disks:

Pay for capacity what you actually use, not what you provision — Billing follows effective capacity after deduplication and compression, helping customers avoid overprovisioning and reduce storage costs (by up to 40%)
Scale storage independently from compute — Grow capacity and tune performance without resizing your VM or touching the VM SKU, giving you finer control over both cost and performance.
Enterprise data services built in — Thin provisioning, deduplication, and compression — all native to Everpure.

What you can expect

Familiar building blocks — storage pools, volume groups, and volumes that map cleanly to your applications and VMs.
Independent scaling of capacity and IOPS — dial storage performance up or down without disturbing compute.
Seamless guest-OS integration — mounted volumes appear as standard Windows disks; no special drivers or custom tooling required.

Step-by-step: Setting up Everpure Cloud Azure Native storage for your Azure VM

Step 1 — Deploy Everpure Cloud service

Find Azure Native Everpure Cloud in the Azure Marketplace and deploy it into your subscription. The service is provisioned natively as an Azure resource and enables the service in selected region.

Step 2 — Create a Storage Pool

Create a storage pool — Choose an availability zone for resiliency and use the performance slider to set your desired IOPS independently of capacity

Step 3 — Create a volume group

Create a volume group — a logical container that groups related volumes together, for example all the disks belonging to a single application, database, or VM. Operating at the group level makes access control and day-2 management simpler at scale.

Step 4 — Create volumes

Within the volume group, create the volumes your VM will consume. Specify a name and size — this size is a logical limit, not pre-allocated capacity. Volumes can be resized live and shared across multiple VMs when needed.

Step 5 — Mount to your Azure VM

From the volume group, select Mount on VM. The Azure VM connection experience opens, letting you attach the volume to your chosen Azure Virtual Machine.

Step 6 — Bring the disk online inside the guest OS

Once mounted, the final step happens inside the VM. The Everpure volumes appear as standard, uninitialized Windows disks. Open Disk Management, initialize the disks with GPT, run the New Simple Volume Wizard, and format them as NTFS. Within seconds, the Everpure-backed volume becomes a regular drive letter (for example, F:) ready for any workload.

Get Started Today

Everpure Cloud Azure Native for Azure VMs is available now in the Azure Marketplace. Deploy it into your subscription to start bringing enterprise-grade Everpure to your Azure VMs

Start Your Free Trial of Everpure Cloud Azure Native
Check out the Everpure Cloud release notes for detailed guidance on supported configurations, capacity points, and operational considerations.
Read the Everpure GA announcement blog to learn how Everpure Cloud Azure Native for Azure VMs helps reduce costs and simplify storage operations.

Have feedback or questions? Drop a comment below — we'd love to hear how you plan to use Everpure Cloud for your Azure workloads.

Spin Up MongoDB Atlas Clusters in Azure (Preview)

priyanshiverma — Fri, 31 Jul 2026 09:38:12 GMT

Your data platform just got a lot closer to home. You can now create MongoDB Atlas projects and deploy clusters directly from the Azure portal - the same place you already manage the rest of your cloud. 

This builds on the general availability of MongoDB Atlas as an Azure Native Integration. Back then, you could provision an Atlas organization from Azure and manage billing through the Azure Marketplace. Now the workflow goes all the way down to the thing that runs your app: the cluster.

Atlas organization in Azure

Atlas Projects & Clusters

An Atlas Project is a logical container that groups clusters and related resources within your Atlas organization. Create one per app, team, or environment and then deploy clusters into it.

An Atlas cluster is a fully managed MongoDB deployment running in the cloud. It is where your data lives and where it scales, replicates, backs itself up, and serves every read and write your application makes. 

Getting the cluster right is what turns a project into a production-ready app:

Performance & scale - pick a tier that matches your traffic, from free experiments to high-throughput dedicated workloads.

Data residency - the Azure region you choose for the cluster is where your data is stored, so you stay aligned with compliance requirements.

Resilience - clusters come with backups and health state you can view at a glance.

Organization - clusters live inside projects, giving you clean logical boundaries for teams, environments, and apps.

What you can do now, right from Azure

Create and browse Atlas projects from your MongoDB Atlas resource.

Deploy clusters - Free (M0), Flex, or dedicated M10 / M30 tiers.

Choose the Azure region where each cluster's data lives.

View cluster details: MongoDB version, region, tier, backups, and state.

Keep billing unified through your existing Azure Marketplace plan.

Get started in minutes

If you already have a MongoDB Atlas resource in Azure, you're four clicks from a running cluster:

In the Azure portal, open your MongoDB Atlas resource (search All resources if you need to find it).
In the service menu, select Projects (preview), then + Create project and give it a unique name
Open the project and, in the Clusters section, select + Create Cluster.
Pick a tier, enter a cluster name and Azure region, and select Create. That's it - your cluster deploys.

Don't have an Atlas resource yet?

Search for MongoDB Atlas in the Azure portal and create one against your subscription first to follow the steps above. You'll need the Owner role on the Atlas organization to create projects and clusters.

Create cluster option in Azure portal

Choosing your cluster tier

Start small and grow. You can begin free and move up as your app takes off.

MongoDB Atlas clusters

Built for what's next: vector search & AI agents

A cluster is the foundation for AI-powered apps. MongoDB Atlas brings native vector search right alongside your operational data, so you can build semantic search and Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) experiences that ground large language models in Foundry in your own enterprise data.

That story goes further with agents. As covered in Build and connect Microsoft Foundry agents to MongoDB Atlas, the MongoDB MCP Server is available in the Microsoft Foundry Tool Catalog - letting agents run vector search and database operations against the very clusters you just deployed, with enterprise-grade governance built in.

Ready to build?

Head to the Azure portal, create a project, and deploy your first cluster today. Start free, then scale when you're ready.

Create projects and clusters in MongoDB Atlas — step-by-step docs

MongoDB Atlas is generally available as an Azure Native Integration

Connect Microsoft Foundry agents to MongoDB Atlas

Create a free Azure account

Partner Blog | Why AI-powered marketing is becoming essential to partner growth

JillArmourMicrosoft — Thu, 30 Jul 2026 17:00:00 GMT

Discover how AI-powered marketing, FY27 co-op investments, and Partner Marketing Center Pro can improve marketing ROI and drive growth.

The customer journey has fundamentally changed. Customers are forming preferences earlier, conducting more independent research, and moving across more channels before they engage in a sales conversation. AI is accelerating this change by reshaping how customers discover information, compare options, and interact with marketing.

For partners, this creates more opportunities to influence decisions, but it also raises the standard for effective marketing. A new study by Omdia, Mastering the Modern Customer Journey: The Partner's Path to Marketing ROI, shows that modernizing your marketing strategy with AI at its center can enable you to reach customers across the full journey and improve marketing return on investment (ROI).

Microsoft provides two practical ways to put that strategy into action: co-operative marketing (co-op) investments* for eligible partners, and Partner Marketing Center Pro**, a benefit of the Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Program. Partners can access Partner Marketing Center Pro by purchasing at least one partner benefits package, attaining a Solutions Partner designation, or enrolling in ISV Success.

Modern marketing has reached a tipping point

Traditional B2B funnels assumed that customers followed a predictable path from awareness to purchase. Today’s journeys are more self-directed and nonlinear. Customers conduct extensive research before engaging a vendor, drawing on AI tools, search engines, social channels, industry experts, review sites, digital marketplaces, and partner content.

Continue reading here

Coming soon: Updated Partner Center verification experience for the Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Program and Cloud Solution Providers

JillArmourMicrosoft — Fri, 31 Jul 2026 15:39:50 GMT

Starting July 28, 2026, we will be modernizing the Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Program and Cloud Solution Provider user experience in Partner Center to streamline how partners navigate vetting, along with a new look and feel and a more consistent verification flow.

Learn more

Be sure to follow our Cloud Solution Provider Partner discussion board where you connect with subject matter experts and other CSP partners.

Partner Blog | Built to grow together: The FY27 Microsoft Marketplace opportunity

JillArmourMicrosoft — Tue, 28 Jul 2026 17:00:00 GMT

The way organizations buy technology is changing quickly. As AI moves from experimentation into production, customers want to source solutions, services, and the expertise to deploy them through the routes they already trust. Increasingly that means cloud marketplaces.

The momentum behind Microsoft Marketplace reflects this shift, with sales doubling year-over-year, for the third consecutive year.* For partners, this creates a near-term opportunity to meet customers where they want to buy, while connecting software innovation, services expertise, and the Microsoft reach through one commercial platform.

The next wave of transformation will not be driven by AI alone. It will be driven by ecosystems. As organizations enter the era of Frontier Transformation, they are looking beyond technology vendors to partners who can help turn AI investments into measurable business outcomes.

In an AI-driven economy, Marketplace is becoming the commercial engine that connects innovation to customer value. Software companies bring innovation. Channel partners bring customer intimacy, services expertise, and local reach. Marketplace brings them together, creating a single platform where the ecosystem can co-build, co-sell, and deliver end-to-end solutions at scale.

That shift is the focus of the conversation Sandy Gupta, Vice President, Global ISV Ecosystem, and I had at MCAPS Start for Partners. We shared where Marketplace is headed in FY27 and why this is the moment to treat it as a core growth engine. This blog recaps that session and outlines the priorities partners can act on now.

Meeting customers in the markets and moments where they buy

Technology innovation can scale globally almost overnight, but customer buying behaviors remain deeply local. AI solutions may reach the market quickly, but adoption is still shaped by regional procurement practices, trusted advisor relationships, and established routes to market. Global reach matters, but it must be paired with local relevance.

Continue reading here

Be sure to join our Marketplace Discussion board, Marketplace blog and Events calendar to connect with subject matter experts!

July update: What’s new for partners in Azure

JillArmourMicrosoft — Mon, 27 Jul 2026 17:00:00 GMT

Stay ahead of key Microsoft partner updates shaping cloud and AI growth in FY27. This month’s highlights include details on the Frontier Accelerate incentives driving AI adoption, hands-on learning at the upcoming Microsoft Partner FY27 GTM Kickoff Event, and much more. Discover how these updates create new opportunities to grow services, increase profitability, and lead customers from cloud adoption to AI-powered outcomes.

Navigate to

News and Announcements, Incentives and Offers, Skilling and Events, Partner success stories, Additional resources

News and Announcements

Get ready for enhanced co-sell referrals with the new BANT automation qualification process: To ensure every submission is complete, actionable, and ready for seller engagement, Microsoft is now validating Budget, Authority, Need, and Timeline (BANT) upfront. Partners can accelerate deal velocity, reduce friction, and increase acceptance rates with this new process, resulting in higher quality pipeline and faster progression from referral to revenue. For more information, read about managing co-sell opportunities.

Azure consumptive promotion capabilities coming in FY27: Partners will be able to use percentage-off promotional discounts on Azure consumption-based services—spanning pay‑as‑you‑go usage, Reserved Instances, and pre-purchase plans—which create new motions to scale Azure consumption and expansion. Learn more in the Partner Center announcement.

Incentives and Offers

FY27 partner incentives deliver rewards for driving Frontier customer growth: FY27 partner investments and incentives went live on July 1. Enterprise, Business Apps Presales Advisory (OSA), SPLA Reseller, and Hoster incentives will be live on October 1. This year's portfolio is built around partners leading Frontier Transformation—empowering customers to move from AI experimentation to scaled, outcome-driven adoption. To bring these investments together, Microsoft is introducing Frontier Accelerate—a connected approach that aligns funding, incentives, and skilling to how you deliver transformation across solution areas. Review the incentives guide to get more details on how you can use these incentives to capture higher earnings and sustain stronger profitability.

Skilling and Events

Build your FY27 growth engine across cloud and AI: Join us at the Microsoft Partner FY27 GTM Kickoff Event on July 28 for a first look at FY27 priorities, go-to-market (GTM) motions, and investments to shape your strategy. The Commercial Cloud and AI track is designed for partners looking to grow across Azure, data, and AI workloads. Sessions will cover where Microsoft is placing FY27 bets across Azure and Microsoft Marketplace, how customers are modernizing estates and unifying data foundations with AI, and what AI apps and agents mean for partner differentiation and scalable growth. You’ll walk away with clarity about what’s changing, where demand is growing, and how to focus your cloud and AI investments to scale your e asset placement guidance: Access updated SMB Azure asset.

Partner success stories

Ingram Micro supports partners guiding customers through cloud and AI modernization: With support from Ingram Micro, partners can move customers from legacy infrastructure to scalable, cost-efficient Azure environments and build on that foundation for AI modernization. Read the case study to find out how Ingram Micro used their Azure expertise to create clear opportunities for their customers to scale from cloud transformation into AI-powered workloads—expanding revenue and deepening long-term customer relationships.

Aiforia brings AI-assisted pathology to NHS lung cancer diagnostics: Using Microsoft Azure, Aiforia is helping University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust modernize pathology workflows with AI-assisted analysis of lung cancer tissue samples. By combining Azure's secure, scalable infrastructure with digital pathology expertise, Aiforia supports faster, more consistent diagnostic processes while keeping clinicians at the center of decision-making. Read the case study to learn how Aiforia is helping healthcare organizations manage growing diagnostic workloads, standardize pathology analysis, and create a foundation for future AI-powered innovations in clinical diagnostics.

Additional Resources

Sign up for the monthly Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Program newsletter: Encourage your teams to sign up for the newsletter to stay informed on updates, incentives, and partner opportunities. It’s an easy way to get the latest partner news delivered directly to your inbox.

Follow the tag Azure news to stay updated on monthly news and follow the Azure Partners discussion board to ask questions and connect with subject matter experts.

July update: What’s new in Security for partners

JillArmourMicrosoft — Fri, 24 Jul 2026 17:00:00 GMT

New opportunities are emerging for partners to grow revenue, expand security and AI practices, build trust, and deliver more unified protection across customer environments in FY27. This month’s Security partner roundup gathers the latest updates, incentives, and skilling to help you prioritize high-impact solutions, engage customers with extended Microsoft Sentinel promotional offers, and learn about updates from MCAPS Start for Partners and Partner GTM Kickoff events. From evolving data security capabilities in Microsoft Purview to integrating insights with Microsoft Copilot and Microsoft Agent 365, these updates focus on what you can sell, deliver, and scale now to build a more resilient, AI-ready security practice.

Navigate to

News and Announcements, Incentives and Offers, Security Partner Investment and Enablement, Skilling and Events, Go-To-Market, Customer Success

News and Announcements

Missed MCAPS Start for Partners? View recordings on demand to align on FY27 priorities and prepare for the Partner GTM Kickoff Event on July 28: Through the Microsoft Security track, you can gain clear guidance on the solutions to prioritize, discover how to use incentives and promotions to accelerate growth, and access ready-to-use enablement, skilling, and other resources to strengthen and scale your security practice across identity, data, infrastructure, applications, operations, and agents.

Be sure to sign up for the Microsoft Partner FY27 GTM Kickoff Event on July 28 for a deeper dive into the Enterprise & Corporate and small and medium-sized business (SMB) conversations shared during the MCAPS Start for Partners event.

FY27 Partner GTM Playbooks are now available: Discover resources and strategies to accelerate your go-to-market (GTM) efforts in the Frontier Transformation Commercial Business GTM Partner Playbook and the Frontier Transformation SMB GTM Partner Playbook.

Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps DLP is being decommissioned December 31, 2026: Microsoft is consolidating Data Loss Prevention (DLP) capabilities from Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps (MDA) into Microsoft Purview. This will serve as the hub for unified data security across Microsoft 365. MDA DLP will be decommissioned on December 31, 2026. Stay tuned for information surrounding a Microsoft-issued migration strategy, a phased rollout schedule, and the assets to help the customer migration process. Review the detailed partner FAQ on the impacted capabilities, timeline for deprecation, and migration path.

Microsoft Defender Threat Intelligence (MDTI) as a standalone product will be retired on August 1, 2026: Its capabilities will converge into Microsoft Defender and Microsoft Sentinel for a unified threat intelligence experience. Existing customers keep full access until retirement, but after that date, MDTI capabilities will require an active Defender or Sentinel license—so now is the time to help customers plan their transition.

Stay in the loop on Microsoft Security updates: In the Loop is Microsoft Security's news series delivering timely updates on what's new across the portfolio and what it means for your security strategy. The June edition spotlights the latest product drops across Microsoft Defender, Entra, and Purview, with new innovations to secure AI, strengthen identity resilience, and extend protection across multicloud environments.

Refresh your talking points and sales motion with the updated partner website: With refreshed conversation pages, you can access sharper, ready-to-use guidance for leading customer security discussions.

Prepare for the new Agentic Security specialization, coming soon: This specialization recognizes partners who use AI to detect, investigate, and respond to threats at machine speed, helping customers stay protected in the era of intelligent agents. Built on proven expertise in data security, identity and access management, and threat protection, it combines advanced Security skilling with a rigorous audit that validates real-world agentic AI capabilities, giving customers confidence in partners who are leading the shift to AI-powered defense and reinforcing strong security capabilities.

Showcase your agentic expertise with the Frontier Partner specialization: At MCAPS Start for Partners on July 22, Microsoft announced the Frontier Partner specialization—a new way to recognize partners with validated, end-to-end capabilities for delivering AI agent transformation to customers. Find out what it is, what it signals, and whether it belongs on your roadmap.

Keep up with key program updates: Stay aligned, maximize your benefits, and uncover new ways to scale your impact and revenue by getting the latest news and updates delivered right to your inbox each month.

Follow the latest Security partner news: Catch up on important announcements from previous newsletters at the Microsoft Community Hub. Read the June newsletter to learn about product updates and other opportunities you may have missed.

Incentives and Offers

Microsoft Sentinel 50-GB promotion extended through December 31, 2026: Re-engage customers and accelerate deal momentum with the Microsoft Sentinel 50-GB promotion. With the deal now extended through December 31, 2026, you have more time to drive adoption while customers lock in pricing through March 31, 2027.

Extended 50% off 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. Lead data protection and compliance conversations with this limited-time offer, now extended through December 31, 2026.

Microsoft 365 E3, Microsoft 365 E5, Defender Suite, and Purview Suite promotions: Transition customers from on-premises solutions or upgrade from Office 365 with 10% discount promotions for new-to-Microsoft 365 E3 or new-to-Microsoft 365 E5 customers or Defender and Purview Suites with Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) partner three-year subscription terms through September 30, 2026.

Extended Accelerate with Microsoft 365 E5 promotion:  CSP-authorized partners can offer new Microsoft 365 E5 customers 15% off 1 Year with this promotion and 10% off three years with this promotion, available through September 30, 2026.

New CSP Security add-ons price update:  To simplify upsell, avoid license friction, and upgrade your customers to advanced security, the following new offers are available now via CSP, with consistent pricing across Enterprise Agreements (EA) and CSP: Microsoft Entra ID P2, Defender for Endpoint P2 add-on for Microsoft 365 E3, and Defender for Office 365 P2 add-on.

SKU name	Add-on	Price	Suite
Defender for Endpoint P2 add-on for Microsoft 365 E3	Defender for Endpoint (MDE) P2	$3	Microsoft 365 E3
Entra P2 add-on	Entra ID P2	$3	Microsoft 365 E3
	Entra ID P2	$3	Business Premium
	Entra ID P2	$3	Enterprise Mobility + Security (EMS) E3
Defender for Office 365 P2 add-on	Defender for Office 365 (MDO) P2	$3	Business Premium
	Defender for Office 365 (MDO) P2	$3	Microsoft 365 E3
	Defender for Office 365 (MDO) P2	$3	Office 365 E3

Security partner investments and enablement

Frontier Accelerate for Security: Microsoft is empowering customers to accelerate AI transformation across three dimensions: providing trusted expertise, tapping into savings and investments, and obtaining the skilling resources to get customers started. For Security, partner incentives are now unified under Frontier Accelerate for Security. That means presales and post-sales Security investments sit in a single framework with simplified, standardized eligibility across the portfolio.

Security Envisioning Workshops are now called Frontier Accelerate for Security: Envisioning & Proof of Concept (POC): Instead of choosing from four predefined workshop topics, the content is modularized, so you can build a workshop experience tailored to each customer’s desired security outcomes. These one-on-one, partner-led technical workshops help customers evaluate advanced Microsoft Security solutions and build intent to purchase. Explore the Security Incentives Guide for detailed updates, eligibility, and rates.

Security Immersion Briefings: These partner-led engagements are designed to equip partners to show up as trusted security advisors. Delivered in person or virtually, these 90-minute, one-to-many sessions walk Small Medium Enterprises & Channel (SME&C) and small and medium-sized business (SMB) customers through real-world security challenges and practical ways to strengthen their security posture using Microsoft Security. The briefings are available across three topics: Threat Protection, Data Security, and Advanced Security for Business Premium. Each briefing is supported by a ready-to-use set of assets, including an overview guide, delivery guide, email templates, and social posts, available in seven languages to support consistent delivery across markets. Partners with available co-op funding can reimburse eligible delivery expenses. Download the Immersion Briefing content and learn more about co-op funds resources.

FY27 partner incentives: Learn about increased rewards for post-sales adoption, usage, and consumption, as well as a new conversion bonus. Explore the Security Incentives Guide for detailed updates, eligibility, and rates. Join us on a monthly incentives community call to get the latest updates on Security partner investments. These events begin with a presentation from Microsoft partner investments experts, followed by audienceQ&A.

Skilling and Events

Microsoft Agent 365 Partner Project Ready Skilling: This advanced course is designed to equip security professionals and architects with the knowledge and skills necessary to implement, secure, and govern Al agents using Microsoft Agent 365.

Elevate CSP: Security (previously called LevelUp): This high-impact, instructor-led training is designed to empower partners to confidently sell, position, and deploy Microsoft Security solutions for SMB and SME&C customers. Through dedicated sales and technical tracks, participants build real-world skills while earning a Titan badge to showcase their expertise.

Frontier Transformation Engineer Summit: Accelerate your readiness for the next era of AI engineering and delivery. Explore the skilling, engineering frameworks, and execution models behind Frontier Transformation delivery at scale in this on-demand, expert-led experience.

Build readiness for the certifications that differentiate your business: Access on-demand Frontier skilling through Elevate CSP and prepare for upcoming Certification Weeks returning in August.

Explore curated Microsoft Partner Digital Skilling Journeys: In an AI-first market, skilling is foundational. Stay current as technologies and capabilities evolve using curated Microsoft Partner Digital Skilling Journeys, designed to strengthen the skills you need to succeed in an ever-changing market.

Check out the latest on-demand skilling opportunities: Discover opportunities for members of your team to expand the presales, sales, and technical skills that grow your security practice.

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 that allows partners to use either certification to meet skilling requirements for the Solutions Partner designation for Security and relevant specializations.

Take your place in the AI frontier at Microsoft Ignite: Join us to learn what’s next and connect with peers and experts at Microsoft Ignite, November 17–20. Don’t miss your chance to get hands-on with the latest AI innovations, learn from the experts to build your skills, and strengthen your network with meaningful new connections.

Turn AI demand into repeatable revenue with Frontier Transformation campaigns: Build AI thought leadership and pipeline with the Frontier Transformation campaign in a box, a ready-to-launch, co-branded campaign that empowers customers to embed AI across their business with the governance, security, and intelligence needed to scale. Use it to go to market faster, generate qualified leads, build pipeline without creating assets from scratch, and position your business as a strategic AI partner. Explore Partner Marketing Center Pro, download key campaign in a box assets, or visit Partner Marketing Center for more information.

Expand your reach and visibility by becoming a Microsoft Ignite sponsor: Sign up to receive the 2026 Microsoft Ignite sponsorship opportunity guide, available now, or contact sponsor@microsoft.com for more information. Secure your package and make a plan to engage with attendees through interactive booths, sessions, and networking events in a dynamic environment.

Join Microsoft Security at Black Hat 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada, (August 4–6) for thought leadership, security innovation, hands-on experiences, and opportunities to connect with experts across the security community. To learn more about what we are doing and how to connect with us, go to our details blog.

Microsoft Security is showing up across ConnectWise's FY27 IT Nation series, the flagship community and event series for managed services providers (MSPs) and IT solution providers, with a presence spanning Sydney (August 2026), Orlando (November 2026), and London (March 2027). Connect with our team for keynotes, demos, and breakout sessions built for partners who standardize security across their downstream SMB customers. Register now to join Microsoft Security at IT Nation and connect with our team in person.

Go-To-Market

Run a campaign with Microsoft Agent 365 campaign in a box assets: Lead customer conversations with a clear, Microsoft-backed approach to AI governance and security using the Microsoft Agent 365 campaign in a box. Partners with Partner Marketing Center Pro access (via a partner benefits package, Solutions Partner designation, or ISV Success enrollment) can access tools and AI-powered support to run a full campaign end to end, while those using Partner Marketing Center can download assets to support execution.

Customer Success

How a rare-disease biotech company went from patchwork security to unified protection: Soleno Therapeutics, a biotech company focused on rare diseases, wanted to scale their operations. But first, they had to protect the sensitive clinical, regulatory, and financial data that was dispersed across systems. Partnering with Microsoft partner Netwoven, they deployed Microsoft Defender and Purview Suite for Business Premium to improve visibility, governance, and consistency. The result: unified threat visibility, automated data classification, built-in multi-region compliance, and an IT team empowered to address threats more proactively. Read the full story to learn more.

Increment tightens data security for Australia's public schools: Increment helped Australia’s largest public school systems discover, classify, and protect millions of sensitive student data records across complex environments. By activating built-in Microsoft 365 A3 and A5 security and compliance capabilities, they established scalable data governance, enforced consistent protections across endpoints, and improved visibility into how sensitive information is accessed and shared. Their Customer Zero approach, combined with Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Program investments, enabled rapid deployment of data loss prevention and information protection controls while strengthening readiness for secure AI adoption with Microsoft 365 Copilot. Read the full story to see how Increment scaled this model across Australia’s education sector.

Share your partner and customer success stories: Showcase your impact, highlight your expertise, and demonstrate the measurable success you’re delivering to customers. Go to the Partner Success story submission form to get started.

Follow the tag Security partner news to stay updated on monthly Security partner news.

Partner Blog | Navigating the next era of hosting: Your playbook is here

JillArmourMicrosoft — Thu, 23 Jul 2026 17:00:00 GMT

Hosting and hybrid cloud partners are currently navigating significant infrastructure transitions. In a May blog, we explored why changes in virtualization licensing, rising infrastructure costs, and evolving customer expectations are creating both pressure and opportunity for hosting businesses.

Now the conversation shifts from understanding the opportunity to taking action. It is about evolution without disruption: preserving what works, modernizing where it matters, and growing into higher-value services with Microsoft Adaptive Cloud.

That is why we created the new e-book, Navigating the Next Era of Hosting. It is a practical guide for hosting partners looking to protect margins, retain customer trust, and define a clear modernization path across Azure, hybrid, and AI-ready scenarios.

From awareness to action

Hosting partners are already fielding more complex customer conversations. Customers want flexibility across on-premises, edge, partner datacenter, and public cloud environments. They want consistent management, built-in security, stronger governance, and clear modernization options without being forced into a single destination or timeline.

At the same time, many partners are reevaluating long-standing platform strategies. Licensing changes, evolving commercial models, and rising infrastructure costs are prompting new questions about margin predictability, platform control, and long-term differentiation.

This is where action matters. Partners that move early can shape the conversation with customers instead of reacting to it. You can explain what will stay consistent, where modernization can begin, and how customers can retain choice while preparing for what comes next.

Continue reading here

Take your place at the AI frontier—Microsoft Ignite registration is open

JillArmourMicrosoft — Wed, 22 Jul 2026 22:00:00 GMT

Join Microsoft partners and experts from November 17–20 to explore the latest AI innovations, sharpen your skills, and accelerate customer outcomes.

Partner Blog | MCAPS Start for Partners FY27: Powering Frontier Transformation together

JillArmourMicrosoft — Wed, 22 Jul 2026 20:55:52 GMT

As we begin a new fiscal year, I want to start with gratitude to all Microsoft partners. Thank you for the role you play every day in bringing Microsoft innovation to customers and turning it into business outcomes. Microsoft’s reach, scale, and market impact are possible because of the trust, expertise, and execution you bring to customers across every segment, industry, solution area, and geography.

This is a pivotal moment for our industry and a significant business opportunity for partners. AI adoption is accelerating at an incredible pace, and customers are ready to scale from early adoption to business-wide execution. Capabilities that once required massive scale and resources are now accessible to businesses of every size and every customer segment through the Microsoft partner ecosystem.

The differentiator is the combination of the Microsoft platform and the innovation, expertise, and reach of our partners. Together, we are creating new opportunities for you to build, grow, and lead across every customer segment and solution area.

At Microsoft, we call this Frontier Transformation. It is the shift to a new operating model where people and agents work together to transform how organizations operate, innovate, and grow. Organizations of all sizes are rethinking how work gets done, how decisions are made, and how growth is achieved in the agentic era, opening new opportunities to create value, expand markets, and drive growth.

Powering Frontier Transformation together

Frontier Transformation becomes real when partners combine the Microsoft AI platform with the expertise, services, and trust customers need to transform how they operate, innovate, and grow. More than 500,000 partners bring technical depth and customer trust to the market. Together, we turn AI ambition into business value.

For partners, this is built on a foundation of intelligence and trust. Microsoft IQ is the intelligence layer of our AI platform, connecting people, data, workflow, and web context into a real-time for copilots and agents. Agent 365 delivers the trust layer with enterprise-grade security, governance, and compliance, enabling customers to scale AI with confidence. Together, this provides a comprehensive platform for partners to build on and extend with your own intellectual property, agents, services, and solutions.

Partners that embrace Frontier Transformation will be positioned to capture new opportunities across customer segments. Microsoft analysis based on IDC data estimates the FY27 total addressable market at more than $1.3 trillion, including $566 billion in enterprise, $175 billion in midmarket, and $625 billion in small and medium-sized business.

Continue reading here

Partner Case Study | Ingram Micro

JillArmourMicrosoft — Tue, 21 Jul 2026 17:00:00 GMT

As organizations move toward AI-powered operations, many are discovering they are not starting with a clean slate. Legacy on-premises infrastructure, fragmented cloud environments, and security gaps often stand between customer ambition and execution. At the same time, customer expectations continue to rise, putting added pressure on managed services providers (MSPs) and consulting partners to deliver scalable, compliant solutions without adding operational burden or losing control of cost, complexity, and security.

As a global Microsoft distributor, Ingram Micro empowers partners to bridge that gap by supporting customers across key stages of their modernization journey, from exiting legacy infrastructure to adopting Azure-native solutions and building toward AI innovation. Rather than treating migration, modernization, and AI as separate motions, Ingram Micro guides partners to a structured, repeatable path forward on Azure.

With advanced specializations in Infrastructure and Database Migration, Azure Virtual Desktop, Azure VMware Solution, and AI Apps on Azure, Ingram Micro brings technical depth and access to Microsoft-backed funding programs to their engagements with partners. They empower partners to modernize infrastructure, optimize costs, prove value faster, and lower risk as they move customers from foundational cloud transformation to AI-powered workloads.

Evolving beyond legacy infrastructure without disruption

Calyx IT is an MSP that has spent more than 20 years serving customers across legal, finance, and compliant manufacturing. Over time, Calyx’s traditional private datacenter model became more difficult to sustain. Rising costs and limited scalability required more work to keep pace with customer expectations. Managing infrastructure across multiple vendors also introduced more complexity and inefficiency, while a legacy virtualization stack created added pressure through unpredictable licensing costs from third-party providers.

Calyx consulted Ingram Micro, who recommended Microsoft Azure for flexible, consumption-based infrastructure. An existing partnership between Ingram Micro and Calyx provided a foundation for tackling a larger transformation. Together, the teams developed a strategy that aligned technical requirements, cost considerations, and migration planning.

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Sizing Copilot Credits for Cowork? Let Your Users Use Cowork Investment Advisor Agent.

MaheshKshirsagar — Mon, 20 Jul 2026 17:00:00 GMT

Right, let's talk about a headache. If you're helping a customer allocate Copilot Credits for M365 Copilot Cowork, you have to size it all up first — and doing that by hand is a fiddly, time-consuming job. Here's the problem, and a much easier way to solve it.

Start with the Cowork Estimator

Here's the good news: you don't have to start from scratch. Microsoft has published the Customer Cowork Estimator — a handy tool that turns personas, prompt complexity and expected usage into an estimated credit number. It's the perfect place to begin, and it does the core maths for you.

To get the most out of it, you just need to feed it good inputs — and that's where a little groundwork comes in. For each part of the business, you'll want to:

Work out who's who. There are four types of user — corporate knowledge workers, management and senior leaders, customer-facing folks, and technical staff.

Count how many of each. Quick for a small team, a bit more involved for a big one.

Pin down what they'd genuinely use Cowork for. The real multi-step workflows that hop across apps and actually do things — not just a quick chat or a summary.

Judge how heavy each workflow is. Light, Medium or Heavy — since each level uses a different number of credits per run.

Estimate how often it runs. Daily adds up to a lot of runs a month; weekly is far fewer.

The estimator handles the sums beautifully once those inputs are in. Gathering the inputs themselves — persona by persona, workflow by workflow, across a few thousand people — is simply the part that takes time. And that's exactly where this agent lends a hand: it builds on the estimator by automating the groundwork that feeds it.

How this agent helps

TheCoworkInvestment Advisor agent — one place for users to size their ownCoworkneeds, with built-in starter prompts.

This agent takes on that groundwork for you. Instead of sizing everyone from the outside, the admin simply switches the agent on for every user. Each person then sizes their own needs — and the agent does the clever bits for them, ready to drop into the estimator. Here's what it does behind the scenes:

Spots the right persona. It works out which of the four personas each user fits.

Finds the real workflows. It looks at the top Cowork scenarios the user would actually run.

Keeps it honest. It checks each one is a genuine Cowork job — several steps, more than one app, real actions and a bit of decision-making — not something a Scheduled Prompt or plain Copilot Chat could do just as well.

Grounds it in evidence. It reads the signals from recent work — emails, meetings, documents and Teams chats — so the estimate is based on what people actually do, not thin air.

Does the sums. It maps each workflow's complexity to credits per run and totals it up — giving you numbers that line up neatly with the estimator.

Shows the value. It gives a view of pay-as-you-go versus a pre-purchase plan, and a sense of the return on the spend.

Stays transparent. It states its assumptions, flags how confident it is, and sticks to permitted data and the usual privacy and compliance rules.

And here's the kind of report it hands back — persona, the top workflows, complexity, credits, cost and a clear recommendation, all in one place:

TheCoworkInvestment Advisor agent — one place for users to size their ownCoworkneeds, with built-in starter prompts.

Why this approach works better

So why hand it to the users? A few good reasons:

More accurate. The numbers come from each person's real workload, not a top-down guess.

Consistent by design. Everyone follows the same method — same personas, same complexity bands, same maths — so the results line up and roll into one clean figure.

No over-buying. Because it weeds out the workflows that don't really need Cowork, your customer only pays for credits they'll genuinely use.

A proper business case. You get cost clarity and a feel for the return, so you're handing over more than just a number.

It scales. Ten users or ten thousand — the effort on your side stays much the same.

It saves you hours. You swap manual sizing for gathering and rolling up. Your time goes on advising, not tallying.

Not ready to roll it out? Other ways in

If an admin isn't quite ready to switch the agent on for everyone, that's OK— there's no need to. This agent is an M365 Copilot agent, and it has free access to Work IQ — the same engine that will eventually power Cowork. Because that access is free, the agent can read how people really work and take the guesswork right out of sizing. And there's more than one way to get at it:

Build it with Agent Builder. Ready-made instructions, a description and a starter prompt are all sitting in the GitHub repo. Anyone with access to M365 Copilot can pop them into Agent Builder and stand the agent up in minutes.

Prefer not to build an agent? Just use the prompt. There's a comprehensive prompt you can drop straight into the M365 Copilot Chat experience. Same sizing, same evidence — no agent to create.

Ready to give it a go?

Whichever route suits you best, getting started is dead simple. If you're rolling the agent out to your users:

Have a quick word with your customer's admin about switching the agent on for their users.

Let each person size their own Cowork needs.

Gather it all up and roll it into a single estimate.

Prefer to keep it in your own hands? Build the agent from the GitHub repo with Agent Builder, or drop the comprehensive prompt into M365 Copilot Chat — you'll get to the same place with even less setup.

THE BOTTOM LINE

That's the heavy lifting done for you. You'll save yourself hours, spare yourself the guesswork, and hand your customer a credit plan they can genuinely trust — with the numbers and the business case sitting right behind it. Give it a spin on your next engagement and see how much quicker it gets you there.

Resources

Everything you need is in one place:

Customer Cowork Estimator — https://aka.ms/CustomerCoworkEstimator

GitHub repo — agent instructions, description, starter prompt and the full Copilot Chat prompt: Cowork Investment Assessment

Partner Blog | Your FY27 partner skilling roadmap: What’s new and where to start

JillArmourMicrosoft — Thu, 16 Jul 2026 23:28:03 GMT

Welcome to FY27 and the latest Microsoft Partner Skilling updates. As AI continues to reshape how customers evaluate, buy, and adopt technology, skilling is becoming a practical growth lever across partner roles, from sales and presales to solution architecture, delivery, and customer success.

Whether you are building AI solutions, scaling Microsoft 365 Copilot practices, preparing for agent opportunities, or aligning your team to Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Program requirements, this month’s updates give you a clearer path to build the capabilities customers expect. The Microsoft Partner Skilling Hub is the central destination to start, offering no-cost partner skilling across Microsoft Cloud solution areas, with live, in-person, virtual, and on-demand learning tracks for multiple roles and technical certifications.

What’s new in FY27

FY27 starts with new skilling resources designed to make it easier for you to plan learning, build AI expertise, and move from readiness to execution.

First, the Partner Skilling Hub now includes a new Skilling Plan AI Agent. You can use the AI Agent to get personalized training recommendations, build a complete learning plan, or quickly find a specific course based on your role, solution area, or readiness goal.

This update matters because many partner teams are balancing multiple priorities at once. A seller may need a fast path to position Microsoft 365 Copilot for small and medium-sized business (SMB) customers, while a technical consultant may need deeper implementation guidance for agents, governance, and security. The AI Agent gives each learner a more direct starting point.

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Don't forget to follow the new Partner Skilling discussion board to connect with subject matter experts!

Partner Case Study | Ingram Micro

JillArmourMicrosoft — Thu, 16 Jul 2026 17:00:00 GMT

Evolving beyond legacy infrastructure without disruption

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Partner Blog | Drive local growth with Microsoft Marketplace

JillArmourMicrosoft — Wed, 15 Jul 2026 23:00:00 GMT

Innovation is global, but buying is local. A breakthrough in AI can reach many global markets within weeks, but the way customers realize value from that technology still depends on local realities. Procurement norms, trusted advisors, buying preferences, and routes to market differ by country.

That local reality is the premise behind our latest expansion of channel-led selling through Microsoft Marketplace. In May, Microsoft expanded multiparty private offers to more than 30 countries across Europe, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

Now we are building on that momentum by expanding multiparty private offers to Australia, Japan, and South Africa, a significant step into Asia Pacific and African markets and continued investment toward meeting customers and partners where they already are.

Global capabilities, built for local markets

Across Asia Pacific, the opportunity is substantial: Gartner forecasts Australian organizations will spend A$33.6 billion on public cloud services in 2026, up 17.9% year over year.

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Partner Blog | Copilot monetization for SMBs: Turn adoption into sustained AI value

JillArmourMicrosoft — Tue, 14 Jul 2026 19:05:18 GMT

Driving Copilot adoption for customers is only the beginning. For small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs), value comes when Copilot is used consistently across roles, connected to measurable outcomes, and extended into the workflows that shape daily operations.

This is the final installment in our Copilot blog series focused on SMB monetization. Across the series, we have followed a practical SMB path: start with Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat to build familiarity, use readiness and repeatable plays to create qualified pipeline, convert renewal and upgrade momentum into Microsoft 365 Copilot Business conversations, then extend value with agents and managed services.

Now the focus shifts to Stage 4, Realize Value, and Stage 5, Manage and Optimize, of the Microsoft Customer Engagement Methodology (MCEM). Stage 4 demonstrates value through structured deployment, department-level scenarios, and agents. Stage 5 is about turning that value into a recurring rhythm of measurement, optimization, governance, and expansion.

For partners, this is where the Copilot business opportunity becomes durable. Transforming your customer with AI is not just selling licenses. It is packaging the services, governance, analytics, skilling, and agent lifecycle motions that make AI value measurable, repeatable, and expandable.

What changes after deployment

SMB customers want AI that fits the way their teams already work. They need practical guidance on where to deploy Copilot, which departments should move first, which workflows are ready for agents, and how success should be measured.

The Microsoft 2026 Work Trend Index Annual Report reinforces why this matters. Microsoft found that 58% of surveyed AI users say they are already producing work they could not a year ago, and 66% report spending more time on higher-value work as AI takes on execution. The report also found that organizational factors, including culture, manager support, and talent practices, account for more than twice the reported AI impact of individual factors, at 67% compared with 32%.

For partners, that means Copilot value does not scale through deployment alone. It scales when customers connect AI to priority roles, repeatable processes, adoption habits, security baselines, and measurable outcomes.

The journey remains practical. Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat introduces AI in an approachable way. Microsoft 365 Copilot Business embeds AI into everyday work. Agents extend AI into core business processes. Together, they give SMB customers a path from AI curiosity to sustained business impact.

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Partner Blog | MCAPS Start for Partners is almost here: Your final readiness checklist

JillArmourMicrosoft — Mon, 13 Jul 2026 16:00:00 GMT

On Wednesday, July 22, Microsoft partners will come together for a no-cost, digital-only event designed to provide a clear view of Microsoft FY27 priorities, investment focus, and go-to-market direction. This is more than a moment to hear what is ahead. It is an opportunity to prepare your organization for the customer conversations, capability decisions, and execution priorities that will shape the year.

The partners who will receive the most value from MCAPS Start for Partners will be the ones who tune in ready to listen, align, and act.

Don’t miss out—there’s still time to register for the event.

Why this moment matters

The pace of AI adoption is moving quickly. Customers have moved beyond experimentation and are now focused on measurable business outcomes, return on AI investments, and trusted systems that protect their data, intellectual property, and competitive advantage.

The start of the Microsoft fiscal year is an important planning moment for the partner ecosystem. It is when Microsoft priorities become clearer, investment areas come into focus, and partners can assess how to align business plans, customer motions, and internal readiness for the year ahead.

MCAPS Start for Partners is designed to provide that early clarity. It gives partner leaders and teams a shared view of where Microsoft is focused, how customer demand is evolving, and what actions partners can take to build capability, go to market, and align with Microsoft sellers.

Whether your business serves small and medium-sized business customers, enterprise customers, or both, your team can use the insights from MCAPS Start for Partners to start FY27 with a stronger operating rhythm and clearer alignment across your sales, technical, marketing, delivery, operations, and alliance teams.

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July update: What’s new for partners in AI Business Solutions

JillArmourMicrosoft — Tue, 14 Jul 2026 20:30:56 GMT

July’s AI Business Solutions newsletter highlights key opportunities for Microsoft partners—from new Microsoft 365 Copilot SKUs and agent scenarios to licensing changes, limited-time offers, and events. Discover what’s changed and how you can drive adoption and impact for your customers.

News and Announcements

Microsoft 365 Business with Copilot SKUs now available: Your small and medium-sized business (SMB) AI opportunity just became easier to scale. Microsoft 365 Business with Copilot SKUs are now generally available, turning a successful promo into a permanent, predictable offer with AI built into every license. That means faster sales, larger deals, and a clearer path to drive renewal growth—without managing add-ons or promo windows. Read the blog post to explore this opportunity and find more details in the Partner Center announcement.

New licensing prerequisite for Microsoft Agent 365: New Microsoft Agent 365 purchases now require prerequisite licenses to ensure customers have the security, identity, and compliance foundation needed to use agent capabilities effectively. Customers can meet these prerequisites through eligible Microsoft 365 licensing or by licensing the required security components, as outlined in the Microsoft Product Terms. Use this update to assess customer readiness early, identify licensing gaps, and guide customers toward the right Microsoft 365, Business Premium, and security solutions to support governed AI adoption. Learn more about how this update can empower your customers as you review the Microsoft Product Terms.

Temporary purchasing pause of Windows 365 GPU Enterprise Select lifted: After a temporary purchasing limitation was put in place for the Windows 365 GPU Enterprise Select 256-GB SKU in the CSP channel through June 30, 2026, the SKU is available for purchase again as of July 1, 2026, in alignment with the standard CSP publishing cadence. Customers who have expressed interest should be informed of this availability timeline, and there is no impact to any existing Windows 365 entitlements. Explore the Partner Center announcement to learn more about how the Windows 365 GPU Enterprise Select 256-GB SKU can optimize your customers’ graphic-intense workloads.

Smarter targeting for per-user promotions: Also coming in FY27, Microsoft can target offers by seat count with greater precision, building stronger motions for partners to acquire customers and grow at scale. Learn more in the Partner Center announcement.

Incentives and Offers

Frontier Accelerate for Copilot is your hero FY27 investment for AI and agents: FY27 partner investments are here, and Frontier Accelerate for Copilot is our hero investment across Microsoft 365 E7, Copilot, agents, and Agent 365. It supports discovery, technical workshops, and deployment motions that move customers from AI curiosity to operationalized Copilot and agent scenarios at scale—while this year's CSP incentives reward the adoption and expansion you drive. Explore the FY27 incentives guide and register for a Partner Investments Community Call (in the Americas or Asia).

Save with Microsoft 365 Copilot and Microsoft 365 Copilot Business: Customers want AI that delivers measurable value now. Microsoft 365 and Copilot help employees supercharge productivity, streamline everyday tasks, and reduce costs across the business. Available now, a new wave of FY27 CSP promotions provide a compelling, easy-to-position lever to scale Microsoft 365 Copilot and Copilot Business. Learn more about the offers below on the CSP offers and promotions site.

- Microsoft 365 Copilot: 15% off new one-year subscription on 300+ licenses and 30% off 1,000+ licenses for SMB and corporate customers; 15% off new three-year subscription on 300+ licenses through September 30, 2026.
- Microsoft 365 E7: 10% off new one-year subscription on 10+ licenses and 15% off 100+ licenses; 15% off new three-year subscription on 300+ licenses through December 31, 2026.
- Microsoft 365 Copilot Business: Up to 15% off new add-on subscription on up to 300 licenses and 25% off new Microsoft 365 Business Basic + Copilot Business bundle on up to 300 licenses through December 31, 2026.

Skilling and Events

Start FY27 ready to execute and scale Microsoft 365 Copilot and agents: Join us at MCAPS Start for Partners for a deep dive into how partners can unlock a new wave of transformation with Copilot and agents—grounded in real customer scenarios, reimagined business processes, and scalable impact. Register now to learn about the next chapter of opportunity powered by AI.

Join us for the Microsoft Partner FY27 GTM Kickoff Event: For a double-click on the priorities shared at MCAPS Start for Partners, don’t miss this critical FY27 planning moment. Hear directly from Microsoft executives about priorities, learn how to build your strategy around Frontier Transformation, and gain insight into the market trends and investments shaping growth. Register for the Microsoft Partner FY27 GTM Kickoff Event on July 28.

Nominations for the 2026 Microsoft Partner of the Year Awards are closed: Nominations for the 2026 Microsoft Partner of the Year Awards closed on July 7, 2026. Thank you to those who nominated their organizations—and stay tuned for winner announcements in November.

Turn AI demand into repeatable revenue with Frontier Transformation campaigns: Build AI thought leadership and pipeline with the Frontier Transformation campaign in a box, a ready-to-launch, co-branded campaign that helps customers embed AI across their business with the governance, security, and intelligence needed to scale. Use it to go to market faster, generate qualified leads, build pipeline without creating assets from scratch, and position your business as a strategic AI partner. Explore Partner Marketing Center Pro, download key campaign in a box assets, or visit Partner Marketing Center for more information.

Check out the Microsoft Partner Skilling Hub, a unified platform for all your skilling needs: In this fast-moving market, skilling is no longer a nice-to-have—it's a must for adopting new technologies, driving innovation, and winning business. Find all the skilling opportunities you need to keep winning on the Microsoft Partner Skilling Hub, our unified platform that brings together all partner skilling resources into one seamless experience. This experience offers sales, technical, and solution-based learning, skilling paths mapped to Solutions Partner designations and specializations, and continuously updated content. Explore the Skilling Hub today.

Go-To-Market

Copilot Cowork is now generally available: This update give you new ways to deliver AI-powered collaboration and automation for your customers. Powered by Copilot Credits-based consumption, Copilot Cowork empowers you to monetize ongoing usage while built-in admin controls support governance and visibility at scale. This creates a clear path to expand services, drive adoption, and grow recurring revenue. Read the Partner Center announcement and view the Cowork Microskilling training on Copilot Cowork to start building your consumption-led Copilot strategy now.

Customer Success

Increment strengthens school data security and AI readiness: Increment partnered with Australian public education systems to strengthen protection of sensitive student data and prepare for AI adoption. Using Microsoft security and compliance solutions, the team established scalable data governance practices across large, complex school environments. This work reduced risk, improved visibility into sensitive information, and created a foundation for secure use of tools like Microsoft 365 Copilot.

Ingram Micro guides partners through cloud and AI modernization: Ingram Micro works with partners to move customers from legacy infrastructure to Azure-based environments, creating a structured path from cloud migration to AI adoption. By combining technical expertise, funding programs, and repeatable approaches, partners can reduce complexity, optimize costs, and deliver scalable, secure solutions that position customers for AI-powered workloads.

Sign up for the monthly Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Program newsletter: Encourage your teams to sign up for the newsletter to stay informed on updates, incentives, and partner opportunities. It’s an easy way to get the latest partner news delivered directly to your inbox.

Follow the AI Business Solutions tag to stay updated on monthly AI Business Solutions partner news!

This is the moment to shape what’s next for your hosting business

JillArmourMicrosoft — Thu, 09 Jul 2026 17:00:00 GMT

For hosting partners, today’s market shifts are more than a challenge—they’re an opportunity to modernize with intention and grow into what’s next. Customers are looking for partners who can deliver continuity today and a credible modernization path for tomorrow.

By acting early, you put yourself in a stronger position to preserve what works, modernize at a sustainable pace, and expand into higher‑value services—without disrupting existing relationships.

Here’s a clear path forward:

Start with clarity. Check out the one‑pager, “Turn hosting market disruption into a growth opportunity,” to align your organization on why now is the time to shift from traditional hosting to a services-led model.

Plan with confidence. The e‑book, Navigating the Next Era of Hosting, breaks down the Microsoft Adaptive Cloud strategy: how to run workloads where they make sense, manage them as a single environment, and grow into differentiated services.

Transform with support. Go from planning to action with the Microsoft Datacenter Optimization (DCO) site, which includes ongoing transition guidance, tools, FAQs, the Hybrid Cloud Partners podcast, and more.

Get started with the one-pager.

Partner Case Study | Increment Technology Creatives

JillArmourMicrosoft — Tue, 07 Jul 2026 20:00:00 GMT

Educational institutions manage large volumes of sensitive information about students—data that is both highly personal and increasingly vulnerable. In an era of AI-accelerated threats, sensitive information is a frequent target of cyberattacks, and education systems often need support to safeguard the information in complex, resource constrained school environments.

Increment, a pure-play Microsoft partner consultancy founded by former enterprise technology leaders, knows how to provide that security. The team, which operates in the Australia and New Zealand market, had already deeply adopted Microsoft technology within its own operations—including early rollout of Microsoft 365 Copilot and end to end use of Dynamics 365 and Purview. Their Customer Zero approach and demonstrated expertise earned them the 2025 Partner of the Year Award for Data Security and Compliance.

The team’s disciplined use of Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Program benefits, such as Microsoft Commerce Incentives (MCI) funding, positioned them to help education agencies rapidly reduce risk and build scalable data governance practices. And they started with the largest public school system in Australia, partnering closely with Microsoft to strengthen data security across multiple school systems.

Protecting millions of student identities amid growing threats

Public school systems in Australia are cumulatively responsible for millions of students, thousands of schools, and massive identity systems that must function reliably across distributed networks, diverse devices, and high daily data flow. And they must do this while fending off near-constant cyberattacks.

“Every day, these guys are getting attacked at levels that only banks see,” said Andre Herbst, Director of Growth and Partnerships for Increment.

At the same time, the education system was under pressure to modernize quickly. The volume of data they managed was massive: in Queensland alone, the fleet included tens of thousands of managed endpoints that required consistent policy enforcement. And with AI related risks rising, education agencies needed assurance that foundational data protections would support future adoption of generative AI tools like Microsoft 365 Copilot.

While many education departments had invested in Microsoft 365 A3 or A5 licensing, they needed a clear roadmap to activate the full breadth of built in security and compliance capabilities. They sought a scalable, repeatable approach that aligned technical controls with the realities of large, complex school systems—an approach that clarified roles, built internal capability, and established long term operating models. Without that structure, even well licensed environments could struggle to strengthen data protection or reduce risk.

In addition, these school systems required operational alignment across large, distributed environments. Sensitive information moved frequently between teachers, administrators, students, and caregivers, yet many of the agencies lacked consistent visibility into where that data resided or how it was being accessed across their systems. Responsibilities for data governance and information protection often did not naturally align with existing cybersecurity roles.

Success would require an approach grounded in real world operational experience, expertise across the Microsoft stack, and the ability to translate complex data security requirements into practical, sustainable programs for education environments.

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Partner news articles

Introducing Everpure Cloud Azure Native for Azure VMs

Overview

What you can expect

Step-by-step: Setting up Everpure Cloud Azure Native storage for your Azure VM

Get Started Today

Spin Up MongoDB Atlas Clusters in Azure (Preview)

Atlas Projects & Clusters

What you can do now, right from Azure

Get started in minutes

Choosing your cluster tier

Built for what's next: vector search & AI agents

Ready to build?

Partner Blog | Why AI-powered marketing is becoming essential to partner growth

Coming soon: Updated Partner Center verification experience for the Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Program and Cloud Solution Providers

Partner Blog | Built to grow together: The FY27 Microsoft Marketplace opportunity

July update: What’s new for partners in Azure

News and Announcements

Incentives and Offers

Skilling and Events

Partner success stories

Additional Resources

July update: What’s new in Security for partners

News and Announcements

Incentives and Offers

Security partner investments and enablement

Skilling and Events

Go-To-Market

Customer Success

Follow the tag Security partner news to stay updated on monthly Security partner news.

Partner Blog | Navigating the next era of hosting: Your playbook is here

Take your place at the AI frontier—Microsoft Ignite registration is open

Partner Blog | MCAPS Start for Partners FY27: Powering Frontier Transformation together

Partner Case Study | Ingram Micro

Evolving beyond legacy infrastructure without disruption

Sizing Copilot Credits for Cowork? Let Your Users Use Cowork Investment Advisor Agent.

Start with the Cowork Estimator

How this agent helps

Why this approach works better

Not ready to roll it out? Other ways in

Ready to give it a go?

Resources

Partner Blog | Your FY27 partner skilling roadmap: What’s new and where to start

What’s new in FY27

Partner Case Study | Ingram Micro

Evolving beyond legacy infrastructure without disruption

Partner Blog | Drive local growth with Microsoft Marketplace

Partner Blog | Copilot monetization for SMBs: Turn adoption into sustained AI value

Partner Blog | MCAPS Start for Partners is almost here: Your final readiness checklist

July update: What’s new for partners in AI Business Solutions

News and Announcements

Incentives and Offers

Skilling and Events

Go-To-Market

Customer Success

This is the moment to shape what’s next for your hosting business

Partner Case Study | Increment Technology Creatives

Protecting millions of student identities amid growing threats

July update: What’s new in Security for partners