Immediate Discontinuation of Azure Passes
Important breaking news that has immediate impacts to TSPs delivering courses that currently use an Azure Pass. Effective immediately, Microsoft is discontinuing the use of Azure passes and recalling any Azure Passes in use by students and trainers. Why is Microsoft removing the Azure Pass option? As a part of the commitment to provide the best possible learner experience, Microsoft was in the process of moving away from using Azure passes to provide cloud access to course labs. The lab experience via the Lab Hosters (LH) removes friction for learners (i.e. activation and support considerations) and provides a more uniform training experience for our learners regardless of their location. Recently, Microsoft has experienced a significant increase in potential fraud and unintended use of Azure services, resulting in the immediate discontinuation of Azure Passes. Which courses are impacted by the discontinuation of the Azure Pass? The following course will not have labs available until end of January: SC-200T00: Microsoft Security Operations Analyst Lab Hosters are working quickly to convert the following courses to non-Azure Pass. Please consult directly with your Lab Hoster to find out the status of what they have available. AZ-2001: Implement Security Through a Pipeline Using Azure DevOps AZ-2008: DevOps Foundations: The Core Principles and Practices AZ-400T00: Designing and Implementing Microsoft DevOps solutions SC-300T00: Microsoft Identity and Access Administrator All localized versions of labs for these courses are offline. An ETA on when they will be available will be provided at a later date. Please consult with your Authorized Lab Hosters to see if your delivery will be impacted as a result of not having Azure passes. Additional information can be found in the attached FAQ. DanChallenges with the availability of Applied Skills Assessments for TSPs
Hi team. I’d like to raise a critical issue impacting TSPs concerning the Applied Skills Assessments. According to the latest Courseware Title Plan (tab 'Applied Skills Assessments'), 17 out of 31 non-retired Applied Skills Assessments are currently offline—more than 50%. For ILT providers, this presents a significant challenge, as these assessments are a vital component for students who opt for paid instructor-led training over the free Microsoft Learn-based alternatives. The unavailability of these assessments undermines the value of our ILT offerings. Students enrolling in these courses expect access to assessments to validate their knowledge. Without this, their incentive to choose a paid option diminishes, forcing us to reconsider offering these courses altogether. Key questions we need clarity on: Why have these assessments been taken offline? Why hasn’t this been proactively communicated to TSPs? Is there a timeline for their return? This lack of visibility and communication complicates planning and makes it harder for us to deliver a consistent, valuable experience to students. Clear updates and transparency on this issue would greatly help TSPs align with Microsoft’s strategy while ensuring student satisfaction. I’d appreciate hearing from others facing similar challenges and any insights from the team regarding next steps. Kind regards, Marnix Wolf
Copilot for MCTs
I participated in the February 2024 Training Services Partner Community Call (TSPCC) about an hour ago, where numerous Copilot courses and Applied Skills Assessments were announced. However, a critical concern remains unaddressed: the accessibility of Copilot for Microsoft Certified Trainers (MCTs) to effectively teach these courses and conduct assessments. The current guidance of "Bring your own subscription" (which was provided to me as a response in the TSPCC Q & A today) for training organizations is impractical and does not align with the needs of MCTs and training service providers (TSPs). The lack of a feasible solution for accessing Copilot presents a significant barrier to entry, particularly for individual trainers and small to medium-sized TSPs. The financial burden of procuring a Copilot license, with its substantial upfront cost and lack of a monthly payment option, is a deterrent to many, including myself and many TSPs in my region. This situation creates an uneven playing field, favoring larger enterprise TSPs capable of acquiring multiple licenses, thereby monopolizing the market and client base. It is imperative to recognize that the demand for instructor-led training in Copilot is high, with students seeking guidance and consultation in navigating this revolutionary tool. The self-learning route is not a viable alternative for all learners. I urge Microsoft WWL to expedite the development of a solution that provides MCTs with complimentary access to Copilot, enabling us to deliver the high-quality training that is in demand. The current model is not sustainable and risks alienating a significant portion of the training community. It is crucial for Microsoft WWL to address this issue promptly to ensure the successful rollout of Copilot courses and to maintain the integrity and inclusivity of the MCT program.October CC Technical Issues and Option 2 Call Cancelation
Hello partners, I want to ensure you see the latest update I made to the Community Call thread here. Yes, there was an access issue to the Option 1 call today that was discovered only after the call started. As the Option 2 call is built the same way, I expect a similar result. Due to this, we won't be hosting an Option 2 call today. Link to the shared folder and associated files (recording, deck) are at the link referenced above. Apologies for the late cancel and the confusion this month. We'll look to get right on our next call, Wednesday, December 4th. DanUpdate on Labs Security Impacts (5/7)
Updated with additional information on 5/7 Hello TSPs, As outlined in today’s blog post by Charlie Bell (Executive Vice President, Microsoft Security), Microsoft continues to make security a top priority internally as well as with our partners and customers. Unfortunately, the unintended consequence of this focus continues to impact labs within our training ecosystem. We are keenly aware how these tenant issues are impacting your training business, from reducing the richness of the overall training experience all the way to potentially cancelled classes. We have updated the previously shared FAQ (attached) to provide additional details and answer your questions. While we’ve reached a resolution in some courses (see below), the larger question regarding when tenant access will be broadly available is still an unknown. As meaningful updates become available, we will share them here on ourTraining Services Partner Community (Forum). Today’s update (8 courses): SC-300: tenants are now being made available to the Authorized Lab Hosters (ALHs). We are working on creating stockpiles to support the quantity of classes PL-300 & DP-605: ALHs are now offering these labs via their own Azure subscriptions, and not the M365 tenants PL-100, PL-900, PL-7001, PL-7002, PL-7003: Skillable has created an M365 tenant solution which is now available to TSPs Our team is working hard behind the scenes to reinstate tenants or create workarounds for all impacted courses. If you have further questions, please post them via this thread. Thank you for your partnership, Dan
