Visual Studio Lite benefits - without Azure Credits and Keys
As communicated earlier, the Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Program benefit offerings—including partner benefits packages, Solutions Partner designations, and specializations—will be updated later this month to support how you build, differentiate, and grow your business. The per-user monthly Azure credits associated with this benefit will no longer be available. You can still access organization-level Azure bulk credits that come with your benefits offering. This may require an Azure subscription migration for users to continue accessing credits, and we strongly recommend a change management plan for this transition. In addition, product keys will no longer be accessible within Visual Studio. Keys will instead be available as part of the benefits package(s) your organization holds and can be securely assigned to users directly from Partner Center. Please note that these changes will not be retroactively applied. They will go into effect when your organization renews its affected benefits offering(s) or if you activate a new offering on or after the February update. We have been partners for 20 years and using Partner benefits. Again, Microsoft tries to lower benefits, and in parallel benefit package price will increase (due to different reasons). This discussion and community of partners, should unit and tell to Microsoft Partner Benefits program that: Partners have employees/users, that use current Visual Studio benefit, that is (like MSDN), having the user access to keys and Azure credits, for specific user / employee need of test, dev, demo etc. Azure Bulk credit was never the same and cannot be used as a same Azure Bulk credit / Azure sponsorship, does not have cost control, Azure budgets and other methods. (This is in plan to change for several years, no progress) on Azure technical side. Will Microsoft increase Azure Bulk credits to compensate te amount of included benefit usage? Dear, Microsoft, please leave current Partner Benefits, with full Visual Studio, including Azure credits, and Keys for assigned users, without moving to lower benefit - Visual Studio Lite. Thank you for understanding, and hope this will not be active in production after partner renewals.
New FY26 benefits release date
As mentioned here https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/partner-center/benefits/benefits-faq-new the new benefits for FY26 should get available in February 2026. As we already have February 2026, is there an exact date when this will happen? Or will the new benefits only get available upon the annual renewal of the Partner Program as last time?Azure sponsorship and cost management challenge
I am listening for years that Azure Sponsorship type of Azure subscriptions will get Azure Cost Management. This includes the view of prices inside portal.azure.com, managing budgets, checking each individual resources etc. Current / old portal - https://www.microsoftazuresponsorships.com/Usage , does not show costs per each resource (name), instead only per resources type. Not possible to set budgets, alerts, limits, and other things. So, again, when does Microsoft plans to upgrade Azure sponsorships to use Cost Management? Any reference (roadmap) link on this please?
End of "Legacy Gold" and the easiest way to change?
The point is that our benefits associated with purchasing the "Legacy Gold" product expire next month, and we're currently offered the following offers in the Partner Center. Is it possible to purchase both packages "Partner Success Expanded Benefits" and "Partner Success Core Benefits" at the same time, thus obtaining a combined total of 50 Microsoft 365 Business Premium licenses? To maintain business continuity, we need approximately 60 Microsoft 365 licenses. We currently have E3, but we're forced to downgrade to Business Premium. This would be a significant one-time cost if we had to purchase these licenses separately, so we'd like to take advantage of the two bundles of offers prepared for us. Is it possible? This will reduce cost demand by x2... I really hope this is possible. If not - what's other options? We need at lease 55 licences for Microsoft 365 but Expanded Package give only 35.
