Specialization updates for October: Azure Local, Teams retirement, and Azure ACR workloads
Several specializations are changing this month to help ensure your credentials stay current with the products you deliver and the FY27 rollover taxonomy. Learn what’s new for each specialization, then check Partner Center to see if you meet the requirements. Azure Stack HCI specialization becomes Azure Local for Hybrid & Sovereign Private Cloud Azure Local is replacing Azure Stack HCI, and the corresponding specialization is changing so your credential stays current with the product you deliver. The Hybrid Cloud Infrastructure with Microsoft Azure Stack HCI specialization is being renamed the Azure Local for Hybrid & Sovereign Private Cloud specialization. What is changing Name: the Azure Local for Hybrid & Sovereign Private Cloud specialization replaces the Hybrid Cloud Infrastructure with Microsoft Azure Stack HCI specialization. Performance: your Azure Consumed Revenue (ACR) is now calculated from Azure Local instead of Azure Stack HCI. Skilling: the DevOps Engineer Expert certification is no longer required. Audit: a new audit checklist releases with this update. What to do Check Partner Center to determine whether you meet the new requirements. Custom Solutions for Microsoft Teams specialization retires in November 2026 The Custom Solutions for Microsoft Teams specialization retires in November 2026. What this means After retirement, new enrollments and renewals will no longer be accepted. If you are currently enrolled, your specialization stays active until your anniversary date. The retirement may affect benefits and incentives tied to the specialization. What to do Enroll in other Modern Work specializations to continue demonstrating your expertise. ACR workloads for five Azure specializations now match the FY27 rollover taxonomy The eligible ACR workloads for five Azure specializations have been updated to match the FY27 rollover taxonomy: AI Platform, AI Apps, App Modernization, Azure Virtual Desktop, and Azure VMware Solution. The specialization pages on partner.microsoft.com have been refreshed so the requirements listed match the new taxonomy. If you hold or are working toward any of these specializations, review the updated performance requirements to confirm your ACR workloads still count. What to do Check Partner Center to find out if you maintain the requirements under the new taxonomy.ACR workloads for Azure specializations are moving to the FY27 rollover taxonomy
The eligible Azure consumed revenue (ACR) workloads for five Azure specializations are being updated to match the FY27 rollover taxonomy: AI Platform, AI Apps, App Modernization, Azure Virtual Desktop, and Azure VMware Solution. The specialization pages on partner.microsoft.com have already been refreshed so the requirements listed match the new taxonomy. If you hold or are working toward any of these specializations, review the updated performance requirements to confirm your ACR workloads still count. Check Partner Center to find out if you maintain the requirements under the new taxonomy.Now live: Earn the Frontier Partner specialization
First announced at MCAPS Start for Partners in July, the Frontier Partner specialization is now open for enrollment in Partner Center. The Frontier Partner specialization validates partners who can design, build, deploy, govern, and secure AI agents across the Microsoft tech stack, including Microsoft 365 Copilot, Azure AI Foundry, GitHub Copilot, Microsoft Defender, Entra, and Purview. Partners who earn this specialization signal their deep expertise to customers—and get access to badging, priority search, and skill-aligned benefits. To earn the specialization, you must meet requirements across three components simultaneously under the same Partner Global Account: Specializations: Partners must hold the following four prerequisite specializations: Microsoft 365 Copilot, AI Apps on Microsoft Azure or AI Platform on Microsoft Azure, Data Security, and Identity and Access Management. Skilling: Five individuals from your organization must complete the Frontier Transformation Engineer badge; three individuals must earn the Fabric Analytics Engineer Associate (DP-600) certification. Audit: You must get a third-party audit validating delivery capability across design, build, deploy, govern, secure, and operate. Ready to apply? Sign in to Partner Center to see how close you are to meeting the requirements, then submit your application. Review the walking deck for full details and visit the Frontier Partner specialization page to learn more.Coming soon: the Frontier Partner specialization
One of two Frontier-focused offerings in the Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Program, the Frontier Partner specialization validates partners who can design, build, deploy, govern, and secure AI agents across the Microsoft tech stack, including Microsoft 365 Copilot, Azure AI Foundry, GitHub Copilot, Microsoft Defender, Entra, and Purview. Partners who earn this specialization signal their deep expertise to customers—and get access to badging, priority search, and skill-aligned benefits such as: Eligibility for Frontier-aligned co-sell opportunities Microsoft Agent prepurchase plan credits and Microsoft 365 E7 licensing Packaged go-to-market resources including marketing campaigns and case study opportunities Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Program Concierge support through the qualification process The specialization will be open for enrollment later in FY27, but you can start preparing now. Requirements across three components must be met simultaneously under the same Partner Global Account: Specializations: Partners must hold the following four prerequisite specializations: Microsoft 365 Copilot, AI Apps on Microsoft Azure OR AI Platform on Microsoft Azure, Data Security, and Identity and Access Management. Skilling: Five individuals from your organization must complete the Frontier Transformation Engineer badge; three individuals must earn the Fabric Analytics Engineer Associate (DP-600) certification. The people who hold the badge and the certification can be the same or different. Audit: You must get a third-party audit validating delivery capability across design, build, deploy, govern, secure, and operate. There is a two-year audit cadence. Review the walking deck for more details on this exciting opportunity.Stand out as an authority on cloud sovereignty with the Digital Sovereignty specialization
The Digital Sovereignty specialization is designed to drive meaningful business outcomes. It differentiates your organization as a sovereign cloud leader, building trust with customers in compliance-heavy regions. It also opens access to high-value projects in regulated industries such as government, defense, banking, and healthcare. The Digital Sovereignty specialization supports business growth by highlighting value-added services capabilities with higher margins in digital sovereignty. Finally, it signals proven delivery capability on sensitive cloud deployments, fostering strong client relationships. To enroll, meet the five specialization prerequisite requirements across Security, Azure, and Modern Work. Once eligible, respond to Microsoft outreach and schedule a third-party audit, demonstrating recent sovereign cloud projects. Then, maintain the specialization by continuing to meet prerequisites annually and passing the audit every two years. Don't miss this opportunity to tap into incredible business value and access exciting opportunities based on the capabilities and knowledge you already have.Explore changes to the updated AI Apps on Microsoft Azure specialization
Our specialists deliver high-performing solutions backed by deep technical expertise. To help ensure the ecosystem of specialists remains strong, the performance and audit criteria for the AI Apps on Microsoft Azure specialization have been updated. To earn or renew this specialization, your organization must first have an active Solutions Partner designation for either Data & AI (Azure) or Digital & App Innovation (Azure). Then, you must meet all of the following updated requirements. Please note that while this article contains the requirements that are changing—performance criteria and audit criteria—there are also skilling requirements that your organization will need to meet. These are not being updated and therefore do not appear below. Performance requirements Your organization must show a total of $15,000* Azure consumed revenue (ACR) from Microsoft Foundry and underlying AI services in the last three months, measured through the following strategic pillars: Rest of Azure AI, Azure OpenAI, and/or 3P GPU. Your organization must show a total of $15,000 ACR from Azure Application Platform services (AKS, ACA, ARO, App Service, Logic Apps, APIM, Functions, Managed Redis) and GitHub products in the last three months, measured through the following strategic pillars: App Platform Services, Container Services, Serverless and Supporting App Services, Integration Services, Developer Services and Platform, and/or GitHub Copilot. Your organization must show a total of $15,000 ACR from Azure Data Platform services (Cosmos DB, SQL DB Hyperscale, Azure SQL Core, MySQL PaaS, PostgreSQL PaaS, Fabric F SKU) in the last three months, measured through the following strategic pillars: Modern DB, MySQL and PostgreSQL PaaS, Azure SQL Core, and/or Fabric F SKU. Your organization must have at least three unique customers contributing to ACR in the last three months from the following eligible strategic pillars and association types. Strategic pillars: Rest of Azure AI, Azure OpenAI, 3P GPU, Modern DB, MySQL and PostgreSQL PaaS, Azure SQL Core, App Platform Services, Container Services, Serverless and Supporting App Servicves, Integration Services, Fabric F SKU, Developer Services and Platform, and GitHub Copilot Association types: Digital Partner of Record (DPOR), Partner Admin Link (PAL), and Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) The services included in all of the above eligible strategic pillars are listed here. Audit or customer references Please review the AI Apps on Azure specialization audit checklist and ensure your company can complete the audit before selecting the "schedule audit" button. The audit is conducted remotely by an independent third party and has an associated fee. After selecting the "schedule audit" button, your company has 30 days in which to both schedule and complete the audit. Failure to complete the audit within the 30-day period will result in an automatic "no pass.” Check Partner Center to see if you meet the new specialization requirements. *Throughout this page, $ refers to US dollar (USD).
