Winning in 2026 and beyond: Key insights from Ultimate Partner’s Livestream
2026 is reshaping partner strategy at a pace we’ve never seen before. AI, cloud marketplaces, ecosystem-led growth, and shifting buyer behavior are transforming how partners influence, co-sell, and win. During Ultimate Partner’s January 13 livestream, analyst Jay McBain and Microsoft leader Cyril Belikoff offered deep insight into the trends defining the year ahead. Cyril Belikoff,(VP of Commercial Cloud & AI Marketing at Microsoft) Key takeaways Frontier Firm Framework: Enrich Employee Experiences → Reinvent Customer Engagement → Reshape Business Processes → Bend the Innovation Curve. Microsoft introduced Work IQ, Fabric IQ, and Foundry IQ to help organizations operationalize AI. Agent 365 enables governance, security, and observability for AI agents. Microsoft Marketplace is now unified into a single experience and growing rapidly. Resale-Enabled Offers (REO) unleash scale by connecting ISVs with resellers/MSPs globally. Jay McBain (Chief Analyst at Omdia) Key takeaways “Opportunity — that’s the word for partners in 2026.” Tech is expected to grow more than 10%, with massive upside in AI-related services. 96% of enterprise deals involve multiple partners. Co-selling and influence—not resale—drive the majority of wins. Marketplaces are accelerating. Indirect influence is rising even in areas where resale declines. “Early partner involvement determines who wins the deal.” Visibility into the ecosystem is becoming essential. Many deals are shaped months before a vendor or seller ever see activity. Certifications matter. 80%+ of customers evaluate partners based on competencies and continuous learning. AI services are the fastest-growing partner opportunity, with >35% CAGR projected through 2030. Partner action plan for 2026 Invest in continuous AI upskilling and certifications. Use ecosystem tools to detect early influence moments. Publish or resell offers in Microsoft Marketplace. Prioritize data modernization to unlock AI impact. Lean into co-selling and multi-partner orchestration. The partners who embrace ecosystem visibility, continuous learning, and marketplace-driven growth will be best positioned to win in 2026 and beyond. If you missed the livestream, you can watch a recap here: Podcast - Ultimate Guide to Partnering® Join the movement Ultimate Partner® is built for one thing: helping partnership leaders achieve their greatest results by staying ahead of the tectonic shifts in AI, marketplace, co-sell, and ecosystem-led growth. Learn More and attend upcoming events here: Events - Ultimate Guide to Partnering®Marketplace trainings and events calendar
-Welcome to our calendar for accessing upcoming Marketplace trainings and events, along with links to recent resources. This page is a go-to resource for discovering training sessions and events designed specifically for software development companies related to Microsoft Marketplace. Whether you’re building innovative solutions or publishing to the commercial marketplace, you’ll find content to help you stay ahead in today’s fast-moving tech landscape. We’ve organized dedicated areas for partners and customers, making it easy to find sessions most relevant to your needs. Some events are upcoming, while others are past recordings that remain valuable for learning and growth. This page is updated frequently with new opportunities. Be sure to subscribe for notifications; instructions are provided at the bottom of this post. Explore the upcoming AI events below, revisit past sessions, and feel free to comment with any questions. Partner and Channel Partner sessions Upcoming sessions Date Time Area Title Description Link 01/21/26 8:30 AM PST Office Hours Marketplace Office Hours for Partners Join us for a deep dive into Microsoft Marketplace reporting in Partner Center. Learn how to navigate the Insights and Earnings workspaces and use available reports to maximize your Marketplace data. January 2026 Office Hours 02/18/26 8:30 AM PST Office Hours Marketplace Office Hours for Partners Tune in for updates, insights, and live Q&A to help you sell through Microsoft Marketplace. Topic TBD. February 2026 Office Hours 03/18/26 8:30 AM PST Office Hours Marketplace Office Hours for Partners Tune in for updates, insights, and live Q&A to help you sell through Microsoft Marketplace. Topic TBD. March 2026 Office Hours 04/15/26 8:30 AM PST Office Hours Marketplace Office Hours for Partners Tune in for updates, insights, and live Q&A to help you sell through Microsoft Marketplace. Topic TBD. April 2026 Office Hours 05/20/26 8:30 AM PST Office Hours Marketplace Office Hours for Partners Tune in for updates, insights, and live Q&A to help you sell through Microsoft Marketplace. Topic TBD. May 2026 Office Hours 06/17/26 8:30 AM PST Office Hours Marketplace Office Hours for Partners Tune in for updates, insights, and live Q&A to help you sell through Microsoft Marketplace. Topic TBD. June 2026 Office Hours Recent Recorded Sessions Date Area Title Description Link 12/18/25 Office Hours (Partner) Introducing resale enabled offers Explore resale enabled offers through Microsoft Marketplace. View recording 12/04/25 Partner AI-powered acceleration: scale faster on Microsoft Marketplace Go beyond listing basics and explore how Microsoft Marketplace can act as a strategic revenue engine. View recording 11/04/25 Partner How to structure your Microsoft Partner Center account for long-term success Learn best practices for setting up your Partner Center account for operational and marketplace success. View recording 08/28/25 Office Hours (Partner) Certified software designations: FY26 benefits updates Overview of certified software designations and FY26 benefit updates. View recording Customer sessions Upcoming sessions Date Time Area Title Description Link 01/28/26 8:30 AM PST Office Hours (Customer) Optimize cloud cost and performance Learn proven strategies to accelerate time-to-value for cloud and AI investments using Microsoft Marketplace. View event Recorded sessions Date Area Title Description Link 12/11/25 Office Hours (Customer) Chart your AI app and agent strategy Insights into build, buy, or blend approaches for AI apps and agents using Microsoft Marketplace. View recording 07/30/25 Office Hours (Customer) FinOps and the Microsoft Marketplace Learn how Microsoft Marketplace supports FinOps practitioners and accelerates AI transformation. View recording Subscribe to this post If you're not already a Tech Community member, create an account at techcommunity.microsoft.com. Select Subscribe from the three‑dot menu in the upper‑right corner of this post. Under Notification Settings, choose to be notified of edits and comments, and select whether you'd like updates immediately, daily, or weekly (weekly recommended). You can also subscribe to the entire Marketplace Community via the Marketplace Community homepage. ``Unlock Marketplace growth: Office hours for partners
Your gateway to mastering resale-enabled offers and accelerating success. Looking to expand your reach and accelerate growth through Microsoft’s commercial marketplace? Don’t miss this interactive session where experts will walk you through resale-enabled offers, best practices, and answer your questions live. Date: December 18, 2025 Time: 8:30 AM PST This is your chance to gain practical insights, connect with marketplace specialists, and learn how to maximize partner opportunities. Learn more and sign up to attend Office hours for partners: Marketplace resale enabled offers | Microsoft Community HubMicrosoft Marketplace office hours for customers December 2025
December 11 | 8:30 AM PST Online event Join Felipe Ospina and Mario Ortegon for the online December customer office hours: Chart your AI app and agent strategy with Microsoft Marketplace Organizations adopting AI applications and agents face a pivotal decision: build, buy, or blend. There’s no universal solution—each path comes with distinct advantages and trade-offs. Join us to explore the pros and cons of these approaches and discover how the Microsoft Marketplace streamlines adoption by serving as a single, trusted hub for AI apps, agents, and models. Learn how Marketplace accelerates time-to-value, shortens procurement cycles, and provides access to thousands of vetted AI models—empowering you to innovate faster while maintaining governance and cost control. Learn more and attendAI innovation takes center stage at Microsoft Ignite
Artificial intelligence is transforming how software companies build, scale, and deliver solutions. At Microsoft Ignite, we announced new tools and programs to help developers accelerate innovation responsibly, from AI-powered workflows and unified tools in Microsoft Foundry to Cohere’s language models on Azure. Plus, the global launch of Microsoft Marketplace brings the industry’s largest catalog of AI apps and agents, enabling partners to reach new customers and unlock growth. Explore the latest announcements and learn how to ship faster, scale confidently, and turn AI innovation into business impact. Read the full article
New To The Community
Hello ISV Success Community, As a new member to the community, I decided to start with an introduction. I’m Aubin Bakana, Founder and CTIO (Chief Technology & Innovation Officer) of Baobab Logix LTD, now based in Leeds, UK. I lead technology and innovation, driving solutions that are secure, ethical, and intelligent. At Baobab Logix, we’re building future-ready platforms that empower businesses to thrive. One of our flagship innovations is KeepComm Intel, a next-generation contact center solution that combines AI-driven automation with human-in-the-loop architecture for speed, accuracy, and trust. As a Microsoft Azure Solutions Architect Expert, Harvard CS50 certified, and full-stack developer, I bring deep technical expertise and a vision for sustainable innovation. I’m here to connect, collaborate, and share insights with fellow innovators who believe in shaping technology for good. Looking forward to engaging with this amazing community and exploring opportunities to build impactful solutions together! thank you.Your front row seat to Ultimate Partner® LIVE starts now!
In just a few days, Ultimate Partner® LIVE goes live from Reston, VA with its most impactful agenda yet. Top performing partners including Veeam, Accenture, Carahsoft, Cisco, SHI, ServiceNow, Commvault, and Siemens will share how they've overcome challenges and built lasting success. Microsoft experts will also join for candid, unscripted conversations about what it really takes to thrive in today's Hyperscaler ecosystems. The entire event will be streamed live for free — making partner mastery accessible to everyone. Join the livestream. Be inspired. Become the Ultimate Partner. October 28th Livestream October 29th LivestreamOffice hours: Strategic cloud planning with the Microsoft Marketplace
**New Date: September 16, 2025 | 8:30 AM PDT Encourage your marketplace customers to join us live on August 26th for a special Office Hours session led by Kristyn_Maddox: Strategic Cloud Planning with the Microsoft Marketplace Learn how to strategically plan Microsoft Cloud investments Discover how software vendors can gain a consumption-based view of your portfolio Get tips on leveraging pre-committed cloud budgets Maximize value from existing contracts Bring your questions, share your experiences, and engage directly with Microsoft experts. Note: while this session is geared towards customers, partners are also welcome to attend. Register hereOffice hours for partners: Certified software designations and FY26 benefits updates
Join us for the next Office Hours for Partners - Certified software designations and FY26 benefits updates. If you're a software development company selling through the Microsoft commercial marketplace, don’t miss this upcoming office hours session on August 28, 2025 at 8:30 AM PDT. This session will walk you through: What the Certified Software Designation is and why it matters FY26 updates to benefits and incentives for designated partners How to get started and unlock top-tier marketplace advantages Whether you're already designated or just beginning the journey, this is your chance to learn how to stand out to Microsoft customers and sellers—and ask your questions live. Learn more and register: Certified Software Designations: FY26 Benefits Updates | Microsoft Community HubFabCon Europe 2025: A must-attend for Microsoft partners
The Microsoft Fabric Community Conference (FabCon) is happening September 15-18, 2025 in Vienna- and if you're a Microsoft partner, this is your opportunity to drive AI advancement. Microsoft Fabric is transforming how we approach data and AI. At FabCon, you'll learn how to build a thriving Fabric practice, connect with customers, and unlock new go-to-market opportunities. From hands on labs to Partner Day insights, this event is designed to help you grow your impact and revenue. What to know what's in it for you? Learn more here: FabCon Europe for partners: What's in it for you and why to attend
