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.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.It's now easier to attain the Microsoft Azure VMware Solution specialization
To expand the specialization opportunity to more partners, Microsoft has removed the Azure VMware Solution (AVS) technical assessment requirement from the Microsoft AVS specialization. This change makes both attaining and renewing the specialization significantly easier for partners. VMware is a leading provider of on-premises virtualization. As more organizations evaluate moving parts of their server-virtualization workloads to the cloud, this creates a meaningful opportunity for partners to guide migration plans aligned to security best practices and relevant regulatory requirements. The Microsoft AVS specialization showcases your authority in helping customers migrate on-premises VMware workloads to Azure. If you do not yet hold the Microsoft AVS specialization, we encourage you to pursue it now. Partners approaching their renewal window can also begin the renewal process today. Visit Partner Center to review the status of the Microsoft Azure VMware Solution specialization.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.Updated requirements for the SAP on Microsoft Azure specialization
The SAP on Microsoft Azure specialization is a credential that validates your deep expertise in planning, migrating, and operating SAP (Systems, Applications, and Products in Data Processing) workloads on Microsoft Azure. Microsoft is updating this specialization to make it more accessible for a broader range of partners. These changes are designed to expand opportunity—making it possible for more organizations to demonstrate SAP on Azure expertise, earn official Microsoft recognition, and unlock exclusive go-to-market advantages that strengthen differentiation in a competitive market. What's changed Lower ACR threshold: Beginning in January 2026, the Azure consumed revenue (ACR) requirement decreased from $30,000 to $7,500,* totaled over three months, significantly reducing the barrier to entry while maintaining a high standard of technical capability. Streamlined skilling validation: Partners can validate required Microsoft learning coursework directly within Partner Center, removing the need to do so in the third-party audit for this specialization. Skilling requirements may be met through either: The Azure for SAP Workloads Specialty certification. Completion of the Run SAP on the Microsoft Cloud learning path. This simplified approach accelerates the path to earning the specialization. Next actions Visit Partner Center to review the updated SAP on Microsoft Azure specialization requirements and apply or renew. *Throughout this document, $ refers to US dollar (USD).Updated requirements for Microsoft Azure VMware Solution specialization
Updated requirements for the Microsoft Azure VMware Solution (AVS) specialization make it simpler to obtain—offering a path to showcase your unique capabilities and technical expertise. What's changed We removed the requirement to pass the outdated AVS technical assessment to earn the specialization. We also removed the Broadcom certification requirements, which were previously checked as a portion of the audit. Highlights of the specialization Show customers you're uniquely qualified to migrate VMware workloads to Azure with the AVS specialization. Highlights include: Verified expertise badge. Priority listing in Microsoft directories. Access to incentives and co-sell programs. Visit Partner Center to verify that you meet the new AVS specialization requirements, then apply or renew today.
Build Your Microsoft Ignite Schedule: Top Sessions for IT Pros
Get Ready for Microsoft Ignite Welcome back to our Azure Tech Community Microsoft Ignite 2025 series! If you joined us for Your Guide to Azure Community Activations at Microsoft Ignite 2025, you already know that Microsoft Ignite isn’t just about product updates, it’s where ideas, innovation, and community come together. With hundreds of sessions across every area of Azure, it can be hard to know where to focus. That’s why we’ve curated a list of sessions tailored specifically for IT Pros to help you make the most of your time, strengthen your technical strategy, and get inspired for the year ahead. Use the Microsoft Ignite session scheduler feature in the session catalog to personalize your agenda, save your favorites, and organize your time at Ignite. Make Every Minute Count: Top Recommended Sessions for IT Pros Microsoft Ignite moves fast, so it pays to plan your path before you arrive. By organizing your schedule around your interests and goals, you’ll be able to maximize learning opportunities, connect with peers, and leave with actionable insights. The recommendations below highlight our top picks for IT Pros looking to streamline operations, strengthen security, and stay ahead in an evolving cloud landscape. End-to-End migration of applications with AI Agents to IaaS and PaaS (BRK140) See how Azure’s new AI-powered migration agents can simplify and accelerate every stage of your migration journey—from assessment to deployment. Architecting for resiliency on Azure Infrastructure (BRK178) Discover how to build resilient cloud solutions on Azure by leveraging availability zones, multi-region deployments, and fungible products. This session explores architectural patterns, platform capabilities, and best practices. Migrate and Modernize Windows and SQL Server Workloads with Azure (LAB506-R1) Get hands-on with practical approaches to moving core enterprise workloads to Azure, improving reliability, and optimizing costs. Govern your estate using PowerShell and the CLI with AI (BRK170) Discover how you can use AI for PowerShell and Azure CLI to boost automation and simplify complex commands. Turning Compliance Burden into Competitive Advantage with RegScale (THR820) Explore how to use Microsoft’s compliance and governance frameworks to drive efficiency and differentiation. Before diving into your targeted sessions, make time for these essential moments that set the stage for everything happening at Microsoft Ignite. Opening Keynote (KEY01) Hear from Microsoft leaders as they unveil the latest innovations shaping the future of AI, cloud, and the developer ecosystem. This is the session that sets the tone for the entire event. Innovation Session: Security in the Agentic Era – the Core Primitive (BRK1712) Gain a forward-looking perspective on how the rise of Agentic AI will reshape the security landscape for IT operations and enterprise systems. Innovation Session: Scale Smarter: Infrastructure for the Agentic Era (BRK1704) Dive into what’s new in Azure Infrastructure—from compute and networking to hybrid management and scalability. Hear from Azure engineering experts on best practices and innovations for modern cloud operations. Plan Smarter with the Session Scheduler With the “add to schedule” feature in the session catalog you’ll be able to: Browse and filter all Microsoft Ignite sessions by topic, product, or persona. Save your favorite sessions to build a personalized schedule. Set reminders and block time for networking, community booths, and demos. Stay Connected with the Azure Tech Community Your Microsoft Ignite journey doesn’t stop when the sessions end, the conversation continues across the Azure Tech Community. Share the sessions you’re most excited about using #MSIgnite #AzureTechCommunity, tag azure, and connect with other IT Pros exploring the future of cloud management and security. Follow the Azure Tech Community for real-time updates, announcements, and product news throughout Ignite. See You at Microsoft Ignite 2025 With the right plan in place, every session becomes an opportunity to learn, grow, and connect. Explore these recommendations, save your favorites, and get ready for an unforgettable Microsoft Ignite 2025 experience.
