Building your first AI Agent with Azure AI Agent Service
AI agents are transforming the way developers create intelligent AI applications, and Azure AI Agent Service is leading the charge. At a recent hands-on workshop at the Azure AI Foundry Partner Council, we explored how to build an agent application using Azure AI Agent Service, leveraging its powerful tools and SDKs to simplify AI development. Whether you're an experienced developer or just starting, this blog provides key insights into streamlining AI agent creation and integrating with enterprise systems. In this blog post, we’ll summarize the key topics covered during the workshop and highlight how Azure AI Agent Service empowers developers to create scalable, intelligent agents with minimal complexity. Introduction to Azure AI Agent Service The workshop kicked off with an overview of Azure AI Agent Service, explaining how it enables developers to create goal-driven AI agents with advanced reasoning and execution capabilities. Unlike simple chatbots, these agents can integrate with external data sources, automate workflows, and execute complex business processes autonomously. Creating Your First AI Agent Developers were guided through the step-by-step process of building an AI agent using Python and the Azure AI Agent Service SDK. Key concepts covered included: Setting up the development environment Defining tools for the agent Managing conversations with threads Using system prompts to guide AI behavior Function Calling and SQL Queries One of the most exciting demonstrations involved function calling, where AI agents interact with external systems. The session showcased how agents can: Generate and execute SQL queries Retrieve, analyze, and manipulate real-time data Seamlessly integrate with databases for enterprise applications Code Interpreter for Data Visualization To enhance user interactions, the workshop highlighted the code interpreter tool, allowing AI agents to: Write and execute Python code Generate visual representations like pie charts Process CSV files for advanced data analysis Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG) Developers were introduced to Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG), a technique that improves AI responses by leveraging external documents. The session covered: Setting up a simple vector store Using file search to provide context-aware responses This technique is valuable for applications where AI agents need to reference structured data to provide accurate, informed answers. Bing Grounding for Competitive Insights A standout feature discussed was Bing Search grounding, which enables AI agents to: Retrieve up-to-date web data Perform competitive product analysis Deliver real-time business insights By integrating Bing Search, AI agents can stay informed with the latest industry trends, making them highly relevant in business environments. About the Azure AI Foundry Partner Council: The Azure AI Foundry Partner Council is a dynamic and collaborative initiative designed to foster innovation and drive advancements in artificial intelligence. This council brings together a diverse group of industry leaders, technology experts, and strategic partners who are committed to leveraging the power of Azure AI to solve complex business challenges. Through the Azure AI Foundry Partner Council, members are empowered to push the boundaries of what is possible with AI, ultimately driving progress and delivering value to their organizations and customers. Call to Action and Resources Leverage this GitHub Repo with Presenter and Proctor Resources Azure AI Agent Service Documentation Fundamentals of AI Agents on Azure Introducing Azure AI Agent Service Blog Post Python Library Workshop Repository Export and Import Agents using Solutions How to use Grounding with Bing Search in Azure AI Agent Service Sample Code for Custom Functions If you’re looking to take your AI development skills to the next level, don’t miss this opportunity. Watch the recording today and start building intelligent AI agents with Azure AI Agent Service!Enhanced marketplace value calculator now available
What’s new in the marketplace value calculator? The calculator keeps the features that we released in September 2024, including the ability to enter a few simple data points and see exactly how many direct value benefits, cloud, credits, and incentives your business can unlock with the Microsoft commercial marketplace. You’ll still be able to plug in projections and see how benefits and free products outweigh small marketplace fees. But we’ve enhanced the calculator to provide even more value: Optional logic built in for business cases: We know that not all businesses are the same. So, we’ve introduced additional logic to both the revenue and deal-based model. You can get a more granular picture of costs and benefits personalized to the expenses that your business has to make a better-informed decision. Exportable presentation-ready decks: Need to present on the business case and don’t have much time? No problem. You can now get a full deck to present (in addition to the one-page data breakdown) to show your team the value that Microsoft commercial marketplace affords you. No additional work is required from you, other than clicking a button. If you’d like to edit after you’ve download, you have the ability to edit, delete, or add slides as needed. Additional fees and benefits represented: The initial release of the marketplace calculator proved so popular that we’ve added more benefits and fees. These can help your team see a 3-year long-range view of fees including renewal fees, operational costs, and deal velocity. With these additions your team can get a clearer picture of how much your business can benefit from selling on the commercial marketplace. Check out the enhanced calculator. How it works The marketplace value calculator, found here, still works with a simple design. Start by choosing your benefits, enter a few pertinent numbers with your chosen revenue model, New: After entering your numbers, click on Optional fields to add more information (to get a more granular picture), After saving, you can click Calculate to see the projections for 3-year totals and by year, Click on Read full report to see a line-item calculation of costs and benefits, New: When you click on Export report, you’re given the choice of a pdf, line-item one-pager, or a Marketplace value presentation. This editable PowerPoint presentation is ready for you to hand off to your team or allows you to edit to add or change what you need. And that’s it, in under 10 minutes, you can have a full business case with data-driven specifics ready for your team to look at! What you’ll get when you use the calculator You still get a strong data-driven business case of working with Microsoft. However, you now have more than just numbers, you have a more robust picture of your business costs to be offset by all the benefits that Microsoft has for your business in offerings. So, what are you waiting for, go use the marketplace value calculator and wow your team today. We look forward to helping you build a more complete picture of how working with Microsoft benefits your business. You can also join ISV Success to get access to over $126K USD in cloud credits, AI services, developer tools, and 1:1 technical consults to help you replicate your app and publish to Azure Marketplace.The Marketplace Partner Digest | March 2025
Welcome to the monthly partner release notes for the Microsoft commercial marketplace! The marketplace is central to how we help you reach more customers, simplify sales, and unlock growth. Dive into this month’s roundup of announcements and updates to stay informed about the latest marketplace developments. Don’t miss an update! Subscribe to the “Partner Digest” label to get notified whenever a new Marketplace Partner Digest hits the community blog. Check out this community post for how-to guidance on configuring your settings. 🚀 Noteworthy Highlights ICYMI: Marketplace fiscal year closes May 31, 2025! Reminder that Microsoft offers a 50% reduced agency fee for all renewals done through private offers. This fee reduction automatically applies when you claim either an existing marketplace agreement or an off-marketplace sale as a renewal in Partner Center. This helps you maximize your margins—no extra steps required—while maintaining strong customer relationships. Resources: For steps on how to receive the discount, check out the documentation. Improvements to App Advisor App advisor is a self-serve, always-on tool that provides curated guidance, resources, and benefit information right when you need it, after answering a few questions. We’ve launched an improved version of App advisor—now available in the US, with a global rollout coming soon. This update provides a more intuitive and streamlined experience, ensuring you can easily get guidance within a user-friendly interface. Explore the updated App Advisor tool and take the guesswork out of getting your app to market. 🌟 ️Partner Resources Discover exclusive resources aimed at helping you get the most out of the marketplace! Explore these helpful resources, blogs, and much more below: Partner blog series: Capturing the marketplace opportunity by selling path Check out the first two blogs of a four-part series, where we break down how to maximize your marketplace opportunity across different selling paths: Part one: Discover how making the marketplace a core part of your go-to-market strategy can help you close deals faster and increase deal sizes. Read it now Part two: Learn how always-on selling with the digital self-serve motion can help you grow your sales pipeline. Read the blog. There’s still more to come! Stay tuned for the final two blogs coming in April and May, in which we’ll share tips and strategies to maximize success when selling with partners (through multiparty private offers and CSP private offers) and with Microsoft field sellers. New Co-sell Coaching series launching on April 2 Join us for the new marketplace Co-sell Coaching, where Microsoft partners will walk you through their best practices on how to co-sell effectively through the marketplace, and host a live Q&A along with Microsoft co-sell subject-matter experts. In the first event in this series featuring Carve Partners, you will learn how to get started the right way, unlock faster growth, maximize your impact, engage Microsoft sellers, and more. Register here. Mastering the Marketplace webinars Whether you’re new to the marketplace or focused on growing sales, our Mastering the Marketplace webinars cover a broad range of business and technical session topics to help accelerate your marketplace success. Check out these upcoming webinars, register, and mark your calendars. All times are listed in Pacific Time. March 25, 9:00 am: Developing your virtual machine offer March 26, 9:00 am: Developing your container offer March 27, 9:30 am: Get your SaaS transactable offer on Azure Marketplace in two weeks April 1, 9:00 am: ISVs - Learn how to use the multiparty private offers campaign in a box April 2, 9:00 am: Creating your first offer in Partner Center April 7, 9:00 am: ISV to CSP private offers - experience walkthrough For the complete MTM schedule, visit aka.ms/MTMwebinars. April customer office hours Invite your customer to our next office hours on April 30 at 8:30 am PT, the marketplace team will walk through new marketplace functionality that helps further streamline financial operations to help organizations be more efficient. We’ll also dive into new private offer enhancements in flexible billing and more that help safeguard organizations from shadow IT while fueling innovation. Register here. Channel partner office hours: New marketplace assets and ask the experts Q&A Join us on March 27 at 8:30 am PT to explore new marketing and product assets designed to help influencers and decision-makers better understand the Microsoft commercial marketplace. We’ll also discuss how to use the Modern Procurement Playbook to navigate the procurement process when closing your marketplace deals. Register here, and submit your questions in advance when registering. Pre-submitted questions will be addressed in the Q&A portion at the end of the event. ⏰ Recent & Upcoming Events Catalyst 2025 The Microsoft commercial marketplace team will be at the Catalyst conference, hosted by Partnership Leaders in Seattle on May 13 – 15, 2025. Join Jason Rook, Sr. Director of Product Marketing, for a conversation about the value of the marketplace and learn how to activate the channel opportunity. Register here. Microsoft Build 2025 Mark your calendars! Microsoft Build returns to Seattle on May 19 – 22, 2025. Visit the event page to sign up for registration notifications and to receive the most up-to-date information about the event. 💬 Share Your Feedback! We truly appreciate your feedback and want to ensure these Partner Release Notes deliver the information you need to succeed in the marketplace. If you have any feedback or suggestions on how we can continue to improve the content to best support you, we’d love to hear from you in the comments below! Thank you!Marketplace Community - Upcoming AI Events
**Updated 3/7/2025** ISV Success is now supporting a series of AI-focused events to help partners maximize the AI opportunity when building and publishing solutions to the commercial marketplace. These events are open to all partners on marketplace – participation in ISV Success is not required to attend. Stay updated on the latest offerings by subscribing to this post, where we will be regularly updating our list of upcoming events and sharing links to recent events. Full instructions on how to subscribe are posted at the bottom of this post. Check out our upcoming AI events below and comment with any of your questions! _____________________________________________________________________________________________ ISV AI Envisioning Day Trainings We are excited to announce the launch of two new ISV AI Envisioning Day training courses introducing tools and frameworks to leverage in building AI applications that drive innovation and business value. Microsoft ISV AI Envisioning Day: Identify and Prioritize Use Cases for AI Solutions This session guides you through the process of identifying and prioritizing business use cases for AI solutions. You will learn how to structure each use case to assess its viability, differentiate its value, and explore learning opportunities. Practical advice and actionable steps will be provided to help you kickstart your AI projects and accelerate time-to-market. Microsoft ISV AI Envisioning Day: Get the Framework to Develop AI Solutions In this envisioning session, you will learn how to effectively plan, build, and deploy your AI solution. You will be empowered with tools and frameworks to guide you through the technical and business considerations to evaluate when determining the best approach to use in building your AI application. Whether you’re just beginning to identify and prioritize AI use cases or are ready to begin planning, building, and deploying solutions, you’ll learn the steps to make AI a reality in your organization. Both ISV AI Envisioning Day training courses will run monthly in multiple time zones and are delivered in English. Check back for upcoming session dates and times. _____________________________________________________________________________________________ ISV Security Series The ISV Security Series is designed to empower ISVs to not only defend against current threats but also anticipate and prepare for future challenges. Whether you are just starting your security journey or looking to enhance your existing strategies, this series provides the insights and resources you need to succeed. Join us in creating a safer digital ecosystem – one that fosters innovation without compromise. Register for the upcoming session at aka.ms/asiaisvsecurity March 2025 Strengthen the ISV Supply Chain with DevSecOps Practices Discover how DevSecOps practices can secure your software supply chain, automate compliance checks, and build customer trust by delivering secure, reliable applications. April 2025 Safeguard Data Security & Privacy in AI-Driven Applications Gain insights into implementing robust data security and privacy measures for AI-powered solutions, ensuring compliance, and creating trusted experiences for your customers. May 2025 Enhanced Threat Detection & Monitoring for AI Solutions Learn about advanced techniques for detecting and monitoring security risks in AI-driven applications, including real-time threat intelligence and anomaly detection. _____________________________________________________________________________________________ Copilot Developer Camp Join us for the Copilot Developer Camp—an immersive workshop designed for professional developers eager to expand their skills with Copilot for Microsoft 365 or create custom copilots. This free, one-day workshop, held right after the AI tour, aims to equip developers, ISVs, and tech enthusiasts with the knowledge and hands-on experience needed to enhance and extend Copilot’s capabilities for Microsoft 365. This is an in-person workshop offered in multiple locations. It is aimed at Developers, ISV partners, product centric companies, and enterprise developers. You will walk away with an understanding of the capabilities of Microsoft 365 Copilot and its extensibility AI models. See the different methods to develop Copilot agents utilizing Microsoft 365 Copilot's AI and orchestration on how to create a custom engine agent using Azure AI Studio and Teams AI library. How to develop a Declarative agent that includes a Build custom action for your agent via API plugins. Check here for upcoming dates and locations: Copilot Developer Camp Registration _____________________________________________________________________________________________ Build and extend your own agents using pro-code capabilities Microsoft Copilot Studio and building custom agents. Agents are AI-powered productivity tools designed to enhance everyday tasks by leveraging large language models (LLMs). Are you a developer interested in exploring advanced aspects of using Microsoft 365 Copilot, Microsoft Copilot Studio, and building custom agents using professional coding techniques? Join our on-demand workshop to learn how to leverage pro-code capabilities and build intelligent agents that assist users across various domains. Workshop Agenda Day 1: Extend Microsoft 365 Copilot with declarative agents Build custom engine agents with Teams AI library and Microsoft 365 Agents SDK Day 2: Develop your own agents in Azure AI Foundry Day 3: Build your own agents with Semantic Kernel for a fully controlled end-to-end AI experience Secure and govern copilots Call to Action Don't miss this opportunity to enhance your skills and build powerful agents with pro-code capabilities. Register now for this on-demand session and take the next step in your development journey! For more training opportunities, visit us at the Partner Skilling Hub. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ Azure AI Foundry Council & AI Visionaries The Azure AI Foundry Council & AI Visionaries is excited to deliver new AI webinars to enhance your learning and help you navigate the future of AI. Azure AI Foundry Council | Azure OpenAI fine-tuning and distillation March 18 | 8:00 - 9:00 AM PST What is Distillation? Distillation is a technique used to compress a large, complex model into a smaller, more efficient one without significant loss of performance. This process helps in optimizing model deployment and reducing computational costs. What We'll Cover Fine-Tuning overview Introduction to Distillation Demos Best Practices Benefits of Attending Hands-On Learning: Gain practical knowledge through live demos. Expert Insights: Learn from Azure AI experts and get your questions answered. Networking: Connect with other partners and Azure AI Microsoft champions. Azure AI Foundry Partner Council | AI multi-agent orchestration with Semantic Kernel March 20 | 8:00 - 9:00 AM PST What is Semantic Kernel? Semantic Kernel is a framework that enables the orchestration of multiple AI agents to work together seamlessly. It leverages semantic understanding to coordinate tasks and optimize workflows, enhancing the overall efficiency and effectiveness of AI solutions. What We'll Cover Introduction to Semantic Kernel: Understanding the basics and benefits of using Semantic Kernel for AI multi-agents orchestration. Demos: Live demonstrations on how to implement and utilize Semantic Kernel in Azure AI Foundry. Best Practices: Tips and tricks for effective orchestration and deployment of AI multi-agents. Benefits of Attending Hands-On Learning: Gain practical knowledge through live demos. Expert Insights: Learn from Azure AI experts and get your questions answered. Networking: Connect with other partners and Azure AI champions. _____________________________________________________________________________________________ Microsoft Azure Virtual Training Day: AI Fundamentals Join us for Azure AI Fundamentals, a free virtual training designed to build your technical expertise in AI and machine learning on Microsoft Azure. This course will dive into core AI concepts and foundational workloads, offering hands-on insights into Azure AI services that power intelligent applications. You'll explore machine learning models, computer vision, and natural language processing (NLP) capabilities such as sentiment analysis, language detection, and key phrase extraction. With guidance from Microsoft experts, you’ll gain the skills needed to analyze and automate workflows, develop AI-driven solutions, and ensure responsible AI use across applications. Use the link below to see the full list of upcoming sessions available for registration. Multiple dates and time zones are available, and new sessions are added frequently. Microsoft Azure Virtual Training Day: AI Fundamentals _____________________________________________________________________________________________ Subscribe to this post If you're not a member of the Tech Community already, create an account at techcommunity.microsoft.com Select "subscribe" from the 3-dot dropdown in the upper-right corner of this post. Under "Notification Settings," select "Notify me of Any edits & comments on knowledge bases articles I subscribe to," then select to receive updates to this post either immediately, daily, or weekly (I recommend weekly). Manage your subscription settings so that you can receive email updates on new events. Manage these settings by selecting your profile icon in the top right corner of the community, selecting "My Settings," and selecting "Subscriptions & Notifications." You can also subscribe to the entire marketplace community which will provide you with regular updates on all marketplace discussion topics happening in this forum. To do this, click "subscribe" in the upper right corner of the marketplace community homepage.Transitioning SaaS Offers with Multi-Year Pricing from AppSource to Azure Marketplace
When a SaaS transactable offer on Microsoft AppSource includes a pricing plan for more than 1 year, the offer is delisted from AppSource and becomes available on Azure Marketplace. This is due to the platform's structure: AppSource primarily supports monthly or annual subscription models for SaaS offers. Any pricing model that exceeds 1 year (e.g., 2-year, 3-year plans) is outside the scope of AppSource’s transaction capabilities. When a SaaS solution introduces multi-year pricing, it is automatically transitioned to Azure Marketplace, which can accommodate longer-term contracts and subscription models (such as 2-year, 3-year, or longer terms). Azure Marketplace is designed for more complex transactions, including multi-year deals, and supports deeper infrastructure integration and contract management features compared to AppSource. Thus, any SaaS offer that requires multi-year pricing terms will shift from AppSource to Azure Marketplace, where such transactions can be handled effectively.
Secure your multi-tenant applications with Microsoft Entra ID
As an ISV, delivering a secure and seamless experience for your customers is essential—but managing identity and access across multiple tenants can be complex. Microsoft Entra ID simplifies this challenge, offering powerful tools to enhance security, streamline authentication, and protect customer data. Learn more in this guide, we’ll explore key strategies for building secure multi-tenant applications and provide valuable resources to help you get started. Discover how Entra ID can help you build with confidence! Building secure multi-tenant applications with Microsoft Entra ID: A guide for ISVsBuilding secure multi-tenant applications with Microsoft Entra ID: A guide for ISVs
In today's rapidly evolving digital landscape, Independent Software Vendors (ISVs) face the significant challenge of developing secure, multi-tenant applications that seamlessly integrate with their customers' existing infrastructure. Microsoft Entra ID offers a robust solution for managing user identities, providing ISVs with tools to enhance security and streamline the user authentication process. In this blog post, we'll explore key security strategies for ISVs and provide additional resources to help you get started. Context As the demand for SaaS applications grows, ISVs must ensure their applications are not only functional but also secure. Multi-tenant applications, which serve multiple customers from a single instance, present unique security challenges. One of the primary concerns is managing user identities securely across different tenants. Microsoft Entra ID addresses these challenges by offering a comprehensive identity management platform that simplifies authentication and authorization while enhancing security. Figure 1 – Single Sign On for seamless user experience Key Security Strategies for ISVs Utilize Microsoft Entra ID for Identity Management Microsoft Entra ID provides a secure, scalable identity management solution that handles user authentication, authorization, and access management. By leveraging Entra ID, ISVs can avoid the complexities and risks associated with building their own identity systems. Adopt Standard Protocols A well-maintained library like MSAL should be the first choice instead of implementing a protocol. Microsoft Entra ID supports industry-standard protocols like OAuth 2.0, OpenID Connect, and SAML, which facilitate secure authentication and authorization. As the last and most expensive choice, ISVs can implement a protocol but must ensure they stay up to date with the protocol. Design for Data Separation In a multi-tenant environment, it is crucial to maintain data separation between tenants to prevent unauthorized access. ISVs should implement robust authorization models and leverage Entra ID's capabilities to ensure data integrity and confidentiality. Become a Verified App Publisher To build trust with customers, ISVs can become verified app publishers. This process involves joining the Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Program and undergoing a vetting process, assuring customers of the application's authenticity and security. Take action: Set up your multitenant identity today For ISVs looking to deepen their understanding of Microsoft Entra ID and its capabilities, here are some valuable resources: Microsoft Entra ID Documentation – Explore comprehensive guides and tutorials on implementing Entra ID in your applications. Microsoft Identity Platform Developer Guide – Learn how to integrate authentication and authorization into applications. aka.ms/UpcomingIDLOBDev - Curated content for Microsoft Identity platform training workshops By adopting these strategies and utilizing the resources provided, ISVs can build secure, scalable, and efficient multi-tenant applications that meet the growing demands of their customers. Embracing Microsoft Entra ID not only enhances security but also simplifies the development process, allowing ISVs to focus on delivering innovative solutions. Want to learn more: 📅 Join our ISV Security sessions to stay updated on the latest best practices 🔗 Subscribe to Azure Security Updates for continuous learning 📞 Connect with your Microsoft account representative for tailored security guidance Let’s work together to build a more secure digital future. 🚀Security for ISV Series: Join Our Session on Securing Multi-Tenant Solutions!
Hi Security enthusiasts, In the upcoming session of the Security for ISV series, we have an exciting topic on securing multi-tenant solutions. This session will dive deep into identity and access management specifically for ISVs. We’ll discuss key considerations, the unique challenges faced by ISVs, and how to design and configure identity to address these challenges effectively. Join us for insights from industry experts and get your questions answered in our interactive Q&A session. Here are some questions to ponder as you prepare for the session: What are the best practices for managing authentication and authorization in multi-tenant environments? How can you ensure secure and seamless identity management across multiple tenants? What strategies can be implemented to prevent data leakage between tenants? Don’t miss out on this opportunity to boost your security knowledge. When: Tuesday, 25th of February, 2pm Sydney, Australia time (AEDT). Register now at https://aka.ms/asiaisvsecurity. Looking forward to your participation!Issues with Partner Support
I am having some problems with Partner support (created a ticket over a month ago and they kept asking for information saying that it was ok and then asking for the same information again and in the last two weeks they just ignore the emails). I am wondering if anyone else has have similar issues in the past and how can we escalate this (Usually based on the v- account I can contact some of my contacts in Microsoft and they can help me escalate within the team, but it seems that the partner support team uses the generic email address removed for privacy reasons)?
