Partner Blog | Navigating the next era of hosting: Your playbook is here
Hosting and hybrid cloud partners are currently navigating significant infrastructure transitions. In a May blog, we explored why changes in virtualization licensing, rising infrastructure costs, and evolving customer expectations are creating both pressure and opportunity for hosting businesses. Now the conversation shifts from understanding the opportunity to taking action. It is about evolution without disruption: preserving what works, modernizing where it matters, and growing into higher-value services with Microsoft Adaptive Cloud. That is why we created the new e-book, Navigating the Next Era of Hosting. It is a practical guide for hosting partners looking to protect margins, retain customer trust, and define a clear modernization path across Azure, hybrid, and AI-ready scenarios. From awareness to action Hosting partners are already fielding more complex customer conversations. Customers want flexibility across on-premises, edge, partner datacenter, and public cloud environments. They want consistent management, built-in security, stronger governance, and clear modernization options without being forced into a single destination or timeline. At the same time, many partners are reevaluating long-standing platform strategies. Licensing changes, evolving commercial models, and rising infrastructure costs are prompting new questions about margin predictability, platform control, and long-term differentiation. This is where action matters. Partners that move early can shape the conversation with customers instead of reacting to it. You can explain what will stay consistent, where modernization can begin, and how customers can retain choice while preparing for what comes next. Continue reading herePartner Blog | Your FY27 partner skilling roadmap: What’s new and where to start
Welcome to FY27 and the latest Microsoft Partner Skilling updates. As AI continues to reshape how customers evaluate, buy, and adopt technology, skilling is becoming a practical growth lever across partner roles, from sales and presales to solution architecture, delivery, and customer success. Whether you are building AI solutions, scaling Microsoft 365 Copilot practices, preparing for agent opportunities, or aligning your team to Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Program requirements, this month’s updates give you a clearer path to build the capabilities customers expect. The Microsoft Partner Skilling Hub is the central destination to start, offering no-cost partner skilling across Microsoft Cloud solution areas, with live, in-person, virtual, and on-demand learning tracks for multiple roles and technical certifications. What’s new in FY27 FY27 starts with new skilling resources designed to make it easier for you to plan learning, build AI expertise, and move from readiness to execution. First, the Partner Skilling Hub now includes a new Skilling Plan AI Agent. You can use the AI Agent to get personalized training recommendations, build a complete learning plan, or quickly find a specific course based on your role, solution area, or readiness goal. This update matters because many partner teams are balancing multiple priorities at once. A seller may need a fast path to position Microsoft 365 Copilot for small and medium-sized business (SMB) customers, while a technical consultant may need deeper implementation guidance for agents, governance, and security. The AI Agent gives each learner a more direct starting point. Continue reading blog here Don't forget to follow the new Partner Skilling discussion board to connect with subject matter experts!Partner Blog | Copilot monetization for SMBs: Turn adoption into sustained AI value
Driving Copilot adoption for customers is only the beginning. For small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs), value comes when Copilot is used consistently across roles, connected to measurable outcomes, and extended into the workflows that shape daily operations. This is the final installment in our Copilot blog series focused on SMB monetization. Across the series, we have followed a practical SMB path: start with Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat to build familiarity, use readiness and repeatable plays to create qualified pipeline, convert renewal and upgrade momentum into Microsoft 365 Copilot Business conversations, then extend value with agents and managed services. Now the focus shifts to Stage 4, Realize Value, and Stage 5, Manage and Optimize, of the Microsoft Customer Engagement Methodology (MCEM). Stage 4 demonstrates value through structured deployment, department-level scenarios, and agents. Stage 5 is about turning that value into a recurring rhythm of measurement, optimization, governance, and expansion. For partners, this is where the Copilot business opportunity becomes durable. Transforming your customer with AI is not just selling licenses. It is packaging the services, governance, analytics, skilling, and agent lifecycle motions that make AI value measurable, repeatable, and expandable. What changes after deployment SMB customers want AI that fits the way their teams already work. They need practical guidance on where to deploy Copilot, which departments should move first, which workflows are ready for agents, and how success should be measured. The Microsoft 2026 Work Trend Index Annual Report reinforces why this matters. Microsoft found that 58% of surveyed AI users say they are already producing work they could not a year ago, and 66% report spending more time on higher-value work as AI takes on execution. The report also found that organizational factors, including culture, manager support, and talent practices, account for more than twice the reported AI impact of individual factors, at 67% compared with 32%. For partners, that means Copilot value does not scale through deployment alone. It scales when customers connect AI to priority roles, repeatable processes, adoption habits, security baselines, and measurable outcomes. The journey remains practical. Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat introduces AI in an approachable way. Microsoft 365 Copilot Business embeds AI into everyday work. Agents extend AI into core business processes. Together, they give SMB customers a path from AI curiosity to sustained business impact. Continue reading herePartner Blog | What's new for Microsoft partners: July 2026 edition
Your voice continues to shape how the Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Program evolves. This month’s update brings together the announcements, investments, and resources partners need now, so you can prioritize where to focus, what to skill, and which motions to scale as AI becomes central to more customer workloads. These updates reflect partner opportunity across the Microsoft ecosystem, grounded in partner feedback, and aligned to how customers are evolving their cloud and AI strategies. Spotlight Join us this month for MCAPS Start for Partners Join us for MCAPS Start for Partners, on Wednesday, July 22, 2026, starting at 7:00 AM Pacific Time. This digital event is designed to give partners a fast start to FY27; the event will share guidance on Microsoft priorities, innovation, investments, and go-to-market motions. Hear from Microsoft leaders and partner voices on where Microsoft is investing, what is changing, and how to activate AI-led growth opportunities. Whether your organization serves small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs), enterprise customers, or both, your teams can use the event to align early, reduce rework, and move faster into the year ahead. Don’t miss the Microsoft Partner FY27 GTM Kickoff Event Join us on July 28, 2026, to learn about the go-to-market (GTM) priorities and initiatives planned for FY27 across Microsoft AI Business Solutions, Microsoft Commercial Cloud and AI, and Microsoft Security. Sign up for a double-click on priorities shared at MCAPS Start for Partners and kickstart your GTM plans and tactics for the new fiscal year. Continue reading blog herePartner Blog | From Microsoft Build to AI implementation: Build the skills to lead Frontier Transformation
Microsoft Build showcased the next phase of AI transformation. Across AI platforms, agents, and secure development, one message came through: customers are moving from AI exploration to implementation. For partners, that shift creates a practical opportunity. Customers are looking for guidance on ways to design, deploy, manage, secure, and scale AI-powered solutions that create measurable business value. That takes skilled teams, repeatable delivery capabilities, and a clear path from learning to implementation. This month’s skilling updates focus on turning Build momentum into action. New Frontier Transformation Engineering resources, on-demand Frontier Transformation Summit content, upcoming certification preparation, Microskilling, and go-to-market assets give partners multiple ways to strengthen AI implementation capabilities and show customers they are ready to lead. Build Frontier Transformation Engineering capability Frontier Transformation describes the shift from AI pilots to embedded, governed operating models. It requires technical depth across agents, Copilot, Microsoft Foundry, Microsoft IQ, security, governance, and business process transformation. The Frontier Transformation Engineer Badge is designed for technical professionals building this capability. It validates the skills needed to design and deliver AI agents across Copilot Studio, Microsoft Foundry, and the broader Frontier stack. For partners, the badge signals readiness to move from AI vision to execution. To support that journey, all of the Frontier Transformation Engineer Summit sessions are now available on demand, giving your teams a chance to revisit key content or catch up on sessions they missed. Use the recordings to continue progressing toward badge attainment and prepare your teams for the AI implementation work customers are prioritizing now. Continue reading herePartner Blog | From planning to execution: FY27 priorities for cloud and AI partners
As we move toward the end of the Microsoft fiscal year and start a new one, it is a timely window to align and focus our partnership on the areas that can shape execution in the months ahead, and those that have the biggest impact for customers. To make that easier, we have rounded up key updates for Microsoft partners building, selling, and scaling cloud and AI solutions. Use this brief to plan your next steps, align your go-to-market motion, and carry momentum into FY27 with confidence. Get early clarity on FY27 priorities and partner opportunity Microsoft Customer and Partner Solutions (MCAPS) Start for Partners on July 22 is the first FY27 alignment milestone. This no-cost digital event is designed to give partners early visibility into where Microsoft is investing, the shared priorities ahead, and how AI-led opportunity is showing up across customer scenarios. The event will connect the Microsoft platform vision to practical partner opportunity. You can expect guidance on modernizing IT environments, using data capabilities, and building innovative AI-powered solutions. For partners, the value is early alignment. Before FY27 planning moves into full execution, MCAPS Start for Partners gives your business a clearer view of the priorities that can shape solution focus, customer conversations, Marketplace motions, and team readiness. Register for MCAPS Start for Partners today. Turn alignment into execution with FY27 go-to-market planning One week later, the Microsoft Partner FY27 GTM Kickoff Event on July 28 builds on that foundation. This no-cost digital event gives partners a closer look at FY27 go-to-market priorities, investments, and updates across Azure solution plays, Microsoft Marketplace, and opportunities for software development companies. The GTM Kickoff is a practical next step after MCAPS Start for Partners. It is designed to move from strategic alignment into execution planning, with sessions across AI Business Solutions, Commercial Cloud and AI, and Security. Partners can choose a primary area of interest during registration to tailor the event-day schedule, while still getting on-demand access to all sessions after the live event. For Commercial Cloud and AI partners, this is a chance to sharpen plans early. Use the event to review your FY27 priorities, refresh your campaign focus, and identify where your Microsoft Marketplace and solution play motions may need updates before customer engagement accelerates. Register for the Microsoft Partner FY27 GTM Kickoff Event and choose the Commercial Cloud and AI track. Continue reading here
Introducing Windows Ready Print and Modernized Driver Selection
Windows Ready Print: A clearer path to modern printing on Windows Printing on Windows is evolving. As printing environments modernize, customers and partners are asking for solutions that are reliable, secure, and easy to manage across today’s devices. To reflect this shift and make the value of our platform clearer, we are evolving the Modern Print Platform under a new name: Windows Ready Print. Windows Ready Print highlights what matters most: a streamlined, dependable printing experience built for modern Windows environments. It represents our commitment to simplifying printing, aligning modern standards, and delivering consistent, forward-looking experiences for users, IT admins, and partners. Driving the transition to Windows Ready Print with driver selection controls At the core of Windows Ready Print is a transition away from legacy, third party drive-based workflows toward modern, standards-based printing with IPP (Internet Printing Protocol) using the Windows inbox IPP printer driver. Starting in July 2026, new printer installations will default to Windows Ready Print where supported, enabling a simpler and more reliable setup experience. This change reduces the need for traditional driver management and lays the foundation for a more scalable and predictable print experience. However, we recognize that not all environments can move to Windows Ready Print immediately. To ensure a smooth and flexible transition, we are introducing the ability for users to configure Windows to install their printers using Windows Ready Print (if supported) or the OEM printer driver during installation. You can find this setting under Settings > Bluetooth & Devices > Printers & Scanners > Default install printer using Windows Ready Print. This feature enables users and IT admins to control how Windows selects drivers when installing printers: When “Default install printers using Windows Ready Print” is enabled, Windows Ready Print installation is preferred When “Default install printers using Windows Ready Print” is disabled, default driver selection is used The configuration applies to new printer installations only, without affecting existing devices. To enable/disable this feature via group policy, go to: Launch Group Policy Editor Navigate to Local Computer Policy -> Administrative Templates -> Printers Find and select 'Configure Windows Ready Print driver ranking' -> double click to open it Select 'Enabled' (if you wish to enable Windows Ready Print driver selection) or 'Disabled' (if you wish to explicitly disable Windows Ready Print driver selection). Select Apply Select OK How driver selection configuration works with Windows protected print mode When you enable "Default install printers using Windows Ready Print”, new printer installations will default to Windows inbox IPP printer driver when supported. When you enable Windows protected print mode, printers are exclusively installed with Windows Ready Print. Devices that do not support Windows Ready Print cannot be installed. Note: When you’ve enabled Windows protected print mode, you cannot disable "Default install printers using Windows Ready Print".Partner Blog | Make the most of MCAPS Start for Partners: Sessions to prioritize
MCAPS Start for Partners is a no-cost, digital-only event taking place Wednesday, July 22, 2026, starting at 7:00 AM Pacific Time. This year’s event is designed to give partners a fast start to FY27, with guidance on Microsoft priorities, innovation, investments, and go-to-market motions. As customers move from AI experimentation to scaled execution, partners play a critical role in turning Frontier Transformation into measurable business outcomes. MCAPS Start for Partners is designed to give you a clear view of where Microsoft is focusing in FY27 and how those priorities translate into partner opportunity across sales planning, technical readiness, Microsoft Marketplace strategy, co-sell motion, security practice growth, and customer transformation. This event is designed for the teams responsible for FY27 execution, including alliance leaders, sales, presales, technical and practice leaders, marketing, Microsoft Marketplace, customer success, and business decision-makers. Whether your organization serves small and medium-sized businesses, enterprise customers, or both, MCAPS Start for Partners can give your teams the guidance they need to align early, reduce rework, and move faster into the year ahead. FY27 starts here, together. Hear from Microsoft leaders and partner voices about where we are investing, what is changing, and how to activate AI-led opportunities to drive growth this year. Featured sessions at MCAPS Start for Partners This year’s sessions span AI Business Solutions, Cloud & AI Platforms, Security, the Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Program, co-sell, Microsoft Marketplace, and partner investments. Whether your organization is building solutions, expanding services, scaling through Marketplace, or aligning with Microsoft sellers, these sessions are designed to accelerate turning FY27 priorities into execution. Keynote: Powering Frontier Transformation AI is moving into broad, scaled deployment, and partners are essential to turning that momentum into customer outcomes. This session will frame the FY27 opportunity across build, go to market, and growth while showing how Microsoft is simplifying the way partners capture that opportunity. Continue reading blog herePartner Blog | How Microsoft is simplifying the path to partner business value
Recent updates to the Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Program are designed to reduce friction, make resources easier to use and support partners in turning participation into growth and profitability. Partners have been clear: working with Microsoft should be simpler. As your business scales and customer expectations rise, every hour matters. You need program experiences that reduce friction, make next steps clearer, and empower your teams to put benefits, guidance, and resources to work without unnecessary complexity. That feedback is shaping how Microsoft is evolving the Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Program. Over the past year, Microsoft has released a set of updates across the Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Program designed to make it easier to partner with Microsoft, activate the resources available to you, and turn program participation into stronger business outcomes. The direction is clear: simplify the partner experience so you can move faster, build capability more consistently, and create more room for growth and profitability. This blog post offers a practical look at what changed, why it matters, and how to put those updates to work across benefit activation, go-to-market execution, skilling, and delivery readiness. What’s new and why it matters for partners The Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Program continues to evolve based on partner feedback and changing market needs. The focus is not just on adding more resources. It is on making the program easier to engage with, easier to act on, and more directly connected to partner growth. Continue reading blog here Be sure to join our Partner benefits discussion board if you have questions or want to connect to subject matter experts!Partner Blog | Partners agree: Benefits packages deliver ROI
Microsoft partner benefits packages start at $350 and, when fully utilized, can unlock significant value for partners. They empower you to run your business more efficiently, accelerate skilling and innovation, and improve solution quality. Partner benefits provide Microsoft partners with access to discounted product licenses, Azure credits, technical consultations, and support. They are available across three package tiers: Partner Launch Benefits, Partner Success Core Benefits, and Partner Success Expanded Benefits, so partners can choose the right level of benefits for their stage of growth. New research from Omdia and IDC shows that when partners actively use these benefits, the impact can be significant. Omdia found that 90% of surveyed partners reported some level of ROI from their package investment, and 83% of surveyed partners reported that benefits packages contributed to business growth, with growth of at least 30% in some scenarios. 1 According to a new IDC Info Snapshot, sponsored by Microsoft, partners can realize potential retail savings of $17,342* with Partner Launch Benefits, $99,407 with Partner Success Core Benefits, and $578,972 with Partner Success Expanded Benefits when they maximize package utilization.**² The message across both studies is clear: the strongest returns come when partner benefits packages are used as growth infrastructure, not simply as a set of discounts. Partners are using their packages to operate as Customer Zero (using Microsoft solutions internally before taking them to market), accelerate innovation, move faster to market, and build repeatable, high-margin offerings that strengthen their business. That Customer Zero approach is already showing up in how partners run their own businesses. “We have treated the Microsoft partner benefits package as a core operating component of our infrastructure. It’s not just a perk. It is something where we embrace it as Customer Zero.” – Jason Price, CEO, Aston-Price This blog shares a practical playbook you can use to turn your partner benefits package into repeatable motions toward Frontier transformation: across internal skilling, solution development, go-to-market, and delivery. Continue reading blog here Be sure to join our Partner benefits discussion board if you have questions or want to connect to subject matter experts!
