Adoption and Change Management specialization retired June 25, 2026
The Adoption and Change Management specialization retired on June 25, 2026. Rather than maintain a standalone specialization, adoption and change management capabilities are now measured within AI Business Solutions product-aligned specializations, such as Microsoft 365 Copilot, Secure AI Productivity, and Modernize Endpoints. Spreading these change management skill requirements across several specializations gives partners the opportunity to showcase their expertise in the context of specific, in-demand solutions. What this means for partners The Adoption and Change Management specialization is no longer available for enrollment or renewal. If you currently hold the specialization, it remains active until your anniversary date. If you currently hold or are pursuing adoption and change management capabilities as part of your Solutions Partner or incentives strategy, review your specialization status in Partner Center and identify the AI Business Solutions specialization that supports your business goals. Assess any remaining requirements, create a transition plan, and enroll in or continue progressing toward that specialization to protect benefit continuity. If you work with a Partner Development Manager or Partner Technology Strategist, engage them to support your transition. Why this matters Adoption and change management capabilities are now evaluated within AI Business Solutions product-aligned specializations, so partners can demonstrate their expertise in the context of specific, in-demand solutions. Go to Specialization Dashboard in Partner Center to check your anniversary date and specialization status, and review the other AI Business Solutions-aligned specializations.Updated skilling route for the Meetings and Meeting Rooms for Microsoft Teams specialization
Gain differentiated recognition for your deep knowledge, extensive experience, and proven success delivering Meetings and Meeting Rooms services and solutions for Microsoft Teams. As of April 15, 2026, the Meetings and Meeting Rooms for Microsoft Teams specialization now includes the Microsoft 365 Certified: Collaboration Communications Systems Engineer Associate certification as a skilling option. This certification will replace the Teams Meetings and Meeting Rooms Technical Assessment, which is being retired on June 15, 2026. Completion of the Teams Meetings and Meeting Rooms Technical Assessment on or before June 15, 2026, will count toward the specialization through June 15, 2027. No action is required if you already hold the specialization—simply prepare to meet the new skilling requirement at renewal. If you're working toward the specialization, align to the updated skilling requirement now. Review the requirements for attaining the specialization here, and visit the specializations dashboard in Partner Center to check your status.Skilling requirement update for Calling for Microsoft Teams specialization
Differentiate your capabilities and stand out in market with the Calling for Microsoft Teams specialization. To align this specialization to real-world customer needs, we updated the skilling requirements effective April 15, 2026. The Microsoft 365 Certified: Collaboration Communications Systems Engineer Associate certification will replace the Teams Calling Technical Assessment, which is being retired effective June 15, 2026. Completion of the Teams Calling Technical Assessment on or before June 15, 2026, will count toward the specialization through June 15, 2027. No action is required if you already hold the specialization—simply prepare to meet the new skilling requirement at renewal. If you're working toward the specialization, align to the updated skilling requirement now. Review all of the requirements for attaining the specialization here, and visit the specializations dashboard in Partner Center to check your status.Microsoft 365 Fundamentals certification is now retired
As part of our regular review of skilling and certification requirements, we have retired the Microsoft 365 Fundamentals certification, effective March 31, 2026. This change reflects our ongoing alignment with customer and market demand. Partners can no longer obtain this certification. For partners who were certified before retirement, the certification will continue to count toward skilling points for the Modern Work designation until March 31, 2027. Plan for future renewals by reviewing other eligible certifications in place of Microsoft 365 Fundamentals. We will continue to share guidance and new skilling options—including planned alternatives to Microsoft 365 Fundamentals like the Copilot and Agent Administration Fundamentals certification—to support your skilling journey. Learn more about maintaining your Modern Work designation and eligible certifications to demonstrate your skills.Prepare for the retirement of the Microsoft 365 Fundamentals certification
To ensure our program offerings align with customer and market demand, we regularly review our applied skilling and certification requirements for Solutions Partner designations and retire certain certifications and skilling requirements. As part of that review, we're retiring the Microsoft 365 Fundamentals certification on March 31, 2026. As of this date, partners will no longer be able to obtain this certification. For partners who were certified before the retirement, the certification will continue to count toward skilling points for the Modern Work designation until March 31, 2027. We encourage you to plan for future renewals by reviewing other eligible certifications in place of Microsoft 365 Fundamentals. Microsoft will continue to provide resources and guidance to support a smooth transition as this change takes effect. Learn more about maintaining your Modern Work designation and eligible certifications to demonstrate your skills.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.
Stand out in the marketplace with a Microsoft Copilot specialization
The Microsoft Copilot specialization demonstrates your experience and capabilities with Copilot, including Microsoft 365 Copilot, Copilot Chat, Copilot Studio, and agents. Partners with this specialization can help their customers: Explore AI Advisory Services for Microsoft Copilot. Adopt Copilot. Deliver data security and deployment. Enable extensibility with agentic focus. To earn this specialization, you must first attain one of three Solutions Partner designations: Business Applications, Modern Work, and/or Security. If your organization has already attained one or more of these designations, please review the Microsoft Copilot specialization criteria—which include performance metrics, skilling requirements, and customer references—and begin to work toward meeting them. You can check whether you currently meet the requirements by viewing your Partner Center dashboard. The requirements include: Performance requirements 1,000 monthly active users (MAU) growth of M365 Copilot in the trailing 12 months (TTM) (Claiming partner of record (CPOR), Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) Tier 1, CSP Tier 2) AND 5 net customer growth for Copilot in TTM (CPOR, CSP Tier 1, CSP Tier 2) Skilling requirements 5 people with MS-102: Microsoft 365 Certified: Enterprise Administrator Expert AND 5 people with, cumulatively: SC-401: Implement information protection in Microsoft 365 OR APL-4002: Prepare security and compliance to support Copilot AND 5 people with APL-7008: Create custom agents with Microsoft Copilot Studio Customer references Provide three customer references, which must include at least one example of transforming business processes with agent implementation. Learn more
