To stay current with the latest updates happening with Microsoft, one of the leading vendors for our managed service provider (MSP) partners, make sure to register for our monthly Microsoft partner update webcast. Below are the top takeaways from our September update.
Program updates
The Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Program
Find out what’s changing in the 2025 fiscal year:
- Action Pack and Silver/Gold end of life: The Action Pack and Learning Action Pack will no longer be sold starting January 22, 2025. Legacy Silver/Gold benefits will not be eligible for renewal starting the same day, and partners with active legacy Silver/Gold benefits will be eligible to receive incentives only in FY25.
- Addition to IURs for current offerings: Twenty-plus new benefits are being added across Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Program (MAICPP) offerings. New internal-use rights (IURs) include licensing for Microsoft Copilot products, Defender for Endpoint, Github, and more. New IUR benefits will be available for partner consumption starting January 22, 2025.
- FY25 and beyond: Benefits packages available to purchase include Partner Launch Benefits, Partner Success Core Benefits, and Partner Success Expanded Benefits. After Sept. 30, 2025, a solutions partner designation or specialization will be required to earn incentives. Partners with a new benefits package or a solutions partner designation will receive access to new IURs once available.
MAICPP timeline of changes
Take note of these important dates regarding Microsoft’s AI cloud partner program:
- January 21, 2025: This is the last day to purchase or renew legacy benefits offerings. Benefits renewed on or before this date will be active for 12 months after their renewal date, and partners cannot renew prior to this date.
- January 22, 2025: Partners with Action Pack, Learning Action Pack, or legacy Silver/Gold benefits will no longer be able to purchase or renew these offerings.
- September 30, 2025: Partners with Silver/Gold benefits will stop receiving incentives. To earn partner incentives and rebates from September 30, 2025, and onwards, partners will need to attain a Solutions Partner designation or specialization.
Updates to MAICPP partner benefits
Starting January 22, 2025, partner benefits for this program will comprise the following:
- Partner launch benefits
- Microsoft 365 Business Premium (no Teams)
- Teams Enterprise
- Entra ID P2
- Microsoft Defender for Endpoint P2
- Power Apps Premium
- Power Automate Premium
- Partner success core benefits
- Microsoft 365 Business Premium (no Teams)
- Teams Enterprise
- Entra ID P2
- Microsoft Defender for Endpoint P2
- Power Apps Premium
- Power Automate Premium
- Windows Server Standard – per core (2025)
- Windows Server CALs (2025)
- Windows Server Remote Desktop Services (RDS) CALs (2025)
- Windows Server Datacenter – per core (2025)
- Partner success core benefits
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- Copilot for Microsoft 365
- Copilot for Sales
- Copilot for Finance
- Copilot for Service
- Microsoft 365 Business Premium (no Teams)
- Teams Enterprise
- Entra ID P2
- Microsoft Defender for Endpoint P2
- Power Apps Premium
- Power Automate Premium
- Windows Server Standard – per core (2025)
- Windows Server CALs (2025)
- Windows Server Remote Desktop Services (RDS) CALs (2025)
- Windows Server Datacenter – per core (2025)
Updates to Solutions Partner designations and specialization benefits
These include the following:
- Solutions Partner Designation
- Copilot for Microsoft 365
- Copilot for Sales
- Copilot for Finance
- Copilot for Service
- Concierge
- Entra ID P2
- Microsoft Defender for Endpoint P2
- Dynamics 365 Team Members & Finance Premium
- Power Apps Premium
- Windows Server Standard – per core (2025)
- Windows Server CALs (2025)
- Windows Server Remote Desktop Services (RDS) CALs (2025)
- Windows Server Datacenter – per core (2025)
- Power Automate Premium and Power Automate Process
- Teams Premium, Teams Enterprise, Teams Room Pro
- Microsoft 365 Business Premium & E5 (no Teams)
- Specializations
- Copilot for Microsoft 365
- Copilot for Sales
- Copilot for Finance
- Copilot for Service
- Copilot for Security (via Azure Credits)
- GitHub Copilot Enterprise (via Azure Credits)
- GitHub Enterprise Metered (via Azure Credits)
- Entra ID P2
- Microsoft Defender for Endpoint P2
- Partner Marketing as a Service
- Teams Enterprise
- Microsoft 365 E3 (no Teams)
- Dynamics 365 Team Members & Finance Premium
- Increase Biz Apps Specialization cap to 3
- Power Apps Premium
- Power Automate Premium and Power Automate Process
- Teams Room Pro
Public sector for NCE
The Microsoft New Commerce Experience for Public Sector products have all been launched and are available for purchase in the Pax8 Marketplace. A 16.67% discount is available for some eligible monthly commitment subscriptions.
Partner-to-partner transfer tool
Microsoft has recently released the ability for partners to transfer between indirect providers mid-commitment. Partners no longer need to wait until renewal or the end of their commitment to move within the channel.
The process works in the following way:
- A partner initiates a change of channel by reaching out to their channel account manager asking how to start a transfer, mid-commitment.
- The manager verifies that the partner has already engaged their current indirect provider and that the provider has verbally approved the partner can transfer to Pax8.
- Once confirmed, the “Microsoft NCE Change of Channel Request” SKU is unlocked.
This process is currently in its pilot phase, with additional updates to come.
Securing the partner ecosystem
Several new updates have been made to help keep partners secure:
- MFA: As of September, all partners must have multifactor authentication (MFA) enabled for all admin users on the CSP tenant at the time of fraudulent activity to be eligible for review for one-time discretionary credits for Azure Fraud.
- APIs: The existing Azure Fraud API will be deprecated by the end of the year.
- GDAP relationship dashboard: Partners can now see expired relationships from the past year and create new relationships. Partners will receive a digest every 15 days of upcoming expiring relationships. (As a reminder, GDAP relationships do not auto extend, and action is needed by the partner to extend partner-customer relationships, while Pax8 customer relationships have been extended.)
Expanded availability for Copilot
Microsoft continues to invest in expanding Copilot for Microsoft 365 availability to reach more customers. We have extended eligibility for customers with standalone plans to purchase Copilot for Microsoft 365. The following standalone commercial plans have been added to the existing qualifying prerequisites for Copilot for Microsoft 365:
- Microsoft 365 Apps for Business
- Microsoft 365 Apps for Enterprise
- Microsoft Teams Essentials
- Microsoft Teams Enterprise
- Microsoft Teams EEA
- Exchange Kiosk
- Exchange Plan 1
- Exchange Plan 2
- SharePoint Plan 1
- SharePoint Plan 2
- OneDrive for Business Plan 1
- OneDrive for Business Plan 2
- Microsoft Planner Plan 1 (formerly Project Plan 1)
- Microsoft Project Plan 3
- Microsoft Project Plan 5
- Project Online Essentials
- Visio Plan 1
- Visio Plan 2
- Microsoft ClipChamp
CSP data quality enhancements
Starting this fall, any changes made to Partner Center information will trigger a verification process for data validation. Partners will be notified of the verification process in the Global Admin Action Center in Partner Center. Failure to complete the verification process in 30 days may result in a failed/rejected state and subject to CSP suspension and offboarding. If suspended, no new orders will be allowed under your MPN ID.
To ensure your CSP enrollment is in good standing, Pax8 recommends your GA regularly checks the Action Center in Partner Center notifications for any important updates. If any changes are being made to Partner Center notifications, be prepared to submit appropriate supporting documentation. If your account is compliant but is not reinstated to an active state, please contact Pax8 support.
FX rate adjustments
As previously announced, there will be no price adjustments for commercial cloud and on-premises software services due to local currency fluctuations in September 2024, given the relative stability of foreign exchange rates with the U.S. dollar.
Product retirements
Microsoft will soon no longer sell its Fundraising and Engagement product, which will be removed from the price list at the end of the year. Technical support for the product ends December 31, 2026. In addition, Viva Topics will be retired February 22, 2025.
Dynamics pricing increase
Effective October 1, 2024, Microsoft will be increasing pricing for commercial and government offers. Pricing increases range from $10-$30 per product.
Microsoft SQL Server 2014
SQL Server 2014 has reached the end of its 10-year product lifecycle. This end-of-support milestone is an opportunity to help customers modernize their IT estate to Azure.
There are three options you may consider suggesting:
- Modernize to SQL as a service in Azure
- Extend SQL 2014 in Azure with Azure Arc
- Extend on premise SQL 2014 services and support
Copilot Reward Program
Pax8 is offering a partner rebate of one month free for every qualifying Copilot license they purchase (a value of $30). Partners must opt in through a registration form, and seats must be purchased on a net-new subscription for a 12-month term. The rebate is valid only for the initial quantity ordered (quantity increases are not eligible).
In addition, Microsoft is offering a 15% off promotion on Copilot through the end of the year with a 10-seat minimum order. Eligible subscriptions will automatically be adjusted in the Pax8 Marketplace to reflect the 15% promotional pricing.
Plus, Pax8 is providing resources through Pax8 Academy, including an editable PowerPoint template to partners who would like to go to market with this offering; access to a Pax8 campaign-in-a-box for M365 Copilot, starting in October; and access to end-user training, hosted by Microsoft.
Azure Kickstart
In the Microsoft partner ecosystem, less than 8% transact all solutions, but they are responsible for more than 60% of Microsoft’s revenue across the globe. In fact, partners transacting across Modern Work, Azure, and Business Apps, on average, transact more than 2,500% more in licensing each year than partners transacting one cloud alone.
Though partners may have reservations about beginning their journey to selling Azure, such as how to market their services and getting up to speed technically, Pax8 is here to help. We offer support for every level, including our Azure Kickstart program, which includes the following:
- Paid-for instructor-led training
- Alignment to infrastructure solutions consultants
- Monthly pipeline reviews
- Cloud Ascent training for opportunity mapping
- Access to hands-on labs
- And more!
Learn more about this exciting program and get your Azure business going here.
Upcoming enablement sessions
Pax8 is offering the following upcoming enablement sessions:
Copilot
- September 16: Copilot for M365 for Admin
- September 23: Using M365 Copilot to Enhance Sales Productivity
Modern Work and hands-on labs
- September 24: Deploying Apps using Intune
- September 25: Secure your M365 Tenant
- September 26: Defender for Cloud
- September 30: Copilot for M365 for Admin
Global events
- September 10: Mission Briefing – Perth
- September 17: Cybersecurity Masterclass – Bristol
Don’t miss our next webcast
Be sure to attend our next webcast on October 7, 2024 so you can stay informed about the next round of crucial Microsoft updates.
