Welcome to our Microsoft and Pax8 monthly update for August. Find a summary of everything you might have missed below. To get even more in-depth information about our unique partnership and everything it offers managed service provider (MSP) partners, sign up for our monthly live webcast.
Program updates
Securing the partner ecosystem
There have been a number of updates to how partners and their clients interact with the Microsoft ecosystem, in order to maximize security. They include the following:
- All Azure users now require MFA (multi-factor authentication), as of July 2024.
- For APIs, Microsoft Graph Security Alerts API VI has been released. Meanwhile, the existing Azure Fraud API will be deprecated by the end of the year.
- In the GDAP Relationship Dashboard, partners can now see expired relationships from the past year, and they can now create new relationships as well. Partners will receive a bi-weekly digest (15 days) of upcoming expiring relationships. (As a reminder, GDAP relationships do not auto extend, and action is needed by the partner to extend the partner/customer relationships. Pax8/customer relationships have been extended.)
Microsoft SQL Server 2014
SQL Server 2014 has now reached the end of its 10-year product life cycle. This end-of-support milestone is an opportunity to help clients modernize their IT estate to Azure.
There are three options to consider when supporting your SQL 2014 customers:
- Option 1: Modernize to SQL as a service in Azure
- Option 2: Extend SQL 2014 in Azure with Azure Arc
- Option 3: Extend on premise SQL 2014 services and support
Reach out to your Pax8 rep if you have questions about what the best option is for your clients.
CSP Data Quality Enhancements
This fall, there will be the following policy changes for Microsoft Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) enrollments:
- 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 within Partner Center notifications for any important updates. For any changes needed to Partner Center notifications, be prepared to submit appropriate supporting documentation.
If your account is compliant but has not been reinstated to active, please contact Pax8 support.
CSP revenue requirement
Microsoft now requires all CSP resellers to have a revenue amount of $1,000 over a trailing twelve-month (TTM) period at their CSP anniversary. If you’re at risk of not meeting this deadline, Microsoft will notify you 90 days in advance of your CSP anniversary. Failure to meet the revenue requirement will result in termination of the CSP agreement, and you’ll no longer be authorized to sell from the tenant.
Public sector for NCE
Deadlines to keep in mind when transitioning your public sector clients to the new commerce experience (NCE) include:
- Legacy end of sale – August 1, 2024
- Microsoft-led transition – September 1, 2024
- Legacy incentives – March 1, 2025
NCE products for the public sector have all been launched and are available now for purchase in the new Pax8 Marketplace. You can take advantage of a 16.67% discount for eligible monthly commitment subscriptions for the following public sector NCE products:
- Business Standard
- Business Premium
- Microsoft 365 E3
- Microsoft 365 E5
Entra Suite
The Microsoft Entra Suite is a unified solution to strengthen security that includes network access, identity protection, governance, and identity verification solutions. With 66% of digital attack paths involving insecure identity credentials, the Microsoft Entra Suite plays a critical role in preventing security breaches. It includes:
- Microsoft Entra Private Access – an identity-centric Zero Trust Network Access that secures access to private apps and resources and reduces operational complexity and cost by replacing legacy VPNs.
- Microsoft Entra Internet Access – an identity-centric Secure Web Gateway (SWG) for SaaS apps and internet traffic that protects against malicious internet traffic, unsafe or non-compliant content, and other threats from the open internet.
- Microsoft Entra ID Governance – a complete identity governance and administration solution that automates identity and access lifecycle to ensure that the right people have the right access to the right apps and services at the right time.
- Microsoft Entra ID Protection – an advanced identity solution that blocks identity compromise in real time using high-assurance authentication methods, automated risk and threat assessment, and adaptive access policies powered by advanced machine learning (also included in Microsoft Entra ID P2).
- Microsoft Entra Verified ID – a managed verifiable credentials service based on open standards that enables real-time identity verification in a secure and privacy respecting way. The Microsoft Entra Suite also includes premium Verified ID capabilities, starting with Face Check.
There are several reasons why the Microsoft Entra Suite is appealing for strengthening security posture:
- You can unify conditional access policies for identities and networks, so you only have to manage one set of policies in one portal to configure access controls for both identities and networks.
- You can ensure least privilege access for all users accessing all resources and apps, including AI, as Microsoft Entra ID Governance ensures they have the right access to just the applications and resources they need, preventing a cyber attacker’s lateral movement in case of a breach.
- You can reduce the complexity and cost of managing security tools from multiple vendors by retiring multiple on-premises security tools, such as traditional VPNs, on-premises Secure Web Gateway, and on-premises identity governance.
To learn more about enabling Zero Trust with the Microsoft Entra Suite, join Microsoft August 14 for a deeper dive with Microsoft Entra Suite Tech Accelerator.
Pax8 and Microsoft bootcamp
For those looking to delve into the complexities of adopting and selling Microsoft solutions, join Pax8 Modern Workplace experts August 13-14 for the Pax8 Virtual Modern Workplace Bootcamp, which provides technical overviews, hands-on training, and multiple partner panels that provide peer-to-peer networking and engagement. Learn more.
Enablement
Stay current on all our upcoming enablement sessions. See below for details.
Copilot
- August 21: Copilot for M365 Admin
- August 28: Secure your M365 Tenant
- September 25: Secure your M365 Tenant
- September 30: Copilot for M365 Admin
Modern Work
- August 6: Mitigating Threats with Purview
- August 20: Access Management w/ Entra
- August 27: Mitigating Threats w/ M365 Defender
- September 24: Deploying Apps using Intune
Persona
- August 7: Using M365 Copilot in Information Technology
- August 12: Using M365 Copilot to Enhance Sales Productivity
- August 19: Using M365 Copilot in Marketing
- August 26: Using M365 Copilot in Operations
- September 4: Using M365 Copilot in Legal
- September 23: Using M365 Copilot to Enhance Sales Productivity
Deployment
- September 16: Copilot for M365 Admin
Azure Hands-on Labs
- August 8: Threat Detection with XDR
- August 22: Azure Fundamentals
- September 5: Azure Arc
- September 26: Defender for Cloud
Global events
- August 1: Launch Briefing – AU
- August 27: Mission Briefing – Sydney
- September 5: Launch Briefing – UK
- September 10: Mission Briefing – Perth
- September 17: Cybersecurity Masterclass – Bristol
Our live monthly webcast keeps you up to date on all things Microsoft, so make sure you sign up for next month’s session.
