Microsoft Program Announcments
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Copilot for Microsoft 365 presents a huge opportunity to transform work and unlock productivity Get Ready for Copilot with our FREE! Copilot Readiness Assessment and a Free Security Analysis Valued at $200 each.
Microsoft has announced that Microsoft Copilot for Security will be generally available on April 1, 2024. Microsoft Copilot for Security is a security AI product. It enables security professionals to respond to cyberthreats quickly, process signals at machine speed, and assess risk exposure in minutes
Microsoft has announced that Microsoft Copilot for Security will be generally available next month. Microsoft Copilot for Security is an AI cybersecurity product that enables security professionals to respond to cyberthreats quickly, process signals at machine speed, and assess risk exposure in minutes.
“We are excited to announce that Microsoft Copilot for Security will be generally available worldwide on April 1, 2024. The industry’s first generative AI solution will help security and IT professionals catch what others miss, move faster, and strengthen team expertise
Microsoft also introduced a “provisioned” pay-as-you-go licensing model that is said to make Copilot for Security accessible to a wider range of organisations than any other solution on the market.
With this flexible, consumption-based pricing model, you will be able to start quickly, then scale your usage and costs according to your needs and budget.
Copilot is multilingual and can process prompts and respond in eight languages with a multilingual interface for 25 different languages. This makes it ready for all major geographies across North and South America, Europe and Asia, the company said.
Additionally, the tech giant claims that Copilot for Security is the only security AI product that combines a specialised language model with security-specific capabilities from Microsoft. As part of general availability, Copilot for Security also introduces new capabilities including Custom promptbooks, Third-party integrations, and more.
As we said earlier this year, 40% of the Fortune 100 participated in our Early Access Program, and since GA for enterprise, customers like Visa, BP, Honda, Pfizer, and partners like Accenture, KPMG and PwC are already using Copilot — which means thousands of people across industries and sectors have started working in new ways, with an AI-powered copilot at their side. Today we are excited to announce that Copilot for Microsoft 365 is now available for organizations of all sizes — with no seat minimum.
Regulations and compliance
Organizations must comply with relevant data protection standards, laws, and regulations. They include, but are not limited to, collecting only the information you need from customers or employees, working to keep it safe, and disposing of it properly. Examples of privacy laws are the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), and California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA).
GDPR is the strictest data privacy and security law. It was drafted and passed by the European Union (EU), but organizations worldwide are obligated to comply if they target or collect personal data from EU citizens or residents or if they offer goods and services to them.
HIPAA helps to protect patient health information from being disclosed without the patient’s knowledge or consent. The HIPAA Privacy Rule safeguards personal health information and was issued to implement HIPAA requirements. The HIPAA Security Rule helps to protect identifiable health information that a healthcare provider creates, receives, maintains, or transmits electronically.
CCPA helps to secure privacy rights for California consumers, including the right to know about the personal information that’s collected and how it’s used and shared, the right to delete personal information collected from them, and the right to opt out of the sale of their personal information.
Data protection officer (DPO) is a leadership role that tracks compliance and helps to ensure that your organization processes personal data in compliance with data protection laws. For example, they inform and advise compliance teams how to be compliant, provide training within the organization, and report failure to comply with the rule and regulations.
When failure to comply leads to a data breach, it often costs organizations millions of dollars. Consequences include identity theft, lost productivity, and a customer exodus.
Update to Dynamics 365 commercial pricing effective on October 1, 2024
Building on recent product innovation, Microsoft announced update to commercial pricing for certain Dynamics 365 SKUs, the first substantive update since October 2019. This change will go into effect on October 1, 2024.
Today, Microsoft announced the first pricing update for Dynamics 365, effective on October 1, 2024. View the list of products whose prices are being updated with effect from October 1, 2024
Republished April legacy CSP price list and price list preview with price corrections to Microsoft Sustainability Manager offers
We republished the April legacy CSP price list and price list preview with corrected prices for Microsoft Sustainability Manager offers.
Download the republished April legacy CSP price list and price list preview to see the corrected prices for the following Microsoft Sustainability Manager offers across all markets.
April Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) monthly updates and community reminder
Monthly views are now published including the updated partner launch calendars, the CSP Bimonthly Update newsletter, along with CSP community resources that provide you with essential program updates.
Always available—Launch content on demand
For a consolidated view of all recent and active launches in a single place, visit the partner launch calendars collection. You’ll find a timeline for each launch and links to published materials to help you learn more about that launch.
The downloadable CSP Bimonthly Update newsletter, which aggregates recent CSP announcements, updates, events, and reminders in an easy-to-read document.
Partner Journey Maps provide detailed navigation along the journey of Microsoft’s highest priority transformations.
Need licensing readiness? The monthly CSP spotlight webinars cover the latest CSP licensing information available for all partners.
View the latest promotions and offers
The latest Global Promo Readiness Guide is now available.
The latest Global Promo Readiness Guide, a consolidated view of all current and upcoming promotions, is now available in the Operations Readiness resource gallery. See active and upcoming promotions and offers at the Global Promo Readiness Guide collection.
March Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Program update: What's new for Solutions Partner designations, specializations, and other offerings and benefits
We’re introducing important capabilities, offers, and updates to improve the way partners can further differentiate their deep technical expertise across a set of priority scenarios with high customer demand.
What’s available now
- New partner benefits packages: In January, Microsoft released three new benefit packages: Partner Launch Benefits, Partner Success Core Benefits, and Partner Success Expanded Benefits. Each offer is purpose-built with product benefits to meet the varied needs of our partners at different stages of growth. Stack Partner Launch and Partner Success Core benefits with your Solutions Partner designation or specialization benefits, or for more details, visit the partner blog.
- Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Program purchases: Migration to the new commerce platform: On January 22, 2024, Microsoft made the new commerce platform the single, unified billing experience via credit card transactions for partners. Any partner program membership purchase (such as ISV Success, Partner Launch Benefits, Partner Success Core Benefits, and Partner Success Expanded Benefits, Microsoft Action Pack, Solutions Partner designations, or legacy silver or gold benefits) has moved to the new commerce system. To purchase or renew any AI Cloud Partner Program offering using a credit card, the Global Admin is prompted to create or update their Microsoft billing account and profile in Partner Center before purchasing these offers. For more details, read the article on linking billing account and profile to Partner Center account.
- Solutions Partner with certified software designation now generally available: On March 20, 2024, we announced the general availability of Solutions Partner with certified software designations. For independent software vendors (ISVs), certified software designations provide an opportunity to become Solutions Partners within the Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Program and to better connect with customers and to unlock other benefits from Microsoft. These designations differentiate partners’ software solutions in areas of high demand and help customers identify trusted solutions. Solutions Partner with certified software designations are available for qualifying cloud software solutions. When partners become a Solutions Partner with certified software, they signify to customers that their solution meets technical criteria for interoperability with the Microsoft Cloud and that it demonstrates a proven track record of customer success. All partners can now sign in to Partner Center to check their progress, apply for the designations and unlock the new benefits.
- Infrastructure and migration specialization audit update for renewing partners: Based on feedback that we’ve heard from partners, we adjusted the audit requirements and added an alternate path for eligible partners seeking to renew their specialization where an audit is required. Review the audit checklist for the specifics regarding this update. If you have questions regarding the audit, email azureas@microsoft.com.
- ISV Success renewal: ISV Success is introducing the renewal of ISV Success benefits effective March 4, 2024. A partner can renew another 12 months of ISV Success Build and Publish. The option to renew will become available to eligible partners 30 days before the end date of the current benefit package. Eligibility is based on account verification, billing profile creation, and publication status. Eligibility can be confirmed in Partner Center under the Membership offers page. For more details, visit the Partner Center documentation on ISV Success.
Azure billing meters: Upcoming changes
We’re making some important changes as part of our ongoing efforts to improve your Azure experience and increase pricing transparency.
We’re making changes to the billing meters that could affect some Azure services and resources that you can use. We want to make sure you understand what the changes are, why we’re doing them, and how they’ll affect your billing.
The changes will be implemented in batches over the next several months.
To learn more about the changes, see Azure billing meters: What you need to know about the upcoming changes – Microsoft Community Hub.