Microsoft Program Announcements
Extended service terms enforcement for CSP in effect
Extended service terms enforcement for CSPs are in effect.
- Date: May 4, 2026
- Workspace: General
- Impacted audience: All CSP partners (distributors, indirect resellers, direct bill)
Customers and partners now have clear choices at expiration: renew to a new term, cancel at end of term, or temporarily extend service through a paid extended service term (EST).
Mandatory multifactor authentication (MFA) for Partner Center APIs
Microsoft is enforcing MFA across all Partner Center app+user APIs. Inventory, validate, and test your integrations now.
- Date: May 4, 2026
- Workspace: General
- Impacted audience: All partners who use Partner Center app+user APIs for automation.
Changes to Azure Reserved VM Instances
Azure Reserved Virtual Machine (VM) Instances for select VM series will no longer be available for purchase or renewal starting July 1, 2026.
- Date: May 4, 2026
- Workspace: General
- Impacted audience: GSI/SIs, SDCs (formerly ISVs), distributors (formerly indirect providers), indirect resellers, direct bill partners, SSP/LSPs.
Microsoft Marketplace Terms of Use is being updated, effective May 27, 2026
The Microsoft Publisher Agreement is updated and is now available for your review.
- Date: May 5, 2026
- Workspace: General
- Impacted audience: All audiences
The Microsoft Marketplace Terms of Use is updated and is now available for your review. Changes become effective automatically on May 27, 2026, without further action by any party.
Oracle to PostgreSQL AI assisted migration tooling expands partner opportunity on Azure
Migrate customers off legacy Oracle databases with new capabilities designed for efficiency.
- Date: May 6, 2026
- Workspace: General
- Impacted audience: GSIs, SIs, SDCs
Unlock new scalable service opportunities to reduce manual work in Azure database for PostgreSQL. The Oracle-to-PostgreSQL AI-assisted migration tool, available in the PostgreSQL extension for Visual Studio Code, is designed to simplify and accelerate database migrations from Oracle to PostgreSQL on Azure.
Security Store expands to Microsoft Entra, Purview
Microsoft Security Store is now embedded in Microsoft Entra and Purview, and the AI-guided Security Store Advisor is now generally available.
- Date: May 8, 2026
- Workspace: General
- Impacted audience: GSI/SI and SDC partners building solutions that integrate with Microsoft Entra, Purview, Defender, Sentinel, or Security Copilot.
Save the date: MCAPS Start for Partners
Prepare for FY27 with early insights into Microsoft priorities and go-to-market direction at MCAPS Start for Partners.
- Date: May 4, 2026
- Workspace: General
- Impacted audience: All Microsoft partners planning FY27 priorities, investments, and go-to-market strategies.
On July 22, 2026, MCAPS Start for Partners brings together Microsoft leaders to share FY27 priorities, investment focus, and go-to-market direction as the fiscal year gets underway.
2026: Agents move into action
This is the year agents move from assistants to operators across Microsoft 365 – and partners lead the shift.
- Announcement date: May 29, 2026
- Workspace: General
- Impacted audience: All partners
Microsoft 365 E7 and Agent 365 are now generally available
Guide customers through Frontier Transformation with Microsoft 365 E7, which includes Agent 365, Microsoft Entra Suite, and more for productivity and security.
- Date: May 1, 2026
- Workspace: General
- Impacted audience: CSP partners
We’re excited to announce the general availability of Microsoft 365 E7 and Agent 365.
Monthly Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Program update
This month’s updates continue to enhance partner differentiation and readiness across high-demand solution areas. Key changes include specialisation updates that integrate AI capabilities, revised skilling and performance requirements, and streamlined qualification frameworks to support partner growth and agility.
- Date: May 13, 2026
- Workspace: Membership
- Impacted audience: Partners enrolled in the Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Program
Boost Marketplace discoverability with AI-powered feedback
Enhance listings with personalised guidance delivered in seconds via App Advisor.
- Date: May 15, 2026
- Workspace: General
- Impacted audience: All partners with an active listing on Microsoft Marketplace.
Get personalised, AI-powered recommendations on your Microsoft Marketplace listings. With agentic capabilities trained on Microsoft best practices, App Advisor can scan and review your listings to provide objective feedback and actionable recommendations designed to boost discoverability and enhance customer engagement.
Plan migrations faster with Azure Migrate
Move from manual assessments to migration-ready recommendations faster with Azure Migrate, the repeatable workshop-to-deck motion.
- Date: May 18, 2026
- Workspace: General
- Impacted audience: Global systems integrators, systems integrators, and enterprise software development companies.
New capability: Auto activation for SaaS in Microsoft Marketplace
With auto activation, billing begins as soon as a customer buys your SaaS offer in Microsoft Marketplace, even if product activation happens later.
- Date: May 18, 2026
- Workspace: General
- Impacted audience: Partners who have SaaS solutions published in Microsoft Marketplace.
We’re introducing auto activation, an optional setting that simplifies activation of SaaS products sold in Microsoft Marketplace without compromising governance. Customer subscriptions and billing begin immediately; decoupling billing from fulfillment, for the SaaS solutions you sell in Marketplace.
Transition guide for retired Azure Reserved VM Instances
This guide is for customers with Azure Reserved Virtual Machine Instances (RIs) that will no longer be available for new purchase or renewal starting July 1, 2026 for select VM series. It helps you understand the impact of these changes and plan next steps to maintain cost predictability and avoid lapses in commitment-based savings.
Advancing Microsoft 365: New capabilities and pricing update
Microsoft has released an official announcement outlining significant enhancements coming to Microsoft 365, along with a pricing update effective 1 July 2026.
We would like to bring this to your attention to ensure you are informed and prepared for the changes ahead.
New Microsoft 365 Business with Copilot SKUs available July 1
Simplify AI selling and scale SMB growth with Microsoft 365 Business with Copilot.
- Announcement date: June 1, 2026
- Workspace: General
- Impacted audience: Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) partners, partners selling Microsoft 365 Business to small and medium-sized businesses
Introducing Azure Linux—now available in public preview
Deliver trusted solutions on a Linux platform built for Azure.
- Date: June 2, 2026
- Workspace: General
- Impacted audience: Software development companies, global systems integrators (GSIs), systems integrators (SIs), indirect resellers.
Azure Linux is a Microsoft-built, cloud-optimized Linux distribution designed specifically for Azure—delivering a secure, consistent, and cost-efficient foundation across virtual machines (VMs), containers, and cloud-native workloads. Built with a hardened, secure-by-default architecture and a Microsoft-managed supply chain, Azure Linux helps partners reduce risk, simplify compliance, and deliver trusted solutions to customers.
Updated skilling for two Solutions Partner designations
We’ve updated skilling requirements for Solutions Partner designations for Modern Work and Digital & App Innovation.
- Date: June 2, 2026
- Workspace: General
- Impacted audience: Partners who are currently enrolled in or are in the process of attaining a Modern Work or Digital & App Innovation Solutions Partner designation.
As part of ongoing alignment with modern market demands and customer needs, we made skilling updates for the Solutions Partner for Modern Work and Solutions Partner for Digital & App Innovation designations. These are effective April 30, 2026, and are live now in Partner Center.
Work IQ API and consumptive pricing update
Work IQ API reaches GA June 16 with consumption-based pricing using Copilot Credits.
- Date: June 3, 2026
- Workspace: General
- Impacted audience: Software development companies (SDCs), systems integrators (SIs), and Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) partners.
On June 2, we announced that Work IQ API will reach general availability (GA) on June 16, allowing customers to build agents and apps that use Microsoft 365 data, context, and tools securely and at scale.