The latest information in one place
Welcome to our Microsoft Cloud and Modern Work partner newsletter for 2026!
Every month, we’ll release the latest updates from Microsoft, covering Modern Work, Business Applications and Copilot.
This includes relevant news, releases and developments for the Microsoft Security suite.
Each edition will highlight items and actions that are important and/or time sensitive in the first ‘TL:DR’ section.
Bookmark this page for easy reference and check back each month for your one-stop Microsoft update shop!
June 2026
TL:DR PRIORITY UPDATES.
MCAPS START FOR PARTNERS IN JULY (FY27 KICKOFF)
Save the date for July 22, 2026. Microsoft’s annual MCAPS (Microsoft Customer and Partner Solutions) event will share FY27 priorities, investment focus, and go to market direction. A follow on FY27 GTM Kickoff on July 28th will provide deeper solution area tracks for CSP partners.
Register for the Partner GTM KIckoff here.
MICROSOFT 365 PRICING AND PACKAGING UPDATE
Effective July 1, 2026, Microsoft is updating global pricing across most M365 SKUs. Price increases range from 5% to 43%.
NEW MICROSOFT 365 BUSINESS WITH COPILOT SKUS
Starting July 1, 2026, Microsoft 365 Business Standard with Copilot and Business Premium with Copilot become permanent durable SKUs instead of promotional bundles. This is a major simplification for SMB selling.
Read our latest blog for more information.
MICROSOFT 365 ‘COPILOT FOR ALL’ EXPANDED PROMOTIONS
Eligibility for the 30% and 40% off Copilot for All promotions was expanded in April 2026 with simplified requirements
Visit our APAC Vendor Offers post for more detail (scroll to row 5)
OPENAI GPT 5.5 IN MICROSOFT FOUNDRY – NOW GA
GPT-5.5 is now generally available in Microsoft Foundry bringing deeper long-context reasoning, more reliable agentic execution, and greater token efficiency for enterprise AI workloads.
MICROSOFT PARTNER BENEFITS: MODERNISED REDEMPTION EXPERIENCE AND KEY CHANGES
Microsoft is modernising how you redeem and manage partner benefits in Partner Center to make it more secure, and easier to manage at scale. Your benefits entitlement is NOT changing. Only how you activate them.
Updates include:
- Keyless Redemption for Seat-Based Benefits: No more copying/pasting 5×5 product keys. Redemption now flows from Partner Center → M365 Admin Centre → $0 checkout. Licenses provision automatically.
- Azure Credits Direct Deposit to Billing Profile: No more user assignment or activation links. Credits deposit directly into your MCA Billing Profile in Partner Center. Existing and new subscriptions can use them immediately.
- Expiration Aligned to Offer Anniversary: All benefits now expire on your offer purchase anniversary date, not when you redeemed them. One date to track, simpler renewal planning.
Timing and rollout of updates
The modernised cloud benefits experience is now live for partner benefits packages in Australia and Canada, with additional regions and offers including Azure benefits rolling out through July 2026. Partner Center admins in each region will receive a notification when their modernisation experience becomes available.
CSP Program Updates
SAVE THESE DATES IN JULY!
MCAPS START – JULY 22ND
MCAPS Start for Partners (Microsoft Customer and Partner Solutions) takes place on 22 July 2026. This is a no‑cost, digital‑only event designed to give partners early clarity on FY27 priorities, investment focus, and go‑to‑market direction. The event will feature keynotes defining FY27 priorities and strategic shifts, breakouts aligned to AI, cloud, and security, and practical direction on the Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Program, Marketplace motions, incentives, and skilling with explicit next steps.
Register here: MCAPS Start for Partners
FY27 PARTNER KICKOFF – JULY 28TH
One week later, on 28 July 2026, the Microsoft Partner FY27 GTM Kickoff Event provides a deeper tactical layer across three solution‑area tracks: Microsoft AI Business Solutions (with a dedicated CSP track), Microsoft Commercial Cloud and AI, and Microsoft Security.
The GTM Kickoff is described as a “double‑click on priorities shared at MCAPS Start for Partners,” focused on offers, investments, and solution play updates to help partners rapidly act in FY27.
Register here: Microsoft Partner GTM Kickoff Event
Updated Microsoft Partner Agreement (MPA) & Program Guide.
Effective December 1, 2026
Microsoft has published updated versions of the Microsoft Partner Agreement (MPA) and the CSP Program Guide, both taking effect December 1, 2026.
For all partners except CSP direct bill and distributor partners in France, the updated MPA takes effect automatically. No action, signature, or acknowledgment is required. However, partners can also accept the updated MPA in Partner Center prior to that date (starting during June 2026), in which case it will take effect at the time of explicit acceptance.
The updated terms reflect current business practices and reinforce Microsoft’s commitments to privacy, security, compliance, and transparency.
Partners should review the updated documents now to understand any changes that affect their operations.
Partner University Retires June 15, 2026.
Partner University was retired on June 15, 2026. No new user linkings are accepted. Existing linkings will earn skilling score until June 2027.
Microsoft is replacing several assessment-based skilling paths with formal certifications, including the new Copilot and Agent Administration Fundamentals certification replacing MS-900 for Modern Work designation intermediate skilling.
Recommended Actions: Ensure your team has completed any planned Partner University linkings. Transition to the new certification-based skilling paths.
Extended Service Terms (EST) Enforcement Now Live.
As a reminder, Microsoft’s Extended Service Terms enforcement commenced May 4, 2026.
The previous free grace period for non-renewed CSP subscriptions has been removed. Subscriptions reaching end-of-term without renewal or cancellation now automatically transition to a paid, month-to-month Extended Service Term.
Recommended Actions: Review all upcoming subscription expirations. Ensure auto-renew settings are configured correctly and discuss renewal plans with customers before end-of-term dates.
Other Program Updates.
- Microsoft Publisher Agreement v8.0 – Updated terms take effect July 1, 2026 automatically. No partner action required.
- Partner Marketing Centre Pro: AI-powered marketing hub now available to eligible partners with benefits packages, Solutions Partner designations, or ISV Success enrollment
- Co-Sell Referral Quality Updates: Inbound referrals now automatically checked for completeness. Ensure every referral includes solution area, deal value, close date, customer need, and contact info.
- Resale Offers Expand to New Zealand: Microsoft Marketplace now supports resale-enabled offers in NZ, enabling partner-led sales without relying on software companies to build bespoke private offers.
Action Required
Partner Communications: Ensure your Partner Centre role-based accounts (Global Admin, Billing Admin) are properly configured to receive email communications to avoid missing business-critical notifications.
Modern Work, Copilot & BizApps
Microsoft 365 Pricing & Packaging Update.
Effective July 1, 2026
From the beginning of next month, Microsoft is updating global pricing across most M365 SKUs. Price increases range from 5% to 43%. Additionally, Microsoft is introducing additional security, storage, and AI capabilities, unlocking more value for customers within the Microsoft 365 suites.
Feature additions include:
- M365 Business Basic/Standard/Premium: +50GB email storage, URL time-of-click protection, Copilot Chat enhancements and Copilot Chat Analytics
- M365 E3: Intune Remote Help, Intune Advanced Analytics, Intune Plan 2, Defender for Office 365 P1, Copilot Chat enhancements and Copilot Chat Analytics
- M365 E5: All E3 additions + Intune EPM, Enterprise App Management, Cloud PKI, Security Copilot, Copilot Chat enhancements and Copilot Chat Analytics
Recommended Actions: Audit renewals, bring forward eligible renewals, lead with bundled value, and review SKU options.
New Copilot App Design.
Microsoft unveiled a redesigned Copilot app and in-app experience across Microsoft 365. The prompt line is now a task-aware workspace that surfaces relevant tools and controls. A single, flexible entry point for Copilot across M365 apps suggests relevant actions in the flow of work.
Microsoft 365 E7 & Agent 365.
Now Generally Available
Microsoft 365 E7 (the “Frontier Suite”) and Agent 365 reached GA on May 1, 2026.
E7 bundles M365 E5 + Copilot + Entra Suite + Agent 365 at AUD $148.20*.
Agent 365 standalone is AUD $22.40*.
*Per user per month price on annual commitment paid upfront
For Microsoft 365 E7: launch promotions of 10% off (10+ seats) and 15% off (100+ seats) for annual terms, and 15% off triennial terms, are available through December 31, 2026.
For Agent 365: effective June 1, Microsoft introduced new license prerequisites for new Agent 365 purchases as follows:
- Enterprise customers must have Microsoft 365 E5
- Frontline worker (FLW) users must have Microsoft Defender and Purview (F5 level)
- SMB customers must have Microsoft 365 Business Premium.
Recommended Actions
- Target existing M365 E5 customers as the most natural upgrade candidates.
- Review the Global Promo Readiness guide for E7 promotion terms and refer the Agent 365 FAQ for more information.
Retirement of standalone Sharepoint Online and OneDrive for Business Plans.
As announced in January 2026, Microsoft is retiring the standalone SharePoint Online Plan 1 and Plan 2 and OneDrive for Business Plan 1 and Plan 2 SKUs with End of Sale from June 2026 onwards.
Recommended action: Review customer tenants, communicate key dates and position Microsoft 365 suite or storage alternative as appropriate.
Key timelines:
- End of sale: June 2026 (no new tenants/customers after May 31, 2026; renewals for existing customers only).
- End of life: January 2027 (no renewals; existing contracts continue until expiration).
- End of service: December 2029 (all standalone plans fully retired; customers must transition to Microsoft 365 suites, capacity packs, or pay-as-you-go storage options)
Microsoft Teams Updates.
Key Teams updates from the past two months include:
- Copilot Call Delegation: Copilot answers incoming Teams calls, gathers context, and offers to book follow-ups
- Targeted messages for agents: Bots/agents can send private, temporary updates to specific users in chats/channels/meetings
- Simplified Teams app bar: Streamlined navigation
- Video recap: AI-generated narrated video highlights from recorded meetings
- AI Interpreter Agent on Teams Phone: Real-time multilingual interpretation on calls
- Multiple phone number assignment: Up to 10 numbers per user
- Sensitivity label inheritance: for meeting recordings and Loop notes
Cloud and AI: Azure Infrastructure
Azure Linux now in Public Preview.
Effective June 2, 2026
Microsoft launched Azure Linux, a Microsoft-built, cloud-optimised Linux distribution designed specifically for Azure. It offers a secure-by-default architecture, Microsoft-managed supply chain, and optimised performance for VMs, containers, and cloud-native/AI workloads. Partners can lower customer TCO by eliminating OS licensing overhead while maintaining enterprise-grade support.
OpenAI GPT-5.5 in Microsoft Foundry now GA.
GPT-5.5 is now generally available in Microsoft Foundry (formerly Azure OpenAI Service), bringing deeper long-context reasoning, more reliable agentic execution, and greater token efficiency for enterprise AI workloads. GPT-5.5 is also integrated into Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat.
Microsoft Scout – Always-On Personal AI Agent.
The first agent in a new category called “Autopilots” always-on autonomous agents with their own identity. Desktop app for Win 11+ / macOS 12+, available via Frontier program preview.
Azure Reserved VM Instances: select series retired July 1.
Starting July 1, 2026, purchases and renewals are no longer available for Reserved VM Instances on legacy VM series (Av2, Bv1, D/Ds, Dv2/Dsv2, F/Fs, G/Gs, Ls/Lsv2 for 1-year; Dv3/Dsv3, Ev3/Esv3 for 1-year and 3-year).
Recommended Actions: Identify customers with RIs on affected VM series and transition to newer VM families before July 1.
Other Azure Updates.
- Azure Accelerate for Databases: Funded migration assessment, up to 35% savings vs PAYG, zero-cost delivery support for database modernisation
- Azure Blob Storage Smart Tier: GA; fully managed automated tiering to optimise storage costs
- Bulk VM Restore (Preview): Azure Backup now supports restoring up to 100 VMs in a single operation
- Windows 365 Business: 20% Price Decrease (effective May 1, 2026) — Re-engage SMB cloud desktop prospects
- SQL Server 2016 End of Extended Support: July 14, 2026. Free Azure ESUs ending; use Cloud Accelerate Factory for migration
Microsoft Build 2026 I Cloud & AI Platform.
Microsoft Build 2026 wrapped up last week in San Francisco with 100+ announcements and the message was clear: we’ve entered the age of AI agents.
Azure: New Cobalt 200 & Blackwell VMs, HorizonDB (AI-ready Postgres), and agentic infrastructure updates
AI: Seven new MAI first-party models, Microsoft Foundry GA, Hosted Agents, and the new Copilot Credits consumption model
Fabric: GPU-accelerated Data Warehouse (up to 7x faster), Fabric IQ Ontology, and the new Rayfin SDK
GitHub: Agent-native Copilot desktop app, Project Polaris replacing GPT-4 Turbo, and Multi-Agent VS Code
Streamline your campaign execution with Partner Marketing Center Pro
Partner Marketing Center Pro is the unified, AI-powered marketing hub designed to streamline end-to-end planning, activation, execution, and performance tracking.
It empowers partners to reduce manual production work, support more consistent demand generation, and move from campaign idea to customer engagement faster.
Promotions and Offers
Microsoft 365 Copilot Promotions.
Microsoft has launched a new promotion on June 1, 2026 offering 15% off Copilot 3-Year subscriptions for a minimum of 300 licenses.
For SMBs, effective July 1, 2026, a new 25% promotional offer goes live on Microsoft 365 Business Basic plus Microsoft 365 Copilot Business.
The current 15% promotional offer on Microsoft 365 Copilot Business has also been extended through December 31, 2026.
Eligibility for the 30% and 40% off Copilot for All promotions was expanded in April 2026 with simplified requirements.
See the Copilot offer FAQs for more details.
Offer |
Discount |
Min. Licences |
Validity |
Use Case |
| Getting Started (New-to-Offer) M365 Copilot | 15% | 10+ | June 30, 2026 | Initial Copilot deployments |
| Scale Up | 20% | 100+ | June 30, 2026 | Expand to priority functions |
| Copilot for All | 30% | 300+ | June 30, 2026 | Standardise across teams |
| Copilot for All | 40% | 1,000+ | June 30, 2026 | Org-wide rollout at scale |
| M365 Copilot — 3-year term
|
15% | 300+ | September 30, 2026 | Long-term strategic investment |
| M365 Copilot Business | 15% | 1+ | December 31, 2026 | Add Copilot mid-term to M365 |
| M365 Business Basic + Copilot Business
(Live from July 1st, 2026) |
25% | 1+ | December 31, 2026 | Get started with AI efficiencies |
Additional Active CSP Promotions.
Promotion |
Discount |
Validity |
Notes |
| M365 E3/E5, 3-year terms | 10% | Through Jun 30, 2026 | New-to-offer, 100+ seats |
| M365 E5, 1-year term | 15% | Through Jun 30, 2026 | New-to-E5 |
| M365 E7, 1-year term | 10%/15% | Through Dec 31, 2026 | 10+ / 100+ seats |
| M365 E7, 3-year term | 15% | Through Dec 31, 2026 | 300+seats |
| Targeted M365 E3 | 20% | Through Jun 30, 2026 | 250+ seats |
| Microsoft Sentinel 50GB tier | Up to 32% | Through Jun 30, 2026 | All commercial customers |
| Purview Suite for Business Premium, 1 year term | 50% | Through Dec 31, 2026 | Copilot Business attach, 10+ seats |
| Purview Suite for Copilot (Enterprise) | 50% | Through June 30, 2026 | M365 Copilot customers |
| Defender & Purview Suites | 10% | Through June 30, 2026 | 3-year, first-time purchase, 100+ seats |
| D365 Contact Centre | 40% | Through Jun 30, 2026 | Commercial, no seat min |
| Bridge to Cloud 3 (D365) | 30% | Through Dec 31, 2027 | On-prem → cloud (3-yr) |
Trainings, Events & Bootcamps
.
Microsoft Partner Skilling & Events.
Recommended Actions: Register at the Partner Skilling Catalogue and the Skilling Hub.
| Event / Training | Format | Date | Details |
| MCAPS Start for Partners | Virtual (free) | Jul 22, 2026 | FY27 priorities & investment areas |
| FY27 GTM Kickoff | Virtual (free) | Jul 28, 2026 | Solution-area tracks: AI BizApps, Cloud & AI, Security |
| Frontier Transformation Engineer Summit | Virtual | Jun 9–10, 2026 | Skilling strategy → partner execution |
| Build What’s Next — Partner Skilling | Virtual | May 27 – Jun 11, 2026 | Latest skilling investments |
| Azure Local & M365 Local Workshop — Sydney | In-person (L300) | Jun 2–4, 2026 AEST | Sovereign private cloud hands-on |
| Fabric Partner Sales Bootcamp | Virtual | May 27, 2026 | Strengthen Fabric pitch, co-sell |
| Fabric Certification Accelerator | Virtual ILT | Ongoing | DP-600/DP-700, free exam vouchers |
| FabCon + SQLCon APAC — Sydney | In-person | Apr 6–9, 2027 | Register |
| LevelUp Certification Prep | On-demand | Ongoing | Free exam voucher with 80%+ practice test |
| Modernize Your SOC with Sentinel | Self-paced | Ongoing | Security analytics & threat hunting |
| AZ-500 → SC-500 Transition | Certification | Active | Keep security skilling on track |
Crayon Promotions: Key Call outs.
Earn Additional Rebates with Business Premium Attach
Partners can now earn a per-seat rebate when they attach an approved Microsoft add-on SKU to existing Business Premium customers, or when they purchase a Business Premium Copilot bundle.
Crayon’s Business Premium Attach Incentive is designed to help you unlock more value from your existing customer base, without chasing new logos or rebuilding your sales motion.
Cert4Experts: Get Microsoft Certified for Free
By popular demand, the Crayon Certs4Xperts program is back!
Starting January 1, 2026, Certs4Xperts is a proven way to take your in-house Microsoft skills certifications from Fundamentals to Intermediate, Advanced and Technical – for free.
Choose your certification path to complement technical roles and requirements. Take the courses, sit the exams, and earn globally recognised industry certifications – courtesy of Crayon.
Build knowledge, build in-house skill sets and build your competitive advantage.
The participating Partners who successfully pass eligible Microsoft certification exams within the program period will have their full exam fee reimbursed.
Net-New Seat Challenge — Win $10,000 MDF
Crayon is running a H1 2026 partner incentive offering a $10,000 Marketing Development Fund (MDF) package to the top 3 ANZ partners who add the most net-new Microsoft 365 or Dynamics 365 seats by end of H1 2026.
There is still time to qualify!
EA-to-CSP & Azure PAYG-to-CSP Transition Services
- EA-to-CSP Transition: Billing-only transition completed in 24–48 hours, no downtime
- Azure PAYG-to-CSP Transition: Partner-friendly, no technical migration required
Contact your Crayon Account Manager to learn more.
May 2026
TL:DR PRIORITY UPDATES.
MCAPS START FOR PARTNERS IN JULY
Save the date for July 22, 2026. Microsoft’s annual MCAPS (Microsoft Customer and Partner Solutions) event will share FY27 priorities, investment focus, and go to market direction. A follow on FY27 GTM Kickoff on July 28th will provide deeper solution area tracks for CSP partners.
Learn more and register for MCAPS.
LICENSE MOBILITY FOR CSP SOFTWARE SUBSCRIPTIONS
As of April 1, 2026, these subscriptions will be eligible for License Mobility rights, giving customers benefits equivalent to Software Assurance.
MICROSOFT 365 E7 AND AGENT GA
M365 E7 and Agent 365 reached general availability from 1st May 2026.
E7 is available starting at AUD 135.40/user/month, bundling E5 + Copilot + Entra Suite + Agent 365.
ALERT! AZURE RESERVED VM INSTANCES
From July 1, 2026 Azure Reserved Instances for select VM series will no longer be available for new purchase or renewal.
CSP Program Updates
FY27 Microsoft Partner Kickoff
MCAPS and GTM Events Confirmed for July, 2026.
Two major events for partners get underway this July. MCAPS Start for Partners (Microsoft Customer and Partner Solutions) takes place on 22 July 2026.
This is a no‑cost, digital‑only event designed to give partners early clarity on FY27 priorities, investment focus, and go‑to‑market direction. The event will feature keynotes defining FY27 priorities and strategic shifts, breakouts aligned to AI, cloud, and security, and practical direction on the Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Program, Marketplace motions, incentives, and skilling with explicit next steps.
One week later on 28 July 2026, the Microsoft Partner FY27 GTM Kickoff event provides a deeper tactical layer across three solution area tracks:
- Microsoft AI Business Solutions (with a dedicated CSP track)
- Microsoft Commercial Cloud and AI
- Microsoft Security.
The GTM Kickoff is described as a “double click on priorities shared at MCAPS Start for Partners,” focused on offers, investments, and solution play updates to help partners rapidly act in FY27.
Modern Work, Copilot & BizApps
Microsoft 365 E7 & Agent 365 – GA
Microsoft 365 E7 (the Frontier Suite) became generally available on 1 May 2026. This release brings Microsoft 365 E5, Microsoft 365 Copilot, Microsoft Entra Suite, and the new Agent 365 control plane together into a single SKU starting at AUD $135.40/user/month.
Agent 365 is also available as a standalone license starting at AUD $22.40/user/month.
Microsoft has also made promotional offers available around Microsoft 365 E7 in selected partner and CSP motions. Partners should check current eligibility, funding, and commercial terms, as promotion scope and availability may vary by channel, customer profile, and offer period.
Dynamics 365 & Power Platform Licensing Updates
Dataverse storage entitlements for Dynamics 365 Sales Premium increased effective 15 April 2026. The Power Apps per App SKU has also returned to the CSP price list.
Microsoft 365 Copilot – Wave 3 Enhancements
Copilot Wave 3 introduces more agentic, multi-step execution across Microsoft 365 apps, including Copilot Cowork, enhanced Teams experiences, improved agent publishing, and broader multi-model intelligence.
Anthropic Claude is now available in Microsoft 365 Copilot experiences alongside OpenAI models, reflecting Microsoft’s multi-model approach.
Model Council is also available now, enabling side-by-side model reasoning and response comparison to support higher-confidence research and decision-making.
Copilot Cowork is Microsoft’s long-running execution experience inside Microsoft 365 Copilot. Rather than only responding to single prompts, it can turn an outcome into a plan, work across emails, meetings, files, calendars, and documents, and progress tasks in the background with visible checkpoints and user control.
Azure Infrastructure: Cloud and AI
Azure IaaS: Core Platform
Azure Reserved VMs: Select VMs retired
From 1 July 2026, Azure Reserved VM Instances for select VM series will no longer be available for new purchase or renewal.
This change affects the following Azure Reserved VM Instances (RIs):
- One-year RIs for the VM series: Av2, Amv2, Bv1, D, Ds, Dv2, Dsv2, F, Fs, Fsv2, G, Gs, Ls, and Lsv2.
- One-year and three-year RIs for the VM series: Dv3, Dsv3, Ev3, and Esv3.
CTA: Read the Transition Guide
Resiliency & Recovery: Bulk VM restore (Preview)
Azure Backup now supports Bulk Restore for Azure Virtual Machines (up to 100 VMs in a single operation), targeting faster response for large-scale recovery scenarios (e.g., outages/ransomware recovery) with centralised tracking.
Optimise object storage costs automatically with smart tier
Microsoft announce the general availability (GA) of smart tier for Azure Blob and Data Lake Storage.
Smart tier is a fully managed, automated tiering capability for Azure Blob Storage and Data Lake Storage that helps optimize storage costs without ongoing operational effort. By continuously optimising data placement, smart tier ensures storage costs are aligned with actual usage.
Introducing Azure Accelerate for Databases
Microsoft has introduced Azure Accelerate for Databases as an offering designed to help organisations modernise their databases and build AI ready capabilities on Azure, faster and with greater confidence.
Save up to 35% (vs. pay-as-you-go) with the savings plan for databases, receive delivery funding and Azure credits, and benefit from zero-cost delivery support.
Azure Accelerate for Databases brings together expert guidance, investments, savings, and skilling into a single offering, helping teams move from legacy constraints to systems ready to support real-time, intelligent applications.
Azure SQL MI Performance Efficiency (Preview)
Azure Updates lists an early-May 2026 enhancement for Business Critical Azure SQL Managed Instance: “right-size memory … to improve performance without overprovisioning.
Microsoft Fabric: Data + AI Platform
OpenAI’s GPT-5.5 in Microsoft Foundry
OpenAI’s GPT-5.5 is now generally available bringing deeper long-context reasoning, more reliable agentic execution, improved computer-use accuracy, and greater token efficiency—designed for sustained, high-stakes professional workflows.
Attend the Fabric Partner Sales Bootcamp
Don’t miss this opportunity to accelerate your Fabric pipeline before FY26 close.
Date: Wednesday, May 27, 2026
Time: 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM (all regions)
Join the Fabric Partner Sales Bootcamp to:
- Strengthen your Fabric pitch
- Close deals faster through co sell
- Position Fabric across high priority workloads
Now is the time to sharpen your approach and drive results before year end!
Scale Faster with the Fabric Certification Accelerator
The Fabric Certification Accelerator is designed to help partners rapidly build a Fabric ready delivery bench at scale.
Program Requirements
- Partner must enroll 25+ participants
- Participants must take the DP 600 or DP 700 exam within 30 days of completing the instructor led training (ILT)
- 75% of participants must pass the exam to complete the program
What’s included?
- Four days of virtual, instructor led training (DP 600 or DP 700)
- Free exam vouchers for all participants
CTA: Email Nikolina.Kvesic@microsoft.com for more information and to register
Implement AI Solutions with Azure SQL Database and SQL Server 2025
This free Partner Ready Workshop focuses on how to build and deploy AI powered data applications using Azure SQL and Microsoft Fabric. It includes hands on experience with modern techniques like vector search and retrieval augmented generation (RAG) to accelerate real world customer solutions.
APAC SESSION DETAILS
Date: May 26-27, 2026
Time: 8:00am – 12:00pm IST
FabCon + SQLCon Goes Global in 2027
After a massive showing in Atlanta, the Fabric community continues its momentum with the event expanding across three regions, including APAC!
APAC EVENT DETAILS
Date: April 6–9, 2027
Location: Sydney, Australia
Venue: International Convention Centre, Darling Harbour
Microsoft Promotions and Offers
Copilot for All
Copilot for All is about structuring the path to scale properly for your clients, and securing long-term, strategic, services-led customer engagement.
New! Copilot for All Expanded CSP Promotions
Eligibility for 30% and 40% Copilot for All promotions expanded in April 2026, with simplified requirements and reduced thresholds.
Offers valid through 30 June 2026.
Active CSP Promotions
Microsoft is running numerous promotions to drive cloud adoption.
We’ve summarised key offers below, covering Modern Work, Security, and Business Applications.
Many of these expire by June 30, 2026, so act soon to take advantage.
Action: Reach out to your Crayon account manager for help activating any of these promotions for your customers.
Training, Events & Bootcamps
Build what's next with Partner Skilling
Join this partner skilling session to get a clear view of what’s new, what’s coming, and how to take advantage of Microsoft latest partner skilling investments to accelerate readiness and execution.
Session Dates and Times
Wednesday, May 27 – 8.30am PDT
Thursday, June 11 – 10:00am PDT
Learn More (Skilling Hub login required.)
Frontier Transformation Engineer Summit (Live Event)
This event serves as a key activation point, translating skilling strategy into coordinated partner execution.
Session Dates and Times
Tuesday, June 9, 8:00am
Wednesday, June 10, 11:00am PDT
Becoming Frontier: Framing the AI Opportunity Through Strategic Conversation (On-Demand)
Ideal for sales and pre-sales skilling, this session will help you to master AI transformation pitches across Microsoft Copilot, Cloud and Security.
Learn More (Skilling Hub login required.)
In-Person & Self-Paced Workshops
Azure Local & M365 Local: Sovereign Private Cloud Partner Readiness Workshop
A three-day hands-on workshop designed to elevate your technical expertise in Microsoft’s sovereign private cloud solutions.
Dates and Times
Tuesday, June 2, 10:00 AM AEST
Thursday, June 4, 4:00 PM AEST
Sydney L300
Learn More (Skilling Hub login required.)
Modernise your SOC with Microsoft Sentinel (Self training)
Learn how Sentinel integration with Microsoft Defender, its architecture, and key capabilities drive business outcomes such as intelligent security analytics, proactive threat hunting, and automation.
Learn More (Skilling Hub login required.)
Crayon Promotions: Key Callouts
Earn Additional Rebates with Business Premium Attach
Partners can now earn a per-seat rebate when they attach an approved Microsoft add-on SKU to existing Business Premium customers, or when they purchase a Business Premium Copilot bundle.
Crayon’s Business Premium Attach Incentive is designed to help you unlock more value from your existing customer base, without chasing new logos or rebuilding your sales motion.
Cert4Experts: Get Microsoft Certified for Free
By popular demand, the Crayon Certs4Xperts program is back!
Certs4Xperts is a proven way to take your in-house Microsoft skills certifications from Fundamentals to Intermediate, Advanced and Technical – for free. Choose your certification path to complement technical roles and requirements. Take the courses, sit the exams, and earn globally recognised industry certifications – courtesy of Crayon.
Build knowledge, build in-house skill sets and build your competitive advantage. The participating Partners who successfully pass eligible Microsoft certification exams within the program period will have their full exam fee reimbursed.
April 2026
TL:DR PRIORITY UPDATES.
CRAYON / SOFTWAREONE : MICROSOFT SUPPORT SERVICES DESIGNATION
We’re pleased to share that Crayon has achieved the Microsoft Support Services designation, recognising our ability to deliver highquality, customer centric support across Microsoft technologies. This reflects our strength in resolving issues faster, reducing escalations, and supporting customers to optimise their Microsoft environments. We’re proud to bring this enhanced support capability to our customers and partners.
MICROSOFT TO INVEST $1BN IN THAILAND’S CLOUD AND AI INFRASTRUCTURE
Microsoft today announced a major expansion of its partnership with Thailand following a meeting in Bangkok between Vice Chair and President Brad Smith and Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul. From 2026 to 2028, Microsoft plans to invest more than $1 billion in cloud and AI infrastructure and ongoing operations across Thailand. The investment is the centerpiece of Microsoft’s Advancing National Growth, Prosperity, and Global Competitiveness with AI initiative, supporting trusted and inclusive access to cloud and AI technology while helping skill millions of Thai citizens across every sector of the economy. Read more
EXTENDED SERVICE TERMS (EST)
Microsoft is replacing the free post expiry grace period with a paid Extended Service Term (EST). The grace period is discontinued for expiring subscriptions from May 4, 2026. EST bills monthly at the monthly rate +3% uplift. Partners now have three explicit end of term actions: Renew, Cancel at end of term, or move to EST.
Need further help, or have questions on what to do? Join us for a webinar on 14th April at 1pm AEST (11am SGT) to learn more.
Register for webinar here.
MICROSOFT 365 E7 (THE FRONTIER SUITE)
Microsoft’s E7 bundle includes everything in M365 E5 plus Microsoft Entra ID Suite, Microsoft 365 Copilot Microsoft Agent 365 service. Introducing Microsoft 365 E7: The Frontier Suite
COPILOT COWORK: NOW AVAILABLE IN FRONTIER
Microsoft introduced Copilot Cowork, an AI assistant for Microsoft 365 apps that plans and executes tasks. Using Anthropic’s “Claude” and OpenAI’s GPT-4 models, it goes beyond chat to create multi-step workflows across Outlook, Teams, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Learn more.
AGENT 365: ENTERPRISE AI GOVERNANCE
Agent 365 manages AI agents in enterprises. Launching May 1 as a commercial add-on at USD15 per user/month, it allows one licensed human user to run multiple AI agents, so organizations only need to license users, not individual agents. Learn more
Modern Work, Copilot & BizApps
Extended Service Term (EST) Introduced
Microsoft is replacing the 90-day grace period for expiring CSP subscriptions with a new paid Extended Service Term (EST) option. Enforcement begins 4 May 2026 (postponed from 1 April). EST lets customers keep services running month-to-month after a subscription term ends, at a 3% price uplift over the monthly rate.
Action: Review your customers’ renewal settings now – subscriptions expiring on/after 4 May will auto-enter EST if set not to auto-renew. Plan to either cancel or opt into EST for those customers as needed, and educate them about the 3%-23% surcharge for extended terms
Join us for a live webinar on 14th April at 1pm AEST (11am SGT) to learn more. Register here
Microsoft 365 E7 (The Frontier Suite)
On May 1, 2026, Microsoft will introduce Microsoft 365 E7, a new top-tier enterprise offering designed to accelerate adoption of “agentic” workloads in a secure, governed way. Priced at USD $99/user/month, E7 bundles everything in M365 E5 (Office apps, security/compliance E5 capabilities, etc.) plus Microsoft Entra ID Suite (advanced identity and access management), Microsoft 365 Copilot for organization-wide AI productivity, and the new Microsoft Agent 365 service. Together, these components form the “Frontier” toolkit for a human-led, AI-powered workplace. Read more
Agent 365: Enterprise AI Governance
Agent 365 is a breakthrough: it is both a platform and license that provides a control plane for deploying and governing AI agents in the enterprise, including assigning each AI agent a unique Entra Agent ID for identity and access management. At general availability on May 1, Agent 365 becomes a commercial add-on license priced at USD15 per user/month for human users who need to operate or oversee AI agents. With one licensed user able to run many agents on their behalf, organizations can empower employees with approved AI co-workers without having to license each agent individually. Read more
Copilot Cowork – AI That Gets Work Done
Alongside E7, Microsoft unveiled Copilot Cowork, a new AI digital assistant that can plan and execute tasks across Microsoft 365 apps on a user’s behalf. Integrating Anthropic’s “Claude” model alongside OpenAI’s GPT-4, Copilot Cowork extends Microsoft 365 Copilot beyond chat queries into an “execution layer” that turns natural-language requests into multi-step workflows that run in the background across Outlook, Teams, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and more.
Copilot Cowork: Now available in Frontier
Copilot Studio – New multi-agent capabilities
Copilot Studio takes a meaningful step forward: several multi-agent capabilities are rolling out to general availability over the next few weeks, giving your teams new ways to connect and orchestrate agents across your ecosystem. These updates include Microsoft Fabric integration, Microsoft 365 Agents SDK orchestration, and Agent-to-Agent (A2A) communication—all designed to help your agents operate together as a coordinated system rather than in isolated silos.
Read more: What’s new in Copilot Studio: Updates to multi-agent systems | Microsoft Copilot Blog
Project Online Retirement: what partners need to know
Microsoft has announced that Project Online will be fully retired on 30 September 2026, marking a significant shift in its project and work management strategy. While this is a major milestone, it is not an immediate service shutdown—existing customers will continue to have access to the service until the retirement date, giving organisations time to plan a structured transition.
The retirement applies specifically to Project Online and the Project Web App (PWA) cloud experience. Other products remain unaffected.
Read more: Project Online Retirement – Crayon Channel APAC
Dataverse Storage Increases for Dynamics 365 Sales Premium
Microsoft announced significant capacity boosts for Dataverse (the underlying data platform for Dynamics 365 and Power Platform) for Dynamics 365 Sales Premium customers effective April 15, 2026. Specifically, the default database storage capacity included with each D365 Sales Premium tenant is increasing 50%, from 30 GB to 45 GB. Additionally, the per-user licensed database capacity entitlement is doubling from 250 MB to 500 MB per seat, and the default file storage capacity is rising from 40 GB to 60 GB.
No action is required from customers or partners. This free uplift makes the SKU significantly more attractive for AI-powered sales workflows.
Earn Additional Rebates
with Business Premium Attach
Earn a per-seat rebate when you attach an approved Microsoft add-on SKU to existing Business Premium customers, or when you purchase a Business Premium Copilot bundle.
Crayon’s Business Premium Attach Incentive is designed to help you unlock more value from your existing customer base, without chasing new logos or rebuilding your sales motion.
Copilot Business
Need a clear starting point, proven messaging, and ready-made assets to confidently take Copilot to market?
We’ve got you covered!
Campaign-in-a-Box Now Available
Download our fully packaged, plug-and-play campaign designed to help you start Copilot conversations faster, position value clearly, and generate real customer interest, without building everything from scratch.
Azure Infrastructure: Cloud and AI
Microsoft has released new purpose-built Azure go-to-market assets for SMBs, helping partners capture the growing SMB cloud and AI opportunity. These step-by-step resources enable partners to drive demand, build pipeline, expand workloads, and run scalable, secure cloud transformations for SMB customers.
Explore the Azure SMB content collection to download assets and win customers.
Cloud & AI Platforms SMB Opportunity – Partner Resources Collection
The SMB market is rapidly expanding as demand for Cloud and AI solutions accelerates. These assets help partners understand the SMB opportunity and activate priority solution plays, equipping sales teams with ready to use content to engage customers effectively and convert opportunities into growth.
Extended promotion on Microsoft Sentinel 50-GB commitment tier in public preview
Microsoft has extended the promotional pricing for the Microsoft Sentinel 50 GB commitment tier (public preview) to June 30, 2026, with pricing locked in until March 31, 2027. The offer provides a cost effective, predictable pricing option for SMB customers, with up to 32% off pay as you go, available globally and applicable to new or existing Sentinel purchases.
Next steps
Review these resources:
- Promotion slide deck to support their sales conversations.
- FAQ for eligibility and usage guidance.
- Updated pricing page for region-specific details.
Changes to Specialisations and Solutions Partner Designations
Microsoft has updated Specialisation metrics and resources to better support partners. Growth percentages now round to the nearest whole number, improving eligibility for several Business Applications and Azure specializations. Partner Center also now provides clearer visibility into usage growth score calculations. Additionally, a new Specialisations FAQ on Microsoft Learn helps partners quickly self-serve answers on eligibility, scheduling, and the overall specialization process.
Accelerating Oracle-to-PostgreSQL migrations: New tooling, proven patterns, and partner opportunities
Enterprises are increasingly migrating from Oracle to PostgreSQL to reduce cost, modernize data platforms, and support cloud scale analytics and AI. Microsoft has invested in new AIassisted Oracle to PostgreSQL migration tooling, offering validated, repeatable workflows that help partners deliver predictable, governed modernization services and capture a major enterprise migration opportunity.
March skilling update: The pathway to capability
March’s partner skilling update focuses on simplifying learning discovery and accelerating readiness. The Partner Skilling Catalog helps identify the right pathways, while LevelUp provides deeper, role aligned learning, labs, and certification prep—together supporting faster enablement across sales, presales, and technical roles, including SMB-focused opportunities. Read more
Introducing MAI-Transcribe-1, MAI-Voice-1, and MAI-Image-2 in Microsoft Foundry
Microsoft has released three new Microsoft AI models in public preview on Microsoft Foundry—MAITranscribe1, MAIVoice1, and MAIImage2—expanding Foundry’s end-to-end AI capabilities. These enterprise ready models enable high quality speech recognition, ultrafast voice generation, and advanced image creation, helping developers build scalable, multimodal AI and agent experiences with greater efficiency and lower cost. Read more
Introducing Migration assistant for SQL database in Fabric (Preview)
Microsoft Fabric’s Migration Assistant (Preview) simplifies modernizing SQL Server workloads by enabling fast, confident migration into SQL database in Fabric. With built-in automation, serverless security, AI optimization, and near real time replication to OneLake, organizations can seamlessly bring operational SQL data closer to analytics and AI—without complex re-architecture. Read more
Use ANY_VALUE() for simpler grouping of results in Fabric Data Warehouse (Generally Available)
Fabric Data Warehouse now supports the ANY VALUE aggregate, making TSQL queries cleaner and more readable when grouping by a key while returning constant descriptive columns. It simplifies aggregations by allowing functionally dependent attributes to be included without cluttering the GROUP BY clause. Read more
Working with unstructured text in Fabric Data Warehouse with built-in AI functions (Preview)
Data warehouses traditionally focus on structured and semi-structured data. Free-form text such as notes, logs, or comments was difficult to process in data warehousing scenarios without external components. Microsoft Fabric Data Warehouse is opening new scenarios in modern data warehousing by enabling you to work with unstructured text using new AI capabilities. We are introducing … Continue reading “Working with unstructured text in Fabric Data Warehouse with built-in AI functions (Preview)”. Read more
Microsoft Fabric.
This month brings a wide range of enhancements across the Fabric platform, from improvements to the OneLake Catalog and developer experiences, to meaningful updates in Data Engineering, Data Factory, Real Time Intelligence and more.
Whether you’re building, operating, or scaling solutions in Fabric, there’s plenty here to explore.
With FabCon just weeks away, these updates are a great preview of what’s ahead.
Microsoft Promotions and Offers
Copilot Business Campaign in a Box: Now Available
Many partners simply need a clear starting point, proven messaging, and ready-made assets to confidently take Copilot to market.
That’s why we’ve created a Copilot Business Campaign in a Box.
A fully packaged, plug-and-play campaign designed to help you start Copilot conversations faster, position value clearly, and generate real customer interest — without building everything from scratch.
Get Instant Access to the Copilot Business Campaign in a Box
Complete the form to receive the full campaign pack, including:
- Email templates
- 1-pager
- eBook
- LinkedIn ad copy
- Pitch Deck
Click here to get your assets: Crayon
Cloud & AI Promos
Azure Accelerate program (AMM)
Nominate your customers for the Azure Accelerate program, and we’ll help you assess eligibility for a funded migration to Azure cloud. The Azure Migrate and Modernise (AMM)
Partner can earn More with Every Azure Engagement – up to $9000 per project!
Register here: Azure Accelerate
Switch Azure Billing from EA or PAYG to CSP with Crayon
Many MSPs are looking for ways to simplify Azure billing and strengthen margins without disrupting their customers. With Microsoft’s updated EA criteria and the limitations of PAYG, now is the time to make the move to CSP.
And for a limited time, we’re offering 50% cashback on your first month’s Azure consumption when you switch through Crayon. This is an ANZ only offer. Ready to start?
Azure Frontier Offer – Scale
The Azure Frontier Offer (AFO) is a limited time, post-sales offer, designed to accelerate databases and win strategic platform plays. This offer helps partners anchor customers on Microsoft’s Data & AI platform. Backed by post-sales funding through End Customer Investment Funds (ECIF) and Azure Credit Offer (ACO), it supports adoption of 1st party Database, Analytics and Foundry workloads.
Key Highlights:
- Enhanced post-sales designed to help win database platform plays and establish a strong foundation for AI
- Flexible funding options leveraging ECIF, ACO, or both
- ECIF: 2:1 ROI, up to $500K for post-sales professional services engagement
- ACO: 2:1 ROI, up to $500K for migrations to offset dual run*
- Limited time — first come first served until funding is exhausted
Call to Action: Identify potential customers and work with your Crayon Azure or account team to submit the request.
Azure Credit Offer (ACO) End customer Incentive
ACO is an initiative to allow the use of Azure credits for newt new to Azure to win and accelerate Azure consumption. ACO provides customers with a fixed amount of free Azure usage, which can be used within a defined timeframe. Approved customers can receive 10% in credit to offset their first month of consumption.
Call to Action: Identify potential customers and work with your Crayon Azure or account team to submit the request.
Modern Work, Copilot & BizApps Promos
Microsoft is running numerous promotions to drive cloud adoption. We’ve summarized key offers below, covering Modern Work, Security, and Business Applications. Many of these expire by June 30, 2026, so act soon to take advantage.
Action: Reach out to your Crayon account manager for help activating any of these promotions for your customers.
Copilot “Scale‑Up” Offer
20% Off
All CSP customers, 100+ Copilot seats.
Ends Jun 30, 2026.
