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!
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
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.
Copilot “Getting Started” Offer
15% Off
New to Copilot, 10+ Copilot seats.
Ends Jun 30, 2026.
Copilot for All
30% or 40% Off
- 30% off: All CSP customers.
- 40% off: Targeted customers.
- 300+ Copilot seats, 80% MW coverage.
Ends Jun 30, 2026.
M365 Bus. Std. + Copilot
Up to 35% Off
Bundle: Business Standard + M365 Copilot Business.
10–300 seats.
Ends Jun 30, 2026.
M365 Bus. Premium + Copilot
Up to 25% Off
Bundle: Business Premium + M365 Copilot Business.
10–300 seats.
Ends Jun 30, 2026.
Dynamics 365 Contact Center
40% Off
All D365 Contact Center licenses; no seat minimum.
Ends Jun 30, 2026.
Purview Suite for Bus. Premium
50% Off
Requires M365 Business Premium & M365 Copilot Business.
Ends Jun 30, 2026.
Bridge to Cloud 3
30% Off
Migration from Dynamics on‑prem to cloud, covers Dynamics GP/NAV to D365.
Valid through Dec 31, 2027.
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.
Training. Events. Bootcamps
Webinar: Microsoft CSP Extended Service Terms (EST): What Partners Must Do to Be Ready
Microsoft is changing how expired CSP subscriptions are handled — and the free grace period is going away. From May 4, 2026, eligible CSP subscriptions with auto‑renew turned off will automatically transition into a paid Extended Service Term (EST) unless partners take action. This introduces real financial, operational, and compliance risk if renewal settings are not actively managed.
In this webinar, we will declutter EST and help you navigate these changes. Register here
On-demand Webinars
Crayon is making available a range of on‑demand, recorded webinars that partners can access at any time, making it easy to upskill teams and revisit key topics on demand. In addition to Microsoft-focused sessions, this library also includes enablement resources across other vendor products.
You can explore the full Microsoft webinar catalogue here.
Microsoft Skilling Hub
All in one place – from Titan & LevelUp to SureStep, AI Tour for Partners, and regional events. Easier navigation and simplified sign-in. Explore the Skilling Hub.
Microsoft Titan Skilling Academy for Partners
Register for Microsoft Titan Skilling Academy today! Deepen your expertise across sales, pre-sales, and technical solution areas and become a Microsoft Titan!
Skilling Hub AI Workforce: Live Virtual Events
Implement Agent 365 to Secure Al Apps, Copilot + Agents
This advanced course is designed to equip security professionals and architects with the knowledge and skills necessary to implement, secure, and govern Al agents using Microsoft Agent 365.
When: April 28-30, 2026 1:30 PM AEST
From Work IQ to the Frontier Firm: AI Workforce Power Hours
AI Workforce Power Hours is a six‑episode partner series designed to help you confidently position, sell, and land the value of Microsoft’s AI Workforce solution plays across Cloud & AI Endpoints, Converged Communications, and Secure AI Productivity.
AI Tour for Partners- Microsoft AI Tour for Partners Sydney, Sydney, Australia, Monday, April 20, 2026 | 9:00 AM – 5:30 PM AEST
AI Tour for Partners is an in-person global event series, exploring the latest trends and technology in the era of Al, with guidance from Microsoft executives and industry leaders.
Certification Weeks for Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Program
A five-day event to prepare you for Microsoft advanced role-based certifications and help your organization meet the skilling criteria needed to attain a Solutions Partner designation.
NEW Sales Certification Week
March 23-25 (Asia – English Delivery)
NEW Presales Cloud Week
April 6-9 (Global – English Delivery)
AI & Security Certification Week
April 13-17 (Asia – English Delivery)
Regional In-Person Workshops
Join Microsoft team for 1–2 day, in-person Microsoft Regional Partner Workshops designed to build technical expertise and deal readiness. Hosted at Microsoft offices worldwide, these full-day sessions feature expert-led training, immersive labs, and networking opportunities.
Explore key topics like Agentic AI, Copilot Studio, Microsoft Fabric, and Defender XDR across tailored tracks for pre-sales and technical professionals. Breakfast and lunch are provided—come connect, learn, and accelerate your AI journey.
- Sydney, Australia
Download the Partner Skilling Calendar on the Skilling Hub Resources page to view and register for an upcoming event!
Consumption-Led Skilling
Solve critical technical skills gaps in your Delivery teams with just-in-time, live private ILT deployment skilling with access to real-world hands-on-lab experiences.
This skilling offering is available for MPL SI partners with a confirmed MSX Opportunity ID anchored GTM Solution Plays. Available now in the Partner Project Ready Workshop Catalog.
Please contact PartnerSkills@Microsoft.com or your PDM, PTS, PSA and Account Executive to submit your training request.
Microsoft LevelUp
LevelUp puts you in control of your learning journey with self-paced courses available in multiple languages for both Technical and Sales roles. And now, you’ll earn badges as you complete courses to show off your progress.
Note: Access may vary depending on program capacity at the time of registration. For questions, reach out to LevelUpHelp@technofocus.com.
Ready to grow your skills? Register for LevelUp today!
Microsoft Azure Summit: Migrate and Modernize with Agentic AI
Join this Azure virtual event to explore how intelligent databases, modernized apps, and agentic AI can accelerate cloud adoption and AI innovation. Hear the latest announcements, see live demos, and get practical guidance from Microsoft experts.
ASIA: Thursday, March 12, 2026
9:30AM–11:45AM SGT (GMT+08:00)
Project Ready Workshops
Cloud and AI Platforms
Enhance your Azure skills to effectively architect, deploy, and implement cloud and AI solutions, ensuring you are project-ready and can drive customer success.
Migrate VMware to Azure Virtual Machines
Mar 3–6 (IST, GMT, PST)
Implement Sovereign Private Cloud with Azure
Mar 9-12 (IST, GMT, PST)
Modernize apps and databases
Mar 10–12 (IST, GMT, PST)
Microsoft Fabric: Fabric IQ
Mar 10–11 (IST, GMT, PST)
Microsoft Fabric: Advanced Real-time intelligence
Mar 10–13 (IST, GMT, PST)
Build AI Apps and agents with Azure
Mar 17–20 (IST, GMT, PST)
Implement Oracle Database@Azure
Mar 24–26 (IST, GMT, PST)
Implement AI solutions with Azure SQL Database and SQL Server 2025
Mar 31–Apr 2 (IST, GMT, PST)
Cloud and AI Platforms skilling
Sales & Tech Deal Ready
Enhance your sales and tech deal ready capabilities with expert-led training to boost your skills, communicate value, and accelerate the customer journey.
Frontier Transformation
Mar 4-5 (PST, IST)
Level Up CSP: Win with Microsoft Security
Mar 18 & 29 (PDT
Sales & Tech Deal Ready skilling
For more information on the Microsoft Partner announcement please visit:
- Microsoft Partner announcement blog: https://aka.ms/CommerceEvolution
- Microsoft Partner Center announcement: https://aka.ms/AMBillingPartnerCenterAnnouncement
- CSP Partner Resources: https://aka.ms/CSPPartnerPage
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.
March 2026
TL:DR PRIORITY UPDATES.
EXPANDED PARTNER BENEFITS
From February 13th, Microsoft’s updated AI Cloud Partner Program offers more Azure credits, new security product rights like Defender Suite, and expanded Copilot benefits including greater Microsoft 365 Copilot capacity and trial access. Microsoft has also launched an AI-driven Partner Marketing Center Pro for campaign support.
NEW PARTNER MARKETING CENTRE
The next generation of partner marketing is here! Partner Marketing Center Pro is the AI-powered marketing studio built to transform how you go to market and reach your sales goals.
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.
NEW! MONTH TO MONTH OFFER ON MICROSOFT COPILOT FOR BUSINESS
Microsoft has introduced a flexible month-to-month subscription option for Copilot for Business, providing SMB customers with cost-effective access to AI solutions.
This offer allows businesses to benefit from AI-powered productivity tools without committing to long-term contracts.
EXTENDED! MICROSOFT BUSINESS PLUS COPILOT BUNDLES PROMOTION
Microsoft has extended the Business plus Copilot bundle promotions until June 2026.
Customers can save about 25% on the Business Premium plus Copilot for Business bundle and about 35% on the Business Standard plus Copilot for Business bundle.
CSP Program Updates
Expanded Partner Benefits
Effective from mid-last month, Microsoft has refreshed the AI Cloud Partner Program benefits to help partners drive AI innovation, security services, and go-to-market success. This includes increased Azure credits, expanded Copilot benefits, new security product use rights and an AI-powered Partner Marketing Center Pro for campaign support.
What’s new?
- More Microsoft 365 Copilot seats across partner tiers
- Copilot Studio credits to build your own AI solutions
- NEW Microsoft Dragon Copilot
- GitHub Copilot Enterprise added across Azure designations
- Bigger Azure credits: now up to $10,000
- Expanded Defender, Intune & Entra security suites
Call to action
Ensure your organisation’s Partner Center admin reviews the updated benefits guide and activates any new benefits you are entitled to.
Check out Partner Marketing Centre Pro
The next generation of partner marketing is here! Partner Marketing Center Pro is the AI-powered marketing studio built to transform how you go to market and reach your sales goals. Capabilities include AI-powered search, customisation, and more for campaign planning, publishing, and performance tracking.
Eligibility for Partner Marketing Center Pro is available through the purchase of a partner benefits package, attainment of a Solutions Partner designation, or participation in ISV Success.
If you’re not currently eligible for Partner Marketing Center Pro, you can still access a limited amount of no-cost, ready-to-customise campaign content through Partner Marketing Center.Initial rollout began this month with more capabilities being added up to the full launch, which is anticipated to land in Q3, 2026.
Review the FAQ for more information on the capabilities and streamlined features of the Pro experience.
The ABCs of SPDs
MODERN WORK SPD TRAINING
Our latest webinar unpacks the essentials of Solution Partner Designations.
Crayons in-house experts, Jye Wong and Ksenia Turner provide a practical refresher on Modern Work SPDs and the associated partner benefits, including product entitlements, go‑to‑market and co‑sell.
You’ll get an overview of the Partner Capability Score across performance, skilling and customer success, a simple starting checklist, an understanding of where to find and track your score, and practical tips to prioritise effort.
MICROSOFT SECURITY SPD TRAINING
Ready to increase your rebates when reselling Microsoft security solutions across your customer base?
Partners with the Microsoft security designation can almost double the margin on a security solution sale through rebates, become eligible for deployment accelerators and receive funding to run security briefings and workshops with your customers.
Join Microsoft security guru, Michael Brooke and his team as they break down what’s available and how we can help you attain this SPD.
Modern Work, Copilot and BizApps Updates
Extended Service Terms.
Introduction date for EST has changed.
Microsoft is replacing the 90-day grace period for expiring CSP subscriptions with a new paid Extended Service Term (EST) option.
Enforcement now begins 4 May 2026, rather than the originally advised date given by Microsoft of April 1, 2026.
EST lets customers keep services running month-to-month after a subscription term ends, at a 3% price uplift over the monthly rate.
Actions:
- 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
- Educate your customers about the 3%-23% surcharge for extended terms
See this article, Extended Service Terms for details about the announcement and its impact on you and your customer.
Security Dashboard for AI now in public preview.
Microsoft has unveiled a new dashboard that is available to existing Microsoft Security customers at no extra cost. This dashboard provides a unified, real-time view of AI-related security risks across an organisation’s environment.
By aggregating signals from Microsoft Defender, Entra ID, and Purview, the dashboard helps CISOs and security partners identify and mitigate AI threats across apps, identities, and data from one interface. The tool empowers partners offering security services to lead AI governance conversations and help clients implement AI responsibly.
Actions: Security-focused partners should explore the preview via their customers’ Microsoft Security portals to start discussions with clients about AI risk management.
Security Copilot now included in E5
Microsoft Security Copilot is included with Microsoft 365 E5 licenses, embedding generative AI directly into Defender, Entra, Intune, and Purview.
E5 customers receive approximately 400 monthly Security Compute Units (SCUs) per 1,000 users, allowing security teams to analyse, investigate, and respond to threats faster.
A dozen new agents are introduced across these products, to bring agentic defense across workflows, enabling autonomous and proactive protection.
New Offer for Microsoft Copilot Business.
Starting March 1, 2026, month-to-month billing is available for M365 Copilot Business subscriptions, giving smaller customers more flexibility.
Microsoft also extended several Copilot promotions through June 30, 2026.
Actions:
- Talk to your customers about the new Copilot for Business offerings
- Consider upselling the M365 Business plus Copilot bundles while discounts last
- Check out all the details of the latest Copilot offers available
Teams and Services Enhancements.
Effective April 1, 2026, Microsoft 365 will introduce several changes, including:
- Premium “Places” app features like Finder & Explorer will be included in all Teams licenses to enhance office bookings.
- The Teams Shared Devices license is being renamed “Microsoft Teams Shared Space – Single Space,” still covering up to four hot-desks per license, with no pricing or feature change.
- Teams Live Events will be retired after June 30, 2026. Users should switch to Town Hall for large broadcasts.
- Town Hall moves from Teams Premium to Teams Enterprise on April 1. It will support up to 3,000 interactive attendees and can reach 100,000 view-only participants with add-ons.
Actions: Ensure your clients are aware of these changes. Plan for the Teams Live Events retirement by switching to Town Hall for big events, and advise any customers using standalone.
Dynamics 365 & Power Platform Updates
Microsoft is streamlining parts of the Dynamics 365 ecosystem.
In February, Microsoft announced the end-of-sale of two Dynamics 365 Commerce Add-Ons (the Recommendations and Ratings & Reviews apps), which are no longer available for new purchases, with renewals to be phased out soon.
Action: If you have customers using the retiring Commerce add-ons, plan to transition them to alternative solutions (see Microsoft’s guidance links in the official announcement). Also make use of the updated Dynamics 365 and Power Platform licensing resources for the latest product use rights and bundling options.
Microsoft 365 Copilot inside Dynamics 365.
Sales agent in Microsoft 365 Copilot simplifies how users find, understand, and act on sales information.
Natural language search enables users to retrieve data across CRM and productivity tools, analyse it, and turn it into insights, without changing where they work.
Microsoft 365 Copilot and Sales agents can be accessed from inside Dynamics 365 sales applications, providing users with a single, consistent Copilot experience grounded in both CRM data and Microsoft Graph.
Whether working in Outlook, Teams, or Dynamics 365, users get the same Sales agent capabilities and shared context in Copilot chat.
The agent understands where the user is working and brings together relevant Dynamics data (such as opportunities and contacts) with Microsoft 365 data (such as emails, meetings, and calendars) in one conversation, so answers are more complete, relevant, and actionable.
Feature Details.
Sales agent gives you a conversational way to access sales information that lives in different apps. This information includes customer and deal data in CRM, meetings in Teams, and much more. Use natural language to search through the data, summarise the information, and run analysis that combines data from different sources.
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.
Azure Infrastructure: Cloud and AI
Microsoft Sovereign Cloud.
Microsoft Sovereign Cloud now supports fully disconnected operations, extending Azure governance, productivity services, and support for large AI models to environments with no, intermittent, or restricted connectivity.
This is a major milestone for governments, critical infrastructure, defense, and highly regulated industries that means they can operate under real world conditions, including air gapped and sovereign environments, without giving up modern cloud and AI capabilities.
Key highlights
- Azure governance and policy enforcement, even when completely disconnected
- Local productivity with Microsoft 365 Local Support for running large AI models locally, inside strict sovereign boundaries
- A strong example of how cloud innovation is adapting to regulatory, operational, and geopolitical realities.
Claude Opus 4.6 available on Azure Databricks.
Azure Databricks now supports Anthropic Claude Opus 4.6 through Mosaic AI Model serving.
Claude Opus 4.6 is Anthropic’s most advanced model, delivering state-of-the-art performance on agentic coding, complex reasoning, and knowledge work tasks.
The model features enhanced coding capabilities with improved planning, code review, and debugging skills, enabling it to operate reliably in large codebases and sustain long-running agentic workflows.
Claude Opus 4.6 is ideal for developers building AI agents, enterprises requiring advanced code assistance, and teams working with complex analytical and research workflows. The model now runs securely within the Azure Databricks environment and is accessible through both pay-per-token and provisioned throughput options.
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.
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.
Microsoft Promotions and Offers
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.
Reach out to your Crayon account manager for help activating any of these promotions for your customers.
Get all the details here!
Purview Suite for Business Premium
50% Off
for customers with M365Business Premium and Copilot Business.
Ends March 31, 2026
CSP-EP to Business Central
40% Off
for migrating on-prem ERP (Dynamics CSP-EP) to D365 Business Central online.
Ends March 31, 2026
M365 Business Standard + Copilot
35% Off
Bundle Business Standard + M365 Copilot Business.
Ends June 30, 2026
Dynamics 365 Contact Center
40% Off
All D365 Contact Center licenses; no seat minimum.
Ends June 30, 2026
Copilot for All
30-40% Off
300+ seats (30%) or 1500+ seats (40% targeted). 80% org coverage.
Ends June 30, 2026
M365 Business Premium + Copilot
25% Off
Bundle Business Premium + M365 Copilot Business.
Ends June 30, 2026
Copilot 'Scale-Up' Offer
20% Off
All CSP customers > 100 seats.
Ends June 30, 2026
Copilot 'Getting Started'
15% Off
New to Copilot. 10+ seats.
Ends June 30, 2026
Bridge to Cloud 3
30% Off
Migrate from Dynamics on-prem to cloud; covers Dynamics GP/Nav to D365.
Through to December 31, 2026
Earn More with every Azure engagement
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)
Azure Accelerate is Microsoft’s refreshed & unified program — combining Azure Migrate & Modernise & Azure Innovate into one streamlined experience . Crayon, as an Azure Expert MSP is helping MSPs take full advantage — with hands-on delivery support and serious cash incentives across every project size.
Partners can earn more with every Azure engagement – up to $9000 per project!
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.
Crayon makes it straightforward.
- No technical migration
- No downtime
- Completed in 24–48 hours
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
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.
Azure Frontier Offer 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*
This is a limited time offer. 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.
Training. Events. Bootcamps
F2F Event: Secure AI Workshop.
Join us this month in Melbourne and Sydney for our half-day Secure AI Workshops and take a deeper look at how you can turn AI readiness into revenue.
Your customers want Copilot. But they’re also worried about data exposure, compliance, and control. This workshop equips MSP owners and technical leaders with the clarity and practical steps to deliver both.
You’ll learn how to secure AI across Microsoft 365, how to address customer risk concerns confidently, and how to build and monetise data discovery, classification, and governance services around AI adoption.
Event Dates and Locations
Melbourne: 24th March 2026 8:30am – 1:00pm
Cliftons Melbourne
Sydney: 31st March 2026 8:30am – 1:00pm
Cliftons Sydney
Certification Weeks for Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Program.
A five-day event to prepare you for Microsoft advanced role-based certifications and help your organisation meet the skilling criteria needed to attain a Solutions Partner Designation.
NEW Sales Certification Week
March 23-25 (Asia – English Delivery)
NEW Presales Cloud Week
April 6-9 (Global – English Delivery)
AI & Security Certification Week
April 13-17 (Asia – English Delivery)
Microsoft LevelUp.
LevelUp puts you in control of your learning journey with self-paced courses available in multiple languages for both Technical and Sales roles.
And now, you’ll earn badges as you complete courses to show off your progress.
Note: Access may vary depending on program capacity at the time of registration.
For questions, reach out to LevelUpHelp@technofocus.com.
Ready to grow your skills? Register for LevelUp today!
Level Up CSP: Win with Microsoft Security
Mar 18 & 29 (PDT)
Regional In-Person Workshops.
Join Microsoft team for 1–2 day, in-person Microsoft Regional Partner Workshops designed to build technical expertise and deal readiness.
Hosted at Microsoft offices worldwide, these full-day sessions feature expert-led training, immersive labs, and networking opportunities.
Explore key topics like Agentic AI, Copilot Studio, Microsoft Fabric, and Defender XDR across tailored tracks for pre-sales and technical professionals. Breakfast and lunch are provided—come connect, learn, and accelerate your AI journey.
AI Tour for Partners.
Microsoft’s AI Tour for Partners is coming to Sydney.
Monday, April 20, 2026 | 9:00 AM – 5:30 PM AEST
AI Tour for Partners is an in-person global event series, exploring the latest trends and technology in the era of Al, with guidance from Microsoft executives and industry leaders.
Consumption-Led Skilling.
Solve critical technical skills gaps in your Delivery teams with just-in-time, live private ILT deployment skilling with access to real-world hands-on-lab experiences.
This skilling offering is available for MPL SI partners with a confirmed MSX Opportunity ID anchored GTM Solution Plays.
Available now in the Partner Project Ready Workshop Catalog.
Please contact PartnerSkills@Microsoft.com or your PDM, PTS, PSA and Account Executive to submit your training request.
Microsoft Azure Summit: Migrate and Modernise with Agentic AI.
Join this Azure virtual event to explore how intelligent databases, modernised apps, and agentic AI can accelerate cloud adoption and AI innovation. Hear the latest announcements, see live demos, and get practical guidance from Microsoft experts.
ASIA: Thursday, March 12, 2026
9:30AM–11:45AM SGT (GMT+08:00)
Register today
Frontier Transformation
Mar 4-5 (PST, IST)
Crayon's Certs4Experts is Back
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.
Project-Ready Workshops: Cloud and AI Platforms
Enhance your Azure skills to effectively architect, deploy, and implement cloud and AI solutions, ensuring you are project-ready and can drive customer success.
Migrate VMware to Azure Virtual Machines
Mar 3–6 (IST, GMT, PST)
Implement Sovereign Private Cloud with Azure
Mar 9-12 (IST, GMT, PST)
Modernize apps and databases
Mar 10–12 (IST, GMT, PST)
Microsoft Fabric: Fabric IQ
Mar 10–11 (IST, GMT, PST)
Microsoft Fabric: Advanced Real-time intelligence
Mar 10–13 (IST, GMT, PST)
Build AI Apps and agents with Azure
Mar 17–20 (IST, GMT, PST)
Implement Oracle Database@Azure
Mar 24–26 (IST, GMT, PST)
Implement AI solutions with Azure SQL Database and SQL Server 2025
Mar 31–Apr 2 (IST, GMT, PST)
