Your voice continues to shape how the Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Program evolves. In this update, we’re bringing together the announcements, investments, and resources that matter most to partners right now. From the innovations unveiled at Microsoft Ignite to updates across benefits, Azure, AI business solutions, Microsoft Marketplace, security, and skilling, this edition is designed to build capability, accelerate execution, and drive meaningful customer impact as AI becomes central to every workload.
What follows highlights our focus and areas of partner opportunity, grounded in feedback from across the ecosystem and aligned to how customers are evolving their cloud and AI strategies.
Spotlight
Microsoft Ignite
Microsoft Ignite marked an important evolution for the Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Program, introducing new investments for partners to lead as Frontier Firms, translating their own AI experience into customer impact. Read Nicole Dezen’s blog for a partner-focused recap of Microsoft Ignite 2025, bringing together the announcements that matter most across AI, cloud platforms, security, and developer tools.
If you would like to revisit any of the partner-focused sessions from Ignite, they are now available on demand:
Program updates
Powering growth through benefits that drive real impact
Partner benefits packages are a core part of the Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Program. These benefits are exclusively designed for partners with bundled offers of discounted product licenses, product credits, and 1:1 program and technical consulting. The three benefit packages scale with you, whether you’re building new practices, expanding services, or investing in AI opportunities.
As customer expectations continue to evolve and AI becomes central to growth, we’re expanding these offerings in February 2026. You will gain access to additional Microsoft Copilot licenses, expanded security benefits, and a new on-demand AI partner marketing resource to drive demand and reach customers more effectively. Now is the time to get ready.
Explore the three partner benefits packages, then have your partner admin complete the purchase in Partner Center.
FY26 Q2 Update: What's new in certified software designations
This FY26 Q2 update outlines an important change to how partners access Azure IP co-sell benefits. Effective January 1, 2026, partners will need to hold a Solutions Partner* with certified software** designation to continue accessing benefits such as partner-reported Azure consumed revenue (PRACR), partner-led incentives, go-to-market benefits, and prioritized sales engagement.
This shift simplifies the partner experience by unifying high-value benefits under a single designation while creating a more consistent path to co-sell opportunities. If you are not yet designated, you can begin the certification process now to maintain or gain access. Read the full article to understand what’s changing and how to prepare for 2026.
Skilling
Skilling continues to be one of the strongest drivers of partner success as AI reshapes customer demand. In this update, we share how our latest skilling investments enable partners to build technical depth, strengthen sales readiness, and accelerate impact across cloud, AI, security, and data. Through the Partner Skilling Hub, Certification Weeks, AI-focused bootcamps, and role-based learning frameworks, partners can build the capabilities needed to grow and stay competitive.
Our October, November, and December skilling blogs from 2025 share learning opportunities and resources to help partners build in-demand skills across cloud, AI, security, and industry solutions as customer needs continue to evolve.
January Partner Project Ready workshops
Partner Project Ready Workshops return in January, with options across Asian, EMEA, and American time zones and new content on Fabric Databases designed to empower you to quickly create SQL databases and unify data for smarter insights.
Marketplace
Marketplace projected to be nearly $300B partner services opportunity by 2030: Omdia report
A commissioned study by Omdia (October 2025) found Marketplace is projected to be a nearly $300B partner services opportunity by 2030. For partners who sell through Marketplace, the study found:
- 88% attribute their revenue growth to Marketplace.
- 75% close sales faster.
- 69% saw larger deals.
The report also explains how partners can unlock up to $6.26 in services revenue for every $1 spent on software solutions via Marketplace, along with common characteristics of partners who are best equipped to capture this multiplier effect, drive sustainable profitability, and position themselves for long-term success. Read the full report to learn more.
The Marketplace opportunity for channel ecosystem
Marketplace continues to evolve as a powerful engine for partner-led growth. With the new resale enabled offers, software companies can grant channel partners the right to sell their solutions, while partners maintain customer relationships and drive sales through Marketplace.
For you, this means faster sales cycles, more predictable deals (including multiyear contracts and flexible billing), and the ability to tap into customers’ existing cloud-commitment budgets when eligible. If you’re looking to expand your offerings or accelerate time to value, now is a great time to explore what Marketplace can do for you. Read the full blog to learn more.
Cloud & AI platforms
Microsoft Agent 365: The control plane for AI agents
AI agents are transforming work, and now there’s a control plane to manage them. Microsoft Agent 365 allows IT and security teams to track every agent, set access controls, visualize connections across people and data, and secure agent activity with integrated protections. Manage agents the way you manage users and scale with confidence.
Cloud & AI Platforms blog series
Our Cloud & AI Platforms series brings together the priorities partners are hearing most from customers, including modernizing applications, unifying data, and preparing for AI innovation on a trusted cloud foundation. Across these posts, we share how partners can enable customers to build AI-ready architectures, reduce complexity, and create long-term value with Azure. Explore the series:
Azure platform updates and modernization
Recent Azure updates and modernization guidance focus on supporting customers as they migrate, secure, and modernize workloads. Together, these updates strengthen the Azure foundation for application modernization, data, and AI, while reducing risk and accelerating time to value. Catch up on updates from the past quarter:
Accelerating secure Azure migrations
Secure cloud migration remains a top priority for customers, and partners are the ones who bring clarity, confidence, and speed to that journey. Read our blog, Secure migration starts with trusted cloud and AI expertise, to learn how you can lead customers through assessments, modernization, and full Azure adoption with security, speed, and real business value.
Migrate & Modernize Summit recap
The recent Migrate & Modernize Summit laid out a powerful vision for how partners can lead customers through smarter, faster cloud journeys. The blog highlights new AI-powered tools and resources such as autonomous agents in GitHub Copilot for app modernization, enhanced capabilities in Azure Migrate for planning and executing migrations, and the newly announced Azure Accelerate program, bringing expert guidance, funding support, and streamlined deployment across Azure.
Microsoft and Oracle: The future of enterprise cloud data for partners
The Microsoft and Oracle partnership brings together Azure and Oracle Database@Azure, empowering partners to support customers modernizing mission-critical data while accelerating AI adoption. In this blog, we take a closer look at how deep integration across Azure’s AI, security, and governance capabilities empowers partners to deliver high-performance, enterprise-ready data solutions with confidence.
Microsoft Fabric Ask Me Anything series
Engage directly with Fabric leadership, discover product insights, and explore roadmap discussions through Ask Me Anything sessions on the Fabric Partner Community.
SQL partner community
Join SQL Server and Azure SQL experts for engineering updates, curated resources, and a dedicated space to collaborate with peers.
AI business solutions and productivity
Microsoft 365 Copilot Business for SMBs
Microsoft 365 Copilot Business brings AI-powered productivity to small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs), giving partners a new way to enable customers to work smarter with the tools they already use every day. With Copilot built into Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Teams, SMBs can adopt AI without the complexity of enterprise-scale solutions. For partners, this creates an opportunity to package Copilot Business with deployment, onboarding, training, and ongoing services that drive long-term value and make AI a practical part of day-to-day work. Learn more by reading our recent blog.
Driving AI transformation with always-on selling
AI transformation is not a one-time project. It’s an ongoing journey that evolves as customers grow and their needs change. With always-on selling, partners can engage customers continuously, from early Copilot adoption to scaling agent-powered solutions that embed intelligence across workflows and systems.
By always staying on, partners can build trust, expand adoption, and create sustained value over time, while opening opportunities for managed services, governance, and ongoing optimization. Read the full blog to explore how you can apply always-on selling to your AI strategy and growth plans.
Security
Make an impact as a Microsoft security partner
Discover how partnering with Microsoft Security drives measurable business value, backed by Forrester’s Total Economic Impact™ (TEI) study. Our partners are seeing tangible results. See how Microsoft Security partners have achieved growth by evolving their service models and embracing AI-powered solutions.
Customers want security services that are cost-effective, easy to deploy, and built on their existing Microsoft investments, and partners are responding with smarter, more flexible AI offerings—from managed compliance frameworks to transactable marketplace solutions.
Explore the latest Total Economic Impact™ (TEI) studies to see how two types of partners are driving measurable value:
Securing the future with Microsoft cybersecurity
Security is the foundation for every successful AI transformation, and this post shows how partners can lead that effort. The article explores how partners can build stronger security practices for customers, enabling AI adoption while keeping data safe, infrastructure protected, and risks managed. It outlines how secure design, identity protection, threat detection, and governance come together to power innovation without compromising trust. If you are ready to confidently support customers in their AI navigation, read the full blog and see how you can make security your differentiator.
Keep the conversation going
These updates reflect our continued commitment to partner success across the Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Program. From modernizing cloud foundations and advancing AI adoption to strengthening security, expanding Marketplace opportunity, and investing in skilling, each area is designed to support strong starts, efficient scaling, and confident leadership in 2026 and beyond.
We will continue to share updates as the program evolves. In the meantime, follow us on LinkedIn for the latest partner news, and explore Partner News on Partner Community for fresh insights on programs, incentives, skilling, case studies, Copilot, Marketplace growth, and more.
*“Solutions Partner” refers to a company that is a member of the Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Program and may offer software, services, and/or solutions to customers. Reference to “Solutions Partner” in any content, materials, resources, web properties, etc. and any associated designation should be not interpreted as an offer, endorsement, guarantee, proof of effectiveness or functionality, a commitment or any other type of representation or warranty on the part of Microsoft. All decisions pertaining and related to your business needs including but not limited to strategies, solutions, partner selection, implementation, etc., rests solely with your business.
**A certification is (1) specific to the solution’s interoperability with Microsoft products and (2) based on self-attestation by the solution owner. Solutions are only certified as of the date the solution is reviewed. Solution functionality and capability are controlled by the solution owner and may be subject to change. The inclusion of a solution in the marketplace and any such designations should not be interpreted as an offer, endorsement, guarantee, proof of effectiveness or functionality, a commitment or any other type of representation or warranty on the part of Microsoft. All decisions pertaining and related to your business needs including but not limited to strategies, solutions, partner selection, implementation, etc. rest solely with your business.