For Frontier Firms, every customer engagement is an opportunity to drive transformation. Each interaction creates space to unlock innovation, accelerate outcomes, and deliver lasting value.
We’re entering an era where intelligence is becoming an on-demand utility. Just as the cloud transformed access to computing power, AI is now embedded into the flow of work. Customers expect insight and action in real time. They want faster results, stronger security, and continuous innovation. Meeting those expectations requires more than people alone; it requires an ecosystem that can scale intelligence and deliver outcomes with speed and precision.
Microsoft partners are at the center of that transformation. You are the architect of change, realizing customer ambition with a full stack of technology. Through the Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Program, you have access to the technology, skilling, and go-to-market resources that make this transformation achievable. Together, we’re enabling every organization to operate with greater intelligence and agility than ever before.
The journey to Frontier transformation
AI transformation doesn’t happen in a single project. It’s a sustained journey that moves customers from pilots to full-scale adoption and long-term value. This is what we call always-on selling, where every engagement builds trust, adoption, and expansion.
We’ve seen the impact of this approach firsthand at Microsoft. By embedding Microsoft 365 Copilot into daily workflows, our own Customer Zero experience increased revenue per seller by 9.4% and boosted deal closures by 20%.
KPMG’s collaboration with Microsoft and Azure AI Foundry is a strong example of this type of transformation. Through a dedicated AI innovation hub, KPMG uses Azure OpenAI Service to enable clients across industries to accelerate time to value. Within the Azure AI Foundry environment, they can prototype, test, and deploy generative AI solutions at scale, from intelligent document review in audit and tax to predictive analytics in healthcare and financial services.
“Microsoft 365 Copilot isn’t just accelerating work, it’s changing how we think and enabling our 280,000 professionals to scale their expertise like never before.”
- Todd Lohr, Principal, Head of Ecosystems, KPMG
By combining Azure’s secure, enterprise-grade foundation with KPMG’s deep industry knowledge, the team has built a repeatable framework that moves organizations quickly from experimentation to measurable business outcomes. That’s what defines a Frontier Firm.
Frontier Firms in action
Across the ecosystem, we’re seeing partners and customers apply this approach to scale intelligence across industries.
Each story demonstrates how AI adoption, when guided by the right partner strategy, becomes a source of long-term advantage.
The Frontier Firm model
In the Frontier Firm evolution model, opportunity unfolds across three phases.
- Phase 1: Human with assistant. Partners enable Microsoft 365 Copilot deployments that remove repetitive work and unlock productivity.
- Phase 2: Human-led agents. Partners expand reach through Copilot Chat and digital colleagues, building AI habits at scale.
- Phase 3: Human-led, agent-operated systems. Agents deliver tailored experiences and manage entire business processes with human oversight.
At every stage, partners create value through readiness, deployment, and optimization. You can guide customers on strategy, build repeatable IP through agent factories, drive adoption through structured programs, and provide managed services for ongoing governance and growth.
The winning formula
Winning in this new market takes more than technology. It requires an always-on approach that blends internal adoption, customer engagement, and long-term value creation.
It starts with becoming customer zero. When partners embrace Copilot and agents internally, you demonstrate what adoption looks like in practice. Microsoft did the same, using Copilot and agents to streamline workflows, improve decision-making, and accelerate outcomes. The FY26 Agentic AI Playbook, partner skilling resources, and demonstration environments give you the foundation to establish credibility and differentiation.
From there, partners can build pipeline through SPARK propensity data and CSP incentives, including the current offers available through FY26. The AI Business Solutions FY26 Solution Playbook outlines how Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Program membership unlocks resources across the customer journey, from go-to-market materials and campaigns in a box, to co-sell opportunities that accelerate engagement. LevelUp Bootcamps also provide practical training to scale capability faster.
Earning a Copilot specialization is another powerful action. It validates your expertise in deploying Copilot solutions and demonstrates to customers that you meet the highest standards of readiness, delivery, and adoption. This specialization increases visibility in the new Microsoft Marketplace, prioritizes you in co-sell engagements, and unlocks access to additional program benefits that accelerate growth.
Designing solutions that align AI to business goals is where transformation deepens. Workshops, envisioning sessions, and proof-of-value projects help customers connect Copilot and agent scenarios directly to measurable outcomes. Copilot, as the interface for AI, is the natural starting point. It anchors adoption while paving the way for broader agent scenarios.
Adoption doesn’t end at deployment. Partners who extend customer value through managed services and software development company integration create recurring opportunities that strengthen customer relationships and deliver sustained impact. Continuous governance and optimization keep customers ahead of the curve and generate ongoing revenue for partners.
The opportunity ahead
Frontier transformation isn’t theoretical; it’s happening now across industries, led by partners who combine innovation with execution. By staying always on, partners are not only enabling AI adoption but driving continuous growth and transformation at every stage of the customer journey.
The future is AI-powered and partner-led. Start your Frontier journey through the Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Program.
The opportunity is clear. Together, we can enable every organization to innovate confidently, adopt responsibly, and achieve more with AI.