We’ve moved beyond the era of experimentation. Across our partner ecosystem, I’m seeing a decisive shift from exploring what’s possible with AI and cloud to executing with focus, scale, and sustainable impact. Azure Accelerate and momentum in the Microsoft Marketplace give partners like you a strong foundation to align investments and deliver outcomes that matter.
Microsoft Ignite is where those insights become action. It is where ideas become practice and where partners shape what is possible for customers. From November 18–21 in San Francisco and online, you will hear directly from our product leaders, preview the latest in Azure and AI innovation, and connect with peers who are pushing the boundaries of what’s possible. Make time for ancillary events, interactive roundtables, and the Partner Hub to build new skills, expand your network, and explore hands-on opportunities to advance your work.
I’m especially looking forward to the sessions on AI-powered innovation in Azure, my session on how partners can accelerate growth with Azure, and the hands-on labs. There is always a moment that sparks new ideas that I can take back to my team. If you have not registered, do so today. Plan your agenda, pick sessions that stretch your thinking, and come ready to take fresh ideas back to your customers.
Here’s a look at other recent updates designed to help partners move faster, innovate more, and deliver greater value with Azure.
Customer-impacting updates
- Oracle Database@Azure expands multicloud reach. Base Database, Exascale 19c, and Oracle Database 23ai are now generally available in 28+ regions, helping partners support complex deployments and deliver higher-value multicloud projects. I’m excited about how this expanded reach opens opportunities for partners to tackle bigger, more complex projects than ever before.
- SAP Business Data Cloud Connect for Azure Databricks enables live, bidirectional data sharing—unlocking real-time insights and showcasing how Databricks and Azure work seamlessly together.
- Fabric Data Agent now supports CI/CD and Git integration, enabling developers to work more efficiently, reliably, and automatically.
Partner enablement and actionable tools
- Azure AI Foundry adds new image, real-time, audio, and conversational models. Start with a pilot project to accelerate innovation and deliver quick wins for customers.
- Microsoft Agent Framework (public preview) combines AutoGen and Semantic Kernel for easier multi-agent AI orchestration. Test it with a proof of concept to streamline customer solutions.
- Our Cloud & AI Platforms blog series helps partners capture market opportunities and accelerate migrations. Parts one, two, and three are live now. Partners can map insights from these blogs to customer projects to find quick wins.
Incentives and offers
Azure Accelerate and the Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Program continue to expand investment and funding opportunities that support practice growth and customer success.
- Dr Migrate is an AI-assisted platform for cloud migration planning, available within Azure Accelerate. Eligible partners can request licenses to run environment and proof-of-value assessments with customers. For practical guidance on how to get started, watch a replay of our webinar from October 23, Driving Confidence Through AI-Assisted Cloud Migrations.
- The Azure Migrate and Modernize Partner Forum gives you early access to Azure roadmaps, product updates, and partner marketing insights, making it easy to keep your team aligned on upcoming opportunities.
- ISV Success Advanced Package rewards top-performing software development companies with certified software designations. Partners can now qualify for financial incentives to build AI solutions or migrate customers to Azure, unlocking new revenue streams quickly.
- Microsoft Security Envisioning Workshops help you grow your business by reaching new customers, refining sales motions, and unlocking revenue with world-class security solutions, giving your team hands-on experience to strengthen security offerings.
Events and skilling
Beyond Ignite, there are plenty of opportunities to strengthen technical capabilities and connect with peers through our growing lineup of events and training.
November events
- Catch a replay of the Fabric Global Hack or join a Fabric Workshop (Nov 10–14) to learn how to build data and AI solutions with Fabric. It’s a great way to sharpen skills, gain recognition, and advance your team’s expertise.
- The Skilling Hub offers a variety of live and on-demand events for Azure Databricks. Attending one of these sessions helps you master Databricks capabilities efficiently and gain practical skills you can bring back to your customers immediately.
- Agentic AI + Copilot, Partner Skills Accelerator: Join us for a four-part webcast series built for partners ready to help customers become Frontier Firms. We will simplify the end-to-end AI stack, show how agents, copilots, data, and orchestration work together, and demonstrate how the Microsoft Copilot stack and Azure AI Foundry enable real-world impact.
Ongoing and region-specific opportunities
- Fabric technical skilling workshops are running worldwide. Check the Skilling Hub to find hands-on sessions near you and apply new Fabric skills directly to customer projects.
- The Microsoft AI Tour for Partners continues across global markets, offering in-person demos, peer connections, and real-world insights from the field. I find these events are also a fantastic place to hear firsthand what’s working in the field and what challenges partners are tackling. They always spark new ideas.
- Azure Cosmos DB Partner Acceleration Program (FY26) is now live. Enroll in upcoming trainings for enablement, PoC funding, and direct product group access.
- FabCon Europe featured insights from Jessica Hawk (CVP, Data, AI, and Digital Applications, Product Marketing) and Arun Ulagaratchagan (CVP, Azure Data). FabCon 2026 Atlanta arrives in March. Register early for exclusive previews from product leaders.
Go-to-market resources
New go-to-market materials are available to help you accelerate customer engagement and showcase your Azure and AI expertise.
Sales-ready assets
- The Partner Execution Guide for AI Apps and Agents includes use cases, Win Formulas, key actions, and questions to ask customers. Sales assets like solution accelerators, templates, and pitch decks make it easy to take action and start engaging customers immediately.
- A full set of sales tools and marketing resources—including Microsoft pitch decks, guides, solution accelerators, and demos—supports partners in building AI apps and agents successfully. Exploring these assets ensures you have everything needed to showcase solutions confidently.
Marketing-ready assets
- Predesigned campaigns, ready-to-go assets, and marketing resources let you elevate your marketing strategy without starting from scratch. Reach more customers and drive adoption faster with these enterprise-ready campaigns: Migrate and Modernize Your Estate, Unify Your Data Platform, and Innovate with Azure AI Apps and Agents.
- Small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) are the backbone of the global economy, and they’re transforming fast. With Microsoft Azure, partners are uniquely positioned to help SMBs streamline operations, boost security, and harness the power of AI to make smarter decisions. Explore our new SMB partner playbooks to discover how you can accelerate your impact and drive growth with Azure: Migrate and Modernize Your Estate, Unify Your Data Platform, and Innovate with Azure AI Apps and Agents.
Differentiating and positioning
Let’s build what’s next—together
Thank you for your partnership in enabling customers to innovate, modernize, and scale with Azure. I’m continually inspired by your creativity, determination, and impact. From reimagined programs like Azure Accelerate to expanded skilling and go-to-market resources, we’re committed to helping you achieve more. I’m excited to see what you’ll build next, and I hope you leave Ignite with new ideas, new skills, and new opportunities to delight your customers.
Stay connected with us. Follow Microsoft Partner on LinkedIn, join the conversation in our Partner News community, and explore the Microsoft partner site to keep your momentum going.
For details on recent announcements, please read the “What’s new in Azure for Partners” newsletter on the Microsoft Community Hub and follow the tag “Azure News” to stay updated.