Modernization is one of the biggest technology opportunities of our time. Across industries, organizations are looking to move faster, operate more securely, and scale innovation. But legacy systems, technical debt, and fragmented infrastructure continue to slow progress.
IDC reports that, on average, organizations estimate that more than 37% of their application portfolios require modernization today, and they estimate that in 3 years, roughly 33% of their application portfolios will require modernization.¹ It’s a challenge that demands deep technical expertise—and it’s your opportunity to lead.
As a Microsoft partner, you’re central to enabling customer transformation and shaping what comes next. At the recent Migrate & Modernize Summit, we introduced new tools and programs that combine AI-powered automation with expert-led deployment support. These innovations make it possible to deliver faster outcomes, reduce complexity, and unlock long-term value for your customers. You can register or watch the summit on demand.
Modernization is becoming faster, smarter, and more scalable
At the summit, we introduced several key updates that support how partners accelerate migration and modernization across workloads and industries.
GitHub Copilot for App Modernization now brings autonomous AI agents to .NET and Java workloads. These agents automate framework upgrades, detect and resolve breaking changes, and containerize applications for deployment to Azure—with built-in security and compliance. With Java support now generally available and .NET in public preview, you can drive modernization projects with greater efficiency and consistency.
Azure Migrate now includes agentic AI capabilities that simplify migration planning and execution. AI-guided workflows automate key tasks, integrated GitHub Copilot experiences connect IT and development teams, and expanded support for PostgreSQL, Linux, and other workloads enables you to deliver modernization services that meet customers where they are.
Data modernization also takes a major step forward with the preview of Azure Migrate Discovery and Assessment for PostgreSQL. This new capability streamlines planning and accelerates migrations from on-premises, AWS, or GCP environments. Whether your customers are modernizing SQL Server, Oracle, PostgreSQL, or Sybase, Azure provides a unified approach that reduces complexity and prepares data estates for AI.
Azure Accelerate brings together Microsoft guidance, technical expertise, and funding to empower you to scale modernization engagements. Through the Cloud Accelerate Factory, Microsoft engineers collaborate directly with your teams to deliver zero-cost deployment support across more than 30 Azure services. Partners have already used these resources to migrate hundreds of terabytes of data and modernize mission-critical systems.
Read more about the announcements from the Migrate and Modernize Summit in this blog.
Continue the conversation by joining us at Ignite
Modernization and AI innovation will take center stage at Microsoft Ignite this November. Join Microsoft leaders, product experts, and other partners from across the ecosystem to explore how new technologies, solution plays, and customer success models are shaping the next wave of transformation.
Tune in for these sessions designed specifically for partners, highlighting new opportunities to accelerate modernization, strengthen security, and drive growth across industries and customer segments:
- Agentic AI Tools for Partner-Led Migration and Modernization Success
Discover how to harness Microsoft’s latest AI-powered agentic tools to automate and accelerate migration and modernization of business-critical workloads. Learn how these innovations open new service opportunities, increase partner coverage across more customers and segments, drive customer success, and enable partners to differentiate, scale, and grow with Microsoft’s ongoing investments in cloud and AI.
Modernize data with confidence
Explore the first installments of our five-part blog series that equip you with a unified cloud and AI narrative. It’s designed to activate your top opportunities in FY26, from modernizing infrastructure and unifying data estates to delivering transformative AI solutions that help your customers move from future-ready to future-defining.
New investments are empowering partner growth in FY26
Microsoft continues to invest in technical resources, skilling offers, and incentives for your growth:
Modernization remains a top growth driver for partners. With AI accelerating demand and reshaping customer priorities, you’re uniquely positioned to lead with solutions that simplify complexity and deliver measurable outcomes.
With GitHub Copilot, Azure Migrate, and Azure Accelerate, you have the tools, programs, and resources to drive transformation with greater speed and confidence—reducing complexity, strengthening customer trust, and scaling innovation.
Together, we can enable every organization to modernize applications, data, and infrastructure—and build what’s next in the era of AI.
¹ IDC, Top Application Types for Modernization: Worldwide, doc #US53053825, January 2025