February 2026 announcements

This page provides the announcements for Microsoft Partner Center for February 2026.

SKU Naming Update: Microsoft Teams Shared Devices → Microsoft Teams Shared Space – Single Space

• Date: April 01, 2026
• Workspace: General
• Impacted audience: Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) direct bill partners and distributors.

Microsoft identified a naming inconsistency affecting a subset of Microsoft Teams Shared Devices SKUs in Partner Center. To better align with our updated product naming and reflect the intended use case, these SKUs will be renamed to Microsoft Teams Shared Space – Single Space. This update is naming-only. There are no changes to product functionality, pricing, eligibility, service plans, or customer entitlements. Please note that effective April 01, 2026, all Microsoft Teams Shared Space – Single Space products are priced at $0, while all Microsoft Teams Shared Space licenses (formerly known as Microsoft Teams Shared Devices) are priced at $8.

What is changing

The SKUs listed below will be updated from Microsoft Teams Shared Devices to Microsoft Teams Shared Space – Single Space, while preserving their existing segment qualifiers (Education, Government, Nonprofit) and term structure (including Extended Service Terms).

SKUs in scope

The following SKUs are impacted by this naming update for Product Microsoft Teams Shared Devices (ID CFQ7TTC0LH0V):

What's not changing

• Pricing
• Billing terms or renewal behavior
• Product ID or SKU IDs
• Service plans or provisioning behavior
• Eligibility by segment (Education, Government, Nonprofit)

Existing subscriptions will continue without interruption. The updated name will appear in Partner Center pricing, billing and customer workspaces.

Partner impact

Partners may see the updated SKU name reflected in Partner Center catalog views, price lists, and reporting. No action is required. We recommend using the updated name in customer facing materials going forward to maintain consistency.

Additional information

This naming update supports Microsoft’s broader Teams Shared Space positioning and does not introduce a new offer or SKU. For questions related to licensing behavior or eligibility, existing guidance for Teams Shared Device / Teams Shared Space continues to apply.

March price list availability update for Modern Azure

• Date: February 27, 2026
• Workspace: Pricing
• Impacted audience: Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) direct bill partners and distributors.

The Modern Azure price list for March 1, 2026 is behind schedule and will not be available on the originally planned date.

Updated availability

• New availability date: By March 2, 2026
• Time: 5:00 PM PST

What partners should know

• Partners should plan quoting, pricing updates, and downstream automation based on the revised availability date.
• This delay applies only to the Modern Azure CSP Price List.
• There are no changes to pricing content or structure associated with this update.

Legacy Azure pricelists updates

• Date: February 26, 2026
• Workspace: Pricing
• Impacted audience: Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) direct bill partners and distributors.

Effective March 1, 2026, the following Legacy Azure Price Lists will transition from Excel (.xlsx) to CSV (.csv) format:

• Global → Azure in Global CSP Price List
• GlobalShared → Azure Partner Shared Services Global CSP Price List
• US Government → Azure in Gov CSP Price List

What's changing

• The file format will change from .xlsx to .csv.

What's not changing

• File naming conventions (date and naming pattern remain the same)
• Column names and structure

File name comparison

Partner impact

• Partners consuming these price lists should ensure their systems and workflows can ingest CSV files.
• No data transformation or remapping is required, as the structure remains unchanged.

Next steps

• Learn how to access the price lists: Pricing overview.

New resources available to help customers advance their Frontier Firm journey with Microsoft 365 Copilot

New resources available to help customers advance their Frontier Firm journey with Microsoft 365 Copilot.

• Date: February 23, 2026
• Workspace: General
• Impacted audience: CSP authorized partners

AI powered productivity isn’t one size fits all. Microsoft 365 Copilot can help customers move from AI experimentation to tangible business outcomes by embedding AI directly into the tools people use every day.

To support partners, Microsoft is expanding investments and in market offers to accelerate organization wide Copilot adoption. A limited time 30% CSP promotion on Microsoft 365 Copilot can help increase license coverage, build momentum beyond pilots, and position Copilot as the foundation for scalable AI productivity, and is complementary to existing 15% and 20% promotions.

Promotion details

Eligible customers can receive 30% off Microsoft 365 Copilot licenses for one year when they:

• Purchase 300 or more annual Microsoft 365 Copilot licenses
• Achieve at least 80% information worker coverage (Microsoft E3/E5, OE1/OE3/OE5), with Copilot Chat for remaining eligible users

We're also pleased to announce the following other updates for Microsoft 365 Copilot Business:

• Month-to-month CSP billing flexibility for Microsoft 365 Copilot Business and their respective bundles starting March 1, 2026.
• Extended promotion terms Copilot Business offers through June 30, including new Microsoft 365 Copilot Business bundle offers for customers with under 300 licenses.
• New partner profitability resources are also available to help maximize margins, incentives, and deal profitability with Microsoft 365 Copilot Business bundles.

Next steps

• Review the FAQ to understand eligibility and timelines for all available Copilot offers
• Review the Global Promo Readiness guide for more details
• Explore the CSP Copilot Business Partner Economics update for partner profitability resources

Issue update: Business Premium + Copilot Bundle prerequisite validation error

Issue update: Business Premium + Copilot Bundle prerequisite validation error.

• Date: February 23, 2026
• Workspace: General
• Impacted audience: CSP authorized partners

Details

Effective February 19, 2026, a correction will be implemented to resolve an issue on Partner Center, where the Microsoft 365 Business Premium + Copilot bundle wasn't being consistently recognized as meeting the prerequisite for the Advanced Security add-on SKUs. As of February 19, this validation logic will be corrected so eligible customers can continue to transact the Advanced Security add-on SKUs as expected.

Impacted Advanced Security add-on SKUs:

• Microsoft Defender Suite for Business Premium
• Microsoft Purview Suite for Business Premium
• Microsoft Defender and Purview Suites for Business Premium

Next steps

• No action is required for this resolution to take effect
• Beginning February 19, 2026, customers should be able to transact Advanced Security add-on SKUs for eligible Business Premium + Copilot as expected

Questions

If your customers continue to experience issues after February 21, contact Partner Center Support through your standard escalation channels.

Partners can download promotions effective March 11, 2026

• Date: February 20, 2026
• Workspace: Pricing
• Impacted audience: Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) direct bill partners and distributors.

Partners can download promotions from Pricelist workspace.

Effective March 11, 2026, to see the latest Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) promotions, from the Partner Center, go to the Pricing workspace. Select Benefits (Beta) from the left navigation.

Partners can download list of active commercial promotions for a given market (country/region) and segment. For example, if a partner wants to get promotions for products sold to a German (DE) Commercial customer, then select the German (DE) market and Commercial segment to download the promotion list.

Next steps

• For more information on this feature including the details of each field, go to Download promotions.
• Learn how to access the NCE Software price list: NCE Commerce Software pricing.
• Learn about the NCE Software price list fields.

CSP unbilled invoice reconciliation API v1 to retire March 15, 2026

Migrate to API v2 before March 15, 2026, to avoid service disruption.

• Date: February 17, 2026
• Workspace: General
• Impacted audience: Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) direct bill partners and distributors who use unbilled invoice reconciliation API v1 and haven't yet migrated to the new asynchronous API v2.

In September 2025, we introduced a new asynchronous API v2 for unbilled invoice reconciliation in Partner Center. This change optimizes API performance, reducing retrieval time for millions of line items from more than 15 hours with API v1 to just 15 minutes with API v2.

On March 15, 2026, API v1 will be retired and will no longer provide access to unbilled invoice line items after this date for modern commerce transactions. Migrate to API v2 before March 15, 2026, to avoid disruptions that could impact your ability to access details for unbilled invoice line items.

Next steps

• Ensure your technical teams review the information in Get invoice's unbilled reconciliation line items asynchronously API v2.
• Use the AI assistant on the Billing overview page in Partner Center if you need more assistance, or you can open a support ticket.
• Register to watch the recordings of the CSP Technical Training and the Partner Community Q&A Call and learn more about the change.
• Learn more about other upcoming API changes so that your technical teams can prepare.

Expanded partner benefits are here

Explore updates to benefits packages, Solutions Partner designations, and specializations that can accelerate your AI, security, and GTM execution.

• Date: February 13, 2026
• Workspace: General
• Impacted audience: All Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Program partners are impacted by the benefits updates

As of February 13, 2026, new benefits are available across each of our three Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Program (MAICPP) benefits packages, and for select Solutions Partner designations and specializations. We developed these changes to help partners deliver greater AI innovation, stronger security, increased cloud resources, and smarter go-to-market (GTM) execution.

Highlights include

• Increased Azure credits to support solution development and testing
• Expanded Copilot benefits, including more Microsoft 365 Copilot capacity packs, Copilot Studio, and select Dragon Copilot access
• Enhanced security offerings such as Microsoft Defender Suite, Microsoft Entra Suite, and Microsoft Intune Suite
• Access to the new Partner Marketing Center Pro, which uses AI-powered capabilities to help partners find, customize, and deploy marketing campaigns more efficiently

Partners who already have an active partner benefits package, Solutions Partner designation, or specialization automatically receive these refreshed benefits as part of their current entitlements.

You can find an overview of what’s changed by reviewing the change sign in to the benefits guide. New or updated benefits are clearly labeled New for 2026.

We’re excited to support partners as they build, secure, and grow solutions more efficiently by taking advantage of these updates.

Next steps

Partner Center admins can purchase an updated benefits package in their Partner Center benefits dashboard. Not an admin? Recommend a package to your admin.

For full partner benefits details, review the partner benefits guide.

Marketplace rewards update: Azure sponsorship now supported on more MCA billing profiles

We’re pleased to share an update that simplifies how partners in Marketplace Rewards can use Azure Sponsorship credits if they or their customers have Microsoft Customer Agreement (MCA) billing profiles.

• Date: February 12, 2026
• Workspace: General
• Impacted audience: Partners and customers receiving Azure sponsorship through Marketplace Rewards.

What’s changing

For Global Cloud, partners can now redeem their Azure Sponsorship credits on an MCA billing profile that had any Azure Credit Offer (ACO) credits applied. Previously, the presence of current or past ACO on the billing profile prevented sponsorship credit redemption. This blocker is removed, reducing friction for partners and customers using MCA billing profiles.

Important considerations

While this update expands eligibility, the following rules still apply:

• This change only applies to partners and customers receiving Azure sponsorship through Marketplace Rewards.
• A billing profile can't have more than one active sponsorship redeemed at the same time.
• This change doesn't alter other Azure sponsorship eligibility requirements or limitations.

Why this matters

Partners have consistently raised challenges with redeeming sponsorship credits on MCA billing profiles, particularly for Marketplace Rewards. This improvement streamlines benefit delivery and helps partners make the most of their Azure sponsorship with fewer billing profile constraints.

We encourage partners and customers receiving Azure Sponsorship from Marketplace Rewards to use sponsorship on their MCA billing profile.

Next steps

If you're receiving Azure Sponsorship from Marketplace Rewards, use sponsorship on your MCA billing profile.

Update: Extended timeline for Microsoft Sentinel (Azure portal) transition to the Defender portal

Extended timeline for Microsoft Sentinel (Azure portal) transition to the Defender portal.

• Date: February 12, 2026
• Workspace: General
• Impacted audience: System integrators, partners with existing Microsoft Sentinel SIEM customers, and partners building or modernizing SOC offerings on Microsoft Defender and Microsoft Sentinel We’re sharing an important update to the Microsoft Sentinel portal transition timeline. As previously communicated, Microsoft Sentinel SIEM customers are moving from the Microsoft Sentinel Azure portal experience to the Microsoft Defender portal experience. To help ensure a smooth transition for customers and partners, we're extending the planned sunset date for the Microsoft Sentinel Azure portal experience to March 31, 2027 (previously July 1, 2026).

Based on partner feedback, this extension provides another runway while we complete targeted improvements, including covering multi-tenancy management, correlation engine consistency, and latency/reliability, targeting general availability by May 2026.

We encourage partners to continue helping customers plan and migrate now, as the Defender portal is where Microsoft Sentinel’s latest innovations are delivered, including Microsoft Sentinel graph, the Microsoft Sentinel data lake, Security Copilot, SOC optimization, and ongoing enhancements to automation, SOAR, and case management.

Next steps

• Proactively guide customers to onboard and adopt Microsoft Sentinel in the Defender portal experience—it’s where new capabilities and investments are delivered
• Validate key scenarios early (multi-workspace operations, multitenant management, correlation behavior, alert latency) and plan operational readiness
• Consult the new MSSP playbook
• Register for upcoming Security partners open hours:
  • Microsoft EMEA Security partners open hour February 2026 edition
  • Microsoft EMEA Security partners open hour March 2026 edition
• Read the latest blog article

Requirements updated for certified software designations via Industry AI pathway

Microsoft is strengthening the requirements to become a Solutions Partner with certified software through the Industry AI pathway.

• Date: February 10
• Workspace: Referrals
• Impacted audience: All

Microsoft is strengthening the requirements to become a Solutions Partner with certified software through the Industry AI pathway. 

These new requirements will go into effect on February 9, 2026. This helps ensure designations are awarded exclusively to high-performing partners, providing a more meaningful differentiation for customers and sellers. These updated criteria align more closely with the requirements needed to achieve a certified software designation via the solution areas pathway—specifically the Azure solution area.

This new performance threshold applies to applicants immediately upon launch, and to existing partners at their renewal date. It doesn't apply to current, in-progress partners.

Updated requirements summary

To become a Solutions Partner with certified software for Industry AI, a partner must achieve at least one of the following updated criteria:

• USD1 million marketplace billed sales (MBS) transactions
• 12 net-new customer adds to the marketplace of greater than USD10,000 each.
  Where "Net-new" means net-new to the Microsoft commercial marketplace (not net-new to Microsoft) and/or net-new to the specific partner.
• 30 marketplace transactions with eight unique customers.
  In this context, 'marketplace transaction' refers to your Microsoft Marketplace sale or deal with a customer and must be at a minimum value of USD100. The transaction doesn't refer to the individual billing event with a customer (that is, not counting each billing event for a subscription as multiple transactions). 
• USD30 million cloud consumption commitment (formerly known as a 'MACC') with at least five marketplace transactions.
  In this context, 'marketplace transaction' refers to your Microsoft Marketplace sale or deal with a customer and must be at a minimum value of USD100. The transaction doesn't refer to the individual billing event with a customer (that is, not counting each billing event for a subscription as multiple transactions).
• USD200 million cloud consumption commitment (formerly known as a 'MACC') with at least one Azure IP co-sell eligible and transactable listing.

Value to partners 

Certified software designations help partners stand out in the market by highlighting those who consistently deliver results with Microsoft technologies. This update to requirements supports partners who invest in performance and provides customers and sellers with a reliable way to identify top performers. 

Resources

• External walking deck
• Requirements for becoming a Solutions Partner with certified software for industry AI
• CSD Playbook

Unlock growth through Joint Planning and coselling

Access Joint Planning resources in Partner Center to accelerate coselling opportunities and coordinate upsell engagements.

• Date: February 9, 2026
• Workspace: General
• Impacted audience: CSP Partners

Gain earlier access to high-quality customer leads and clearer visibility into where Microsoft sellers are focusing their territory prioritization efforts through Joint Planning, an always on process with an efficient Partner Center workflow that connects you directly with Small Medium Enterprises and Channel (SME&C) sellers on shared customer accounts.

By participating in Joint Planning, you can:

• Streamline your process by managing Joint Planning customer leads, converting them into co-sell opportunities and tracking performance all in one place.
• Use customer insights from Microsoft seller data to customize your offerings.
• Accelerate revenue by turning Joint Planning into a repeatable, scalable motion.
• Simplify customer conversations by preparing the right offers and engaging customers at the right time.

Next steps

• Review the new Joint Planning training to get started.
• For more information, see Joint Planning leads in Partner Center.

Incorrect Partner Margin Published for Microsoft 365 Business Basic + Copilot Business Bundles

Incorrect partner margin published for Microsoft 365 Business Basic + Copilot Business Bundles.

• Date: February 6, 2026 - Updated February 19, 2026
• Workspace: General
• Impacted audience: CSP direct bill partners, CSP indirect providers, CSP indirect resellers

Microsoft is correcting an issue where partner margins for the Microsoft 365 Business Basic + Microsoft 365 Copilot Business bundles were inadvertently published at 0%, resulting in incorrect unit prices being displayed in the price list. Updated partner margin values and unit pricing have been published, with the fix effective February 7, 2026.

Public pricelist values will reflect the corrected pricing on March 1, 2026, in line with the standard release schedule.

Impacted SKUs

The following offers are affected globally (all markets where available):

Questions

Partners experiencing unrelated pricing or margin discrepancies should contact their standard support channel or submit a support ticket via the Partner Center Support page.

Next steps

• Microsoft will proactively identify all impacted subscriptions and automatically issue refunds or credits for eligible transactions completed between February 1–7, 2026.
• The public price list will reflect the corrected values on March 1, 2026, aligned to the regular release schedule.
• No action is required from partners. Corrected margins and unit pricing will apply to all new purchases and renewals beginning February 7, and any applicable refunds or credits will be processed automatically, with follow-up communication provided to impacted partners.

New capability: Estimated Azure Consumed Revenue (ACR) for IP Co Sell referrals

We’re pleased to announce the general availability of the Estimated Azure Consumed Revenue (ACR) field in the Referral Submission experience in Partner Center.

• Date: February 6, 2026
• Workspace: Referrals
• Impacted audience: All partners submitting IP Co Sell referrals in Partner Center

We’re pleased to announce the general availability of the Estimated Azure Consumed Revenue (ACR) field in the Referral Submission experience in Partner Center. This new capability helps partners better communicate the expected Azure consumption associated with an opportunity, enabling Microsoft sellers to gain clearer insight and assign the right resources to support high potential cloud deals.

What’s new

• Optional Estimated ACR field for IP Co Sell referrals - Partners can now provide an estimate of the Azure Consumed Revenue that an opportunity is expected to generate when it closes. This field complements the existing Estimated Contract Value (ECV) by capturing expected Azure usage for cloud driven solutions.

• Applicable to Azure related opportunities - The Estimated ACR field appears for IP Co Sell referrals that involve Azure products or services and is aligned to the currency selected for the deal value.

Why this matters

Providing an Estimated ACR helps Microsoft sellers better understand the cloud potential of an opportunity, prioritize engagement, and align the right expertise early in the sales cycle—ultimately supporting faster deal progression and stronger co sell outcomes.

Next steps

This update is available now. Start including an Estimated Azure Consumed Revenue value when submitting IP Co Sell referrals in Partner Center to help showcase the full cloud impact of your opportunities and accelerate collaboration with Microsoft.

Revised timelines: Extended Service Terms in CSP

Enforcement of Extended Service Terms in CSP is extended from the previously announced April 1, 2026, to May 4, 2026.

• Date: February 5, 2026
• Workspace: General
• Impacted audience: All CSPs (distributors, indirect resellers, direct bill)

As previously announced, the extended service terms (EST) milestones related to EST production availability were expected to occur on January 19, 2026, but was delayed. The new date for this functionality is February 16, 2026. Due to this delay, the EST enforcement will now begin on May 4, 2026.

The dates related to the introduction of EST are as follows:

*Eligible subscriptions are defined as:

• Purchased or renewed on or after April 1, 2025, AND
• With an expiration date on or after May 4, 2026, AND
• Are set to Auto renew off

As a reminder, partners should prioritize renewal discussions with customers before their subscription’s end date and discuss the best option for their business needs before the end of their service to avoid unexpected billing. Partners can update a subscription’s end-of-term options anytime before the end date.

Renewal dates are spread out, which means there’s no expectation to have renewal discussion all at once. Engaging customers early and confirming the appropriate end-of-term option before the service term ends helps avoid unexpected billing.

EST isn't a required end-of-term option. If autorenew is set to off and the customer doesn't wish to move to EST, partners can select 'cancel at expiration' or 'renew' before the subscription’s end date.

Selecting 'cancel' as an end-of-term option means the subscription ends on its expiration date and the customer loses access to the service. No service will be provided after the end of the term if 'cancel' is the selection chosen at subscription end.

Questions

• Learn more about extended service terms.
• To find out more about these changes, register for upcoming CSP partner enablement calls.
• For more details, view the partner FAQ or the EST scenarios deck.

Next steps

• Be aware of the revised timelines and share within your organization as required.
• Review the coming change with your customers and discuss the best option for their business needs before the end of their service terms to avoid unexpected billing.
• Prepare for technical implementation. Coordinate with your technical teams to schedule and test the necessary updates.

Update: CSP promo license cap increased for Microsoft 365 E3/E5 and Copilot

Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) promo license cap increased for Microsoft 365 E3/E5 and Copilot.

• Date: February 5, 2026
• Workspace: General
• Impacted audience: CSP authorized partners

To support high-volume deals and reduce friction, we’re increasing the maximum license cap for eligible CSP promotions from 2,400 to 9,999 licenses.

• Applies to all Microsoft 365 E3 and Microsoft 365 E5 promotions.
• Applies to Microsoft 365 Copilot promotions.
• Not included: Copilot Business promotions (remain capped at 300 licenses).

This update simplifies large transactions, aligns guidance across Core, Security, and Copilot, and helps accelerate upsell momentum. You can also take advantage of other offers currently available, including 10% off Microsoft 365 E3, Security suites, and Microsoft 365 E5 three-year subscriptions, and 15% off E5 annual term for new-to-offer customers.

Next steps

Review the global promo Readiness guide for details (sign in with your Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Program account).

Security Immersion Briefing update: No Cap Unlimited Execution, Expanded Partner Eligibility, New focus on SMB

We’re introducing a new Security immersion briefing, focused on Microsoft Defender for Business premium and Microsoft Purview for Business Premium customers (50–300 licenses).

• Date: February 4, 2026
• Workspace: General
• Impacted audience: Cloud Solution Providers (CSP) and resellers

These 90-minute interactive sessions position partners as trusted security advisors, helping customers tackle rising cybersecurity threats. By removing execution caps, partners can now run unlimited briefings with up to 20 open at a time. Additionally, new delivery options allow distributors and resellers to collaborate or deliver directly, creating more flexibility and scale.

• No cap-unlimited scale: partners can now run unlimited Security immersion briefings, with a rolling 20 open submissions at a time.
• Expanded partner eligibility: new delivery options allow distributors or resellers to deliver and claim for the activity, giving them more flexibility and reach.
• New revenue paths: designed specifically for Business Premium customers up to 300 licenses, these new briefings demonstrate Microsoft Defender Suite for Business Premium and Microsoft Purview Suite for Business Premium. This opens new target customers in addition to the existing scenarios for ME3 to ME5 conversion.
• The new Advanced Security for Business Premium briefing isn't currently listed on the Microsoft Commerce Incentive (MCI) platform. To deliver the briefing, partners must nominate customers in MCI through the standard nomination process and selecting either the Threat Protection Immersion Briefing or Data Security Immersion Briefing.

Familiarize your team with the updated immersion briefings, best practices, and operational requirements to successfully deliver the new Security immersion briefings focused on Microsoft Defender for Business Premium and Microsoft Purview for Business Premium customers. These resources ensure smooth execution, compliance, and maximum effect for partner-led.

Next steps

Review details on Security Immersion Briefings.

Monthly Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Program update

What’s new for Solutions Partner designations, specializations, and other Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Program offerings and benefits.

• Date: February 4, 2026
• Workspace: Membership
• Impacted audience: Partners enrolled in the Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Program

Partner Marketing Center - New AI-Powered Marketing Platform

Drive faster, smarter go-to-market execution with AI-driven customization, automated campaign activation, and real-time performance tracking. Launch solution play–aligned campaigns in minutes and optimize results with actionable insights—all in one intuitive platform.

This new benefit replaces the existing Partner Go‑To‑Market (GTM) Toolbox. The Partner Marketing Center is available for all offers that previously included GTM Toolbox, ISV Success Renewal, Partner Launch, and Partner Success Core. The benefit will be available to all eligible partners starting 13 February.

All partners currently using GTM Toolbox will be transitioned to the Partner Marketing Center, and partners who purchase an offer that earlier included the GTM Toolbox benefit will now automatically be upgraded to the Partner Marketing Center – New AI‑Powered Marketing Platform.

Workspace: Benefits

Key Changes:

• Partner Go‑To‑Market (GTM) Toolbox is being upgraded to Partner Marketing Center – New AI‑Powered Marketing Platform.
• There will be a 24‑hour provisioning delay for this marketing benefit after offer purchase.
• The following free MAICPP benefits are consolidated into a single experience under Partner Marketing Center – Downloadable Marketing Campaigns:
  • Partner Marketing Center
  • Digital Marketing Content OnDemand (DMC)
  • Geo Expansion Readiness Assessment

Changes to Specializations and Solutions Partner Designations

The performance and skilling requirements for the SAP on Microsoft Azure specialization were updated as of January 16, 2025. Microsoft updated this specialization to make it more accessible for a broader range of partners.

Key changes:

• Lower ACR threshold: the Azure Consumed Revenue (ACR) requirement decreased from $30,000 to $7,500, totaled over three months.
• Streamlined skilling validation: Partners are able to validate required Microsoft learning coursework directly within Partner Center, removing the need to do so in the third-party audit. Skilling requirements can be met through either:
  • Three (3) individuals passing the Azure for SAP Workloads Specialty certification OR
  • Three (3) individuals passing the Run SAP on the Microsoft Cloud learning path

The skilling requirements for the Microsoft Azure VMware Solution specialization were updated as of January 16, 2025. Microsoft updated this specialization to make it easier to obtain.

Key changes:

• Technical Assessment removed: the Azure VMware Solutions (AVS) Technical assessment requirement are removed from the skilling requirements.
• Broadcom Certification requirements removed: the Broadcom certification requirements are also removed, which were previously checked as a portion of the audit.

As of February 6, 2025, Microsoft expanded the list of eligible workloads for the Modern Work Solutions Partner designation, giving partners more pathways to qualify for and attain the designation, stand out in the market, unlock benefits, and earn specializations.

To view the complete list of eligible workloads, see: Solutions Partner for Modern Work.

As of February 6, 2025, Microsoft made an adjustment to the customer growth calculation for the Modern Work and Security Solutions Partner designations. A customer’s growth from the SMB path to the Enterprise path no longer negatively impact partners’ SMB-path performance. As a result, partners may see an increase in net customer adds, deployments, and usage growth metrics associated with the Modern Work and Security Designations on the SMB path. This update has been applied automatically, and no partner action is required.

Partners on the SMB path for Business Applications or Azure designations aren't impacted by this update, as this change is only applicable to Modern Work and Security Designations.

Visit Partner Center to review any updated scoring for Modern Work and Security Solutions Partner Designations on the SMB path.

Coming soon

In mid-February 2026, Specialization percentage growth calculations round to the nearest percent. This means that a partner with a growth rate of 34.52% will round to 35%. This will positively impart partners in meeting the performance criteria for the following specializations:

• Microsoft Low Code Application Development
• Intelligent Automation
• Business Intelligence
• Small and Midsize Business Management
• Adoption and Change Management
• Teamwork Deployment

Specializations: Frequently Asked Questions

To help partners more easily find answers to common questions related to Azure Specializations, we’ve published the FAQ in the Specializations overview.

This FAQ brings together guidance on common procedural articles such as scheduling, eligibility scenarios, and what to expect at different stages of the specialization process. It's intended to complement existing documentation and help partners quickly self-serve answers without needing to open a support request.

We encourage you to review the FAQ before submitting questions, as it addresses many of the scenarios that commonly come up during specialization planning and execution.

MCA attestation update

Blocking changes now live for Microsoft Customer Agreement partner attestation.

• Date: February 2, 2026
• Workspace: General
• Impacted audience: CSP partners

In January 2026, Microsoft retired the Microsoft Customer Agreement (MCA) legacy attestation API, the UX-based attestation experience in Partner Center, and the bulk attestation tool.

All new customer orders are blocked unless either the customer directly accepts the MCA in the Microsoft 365 admin center portal, or the partner attests on the customer’s behalf using the enhanced MCA attestation API.

Next steps

• Review the customer acceptance and create agreement for MCA article on Microsoft Learn.
• Find out how to confirm that your customer accepted the MCA.
• Get full details on the attestation enhancements in the FAQ.

New content types supported in multitenant content distribution

New content types supported in multitenant content distribution.

• Date: February 2, 2026

• Workspace: General

• Impacted audience: Security-focused partners (MSSPs) who manage Microsoft Sentinel and Defender security content across multiple customer tenants using multitenant management and delegated access.

• Onboard new tenants and maintain a consistent security baseline

  We’re excited to announce a set of new content types that are now supported by the multitenant content distribution capability in the Defender portal. Security partners can distribute analytics rules, automation rules, workbooks, and alert tuning rules across customer tenants using multitenant management and delegated access.

• What is content distribution?

  Content distribution is a powerful multitenant feature that enables scalable management of security content across tenants. This functionality enables the creation of content distribution profiles within the multitenant portal, allowing seamless replication of existing content (such as custom detection rules) from a source tenant to designated target tenants. Once distributed, the content runs on the target tenant, enabling centralized control with localized execution. This allows you to onboard new tenants quickly and maintain a consistent security baseline across tenants.

Next steps

For more information, please visit the page New content types supported in multitenant content distribution on the Microsoft Community Hub.