Share via

January 2025 announcements

  • Article

This page provides the announcements for Microsoft Partner Center for January 2025.

Monthly update: Important actions partners need to take to secure the partner ecosystem

Important capabilities and updates to improve your security posture and protect your customers' tenants are now available.

  • Date: January 15, 2025
  • Workspace: General
  • Impacted audience: Direct-bill partners, indirect providers, and indirect resellers transacting through the Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) program and with advisors
Available now

Microsoft Security Copilot is available for Admin On Behalf Of (AOBO) on the Service Management page of the Customers workspace in Partner Center. Learn about granting access to external users.

Removal of unused Azure subscriptions: As of December 2024, Microsoft blocks unused Azure subscriptions. The blocked Azure subscriptions are then deleted after 90 days.

A subscription is considered unused when there's no activity or consumption for over 12 months. Account owners and service admins of the unused Azure subscription are notified by email 30 days before the block is applied. The subscription is deleted 90 days after the block.

Multi-factor-authentication (MFA) for Microsoft portal: Microsoft is enforcing multi-factor authentication (MFA) for all users signing into Azure portal. Review the latest information and timeline.

Removal of unused Azure subscriptions: Microsoft has begun to block unused Azure subscriptions as of December 2024. The unused subscriptions are then deleted after 90 days. A subscription is considered unused if there is no activity or consumption for more than 12 months. Account owners and service admins are notified by email 30 days before the block applies.

Security requirements API is available in Beta version and gives partners direct access to essential security compliance data.

Entra roles for GDAP in Partner Center UI: Continuing reduction of gap between Microsoft Entra roles available in Partner Center API versus the UI. The remaining 17 roles are now available in Partner Center UI.

Coming soon

MFA for M365 admin center: On February 3, 2025, Microsoft begins enforcing MFA for all users who sign into M365 admin center portal. Review the latest information and timeline.

Deprecation of graph.windows.net audience tokens: To enhance our security measures, we're deprecating graph.windows.net audience tokens. So, we're updating the way you interact with Partner Center APIs. Take the necessary steps to prepare for this transition.

Security Training: Certification Week for Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Program: Security & GitHub

Next steps

Monthly Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Program update

Here's what's new for Solutions Partner designations, specializations, and other Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Program offerings and benefits.

  • Date: January 15, 2025
  • Workspace: Membership
  • Impacted audience: Partners enrolled in the Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Program

We're introducing important capabilities, offers, and updates to improve the way partners can further differentiate their deep technical expertise across a set of priority scenarios with high customer demand. We added benefits for eligible Solutions Partner with certified software designations.

Available now

Updates to the AI Platform on Microsoft Azure specialization and Build AI Apps with Microsoft Azure specialization: Changes are now live for the previously named "AI and Machine Learning" and "Build and Modernize AI Apps" specializations. To learn more about the details of the requirements, see Apply for specializations.

AI assistant for prepurchase: As of December 18, 2024, a new AI assistant plugin became available to answer prepurchase questions related to queries. Partners can open the AI assistant from the Membership offer page or global entry point (sparkle icon in top right corner) in Partner Center and ask questions. This feature helps partners know all the details before purchasing or renewing any available program in the Membership workspace. AI assitant can answer queries instantly. For example, partners can ask:

  • Why is the buy now button disabled for solution partner designation?
  • Why is the renew now button disabled for solution partner designation?

What's coming

SMB path for Data & AI (Azure), Digital & App Innovation (Azure), Infrastructure (Azure) will be available: In February 2025, the Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Program is introducing SMB paths for Solutions Partner designations in Data & AI (Azure), Digital & App Innovation (Azure), and Infrastructure (Azure). With the SMB paths launching next month, now is the perfect time to start your preparations to qualify. For more information on Azure solution areas qualifications, see the SMB paths for Azure designations deck.

Reminders

  • Apply today to attain one of seven Solutions Partner with certified software designations and qualify for top-tier benefits, along with Azure Migrate and Modernize and Azure Innovate incentives. If you missed our announcement last month, Microsoft is offering subsidies on a first-come, first-serve basis for assessments conducted by the third-party auditor for qualification for the designations. To learn more, read this blog post.
  • Announcement of new benefits: On January 22, 2025, Microsoft is planning to introduce more than 20 in-demand product licenses, including Microsoft 365 Copilot products, Microsoft Defender for Endpoint, and GitHub Enterprise. These new benefits are designed to help streamline tasks, enhance creativity, and drive efficiency across businesses. Partners can access these benefits when they go live, by purchasing partner benefits packages, Solutions Partner designations, or specializations. The new packages offer comprehensive support and advisory benefits, helping partners accelerate business growth, scale their operations, and stay updated with the latest offerings.

Next steps

Provide company account information by February 17, 2025 to maintain your Apps & Games products in the European Union Markets

Apps & Games partners with company accounts in Partner Center must provide company account information by February 17, 2025 to maintain their Apps & Games products in the European Union Markets.

  • Date: January 13, 2025
  • Workspace: Account settings
  • Impacted audience: All Apps & Games partners with a business account

To comply with the European Union's Digital Services Act, developers with company accounts must provide business verification and customer support contact information by February 17, 2025. Failure to provide the required information results in Apps & Games products being removed from European Union markets.

Check whether you have a company or individual account in Partner Center by navigating to Account Settings > Legal Info > Developer. If you have an individual account, no action is needed. 

Use these steps to submit your business verification and your customer contact information.

  1. Sign in to your Partner Center account. In Account settings, go to the Legal information page. 

  2. Under the Developer tab, expand and edit the Contact info section.

  3. Select Update. Be sure to use an email account that you can reach so you can verify your account and perform any further actions. The email you provide must be an individual at a company-owned domain, as the following screenshot shows. Group alias and public email domains aren't supported.

    A screenshot that shows an individual's email address at a company's domain.

  4. Expand the Additional information for verification and Contact information for customers sections in the side panel.

  5. Enter your D-U-N-S® Number. Or you can upload a business verification document in the Additional information for verification section. All documents you submit must be issued within the previous 12 months or have an expiration date that's at least two months in the future.

  6. In the Contact information for customers section, provide your contact information, including contact address, email, phone number, and website address.

  7. Select the Use legal company address checkbox to use your company’s legal address. The address fields then populate. If you need to provide a new address, enter it and then select Validate address to be able to save your changes.

  8. Fill in all the required fields, and when done, select Save.

Next steps

Update to the January edition of the Global Promo Readiness Guide

We updated the January edition of the Global Promo Readiness Guide to include new promotions.

  • Date: January 13, 2025
  • Workspace: Pricing
  • Impacted audience: All Cloud Solution Program (CSP) partners transacting Microsoft 365

On January 10, 2025, the January edition of the Global Promo Readiness Guide was republished with the following key updates:

  • Microsoft 365 Copilot 15%-off global promotion for customers purchasing subscriptions with between 10 and 300 licenses: Extended to March 31, 2025
  • Microsoft 365 E5 15% CSP Accelerate one-year global promotion (launched on January 1, 2025): Available through June 30, 2025, for new-to-Microsoft 365 E5 customers
  • Microsoft 365 Business Premium 15% one-year promotion in the United States and Canada (launched on January 6, 2025): Available through April 1, 2025, for new-to-Microsoft 365 Business Premium customers

Next steps

January Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) monthly updates and community reminder

Monthly views are now published, including the updated partner launch calendars, the CSP Bimonthly Update newsletter, and other CSP community resources that provide you with essential program updates.

  • Date: January 8, 2025
  • Workspace: General
  • Impacted audience: CSP direct-bill partners and indirect providers

Always available - Launch content on demand

For a consolidated view of all recent and active launches in a single place, visit the partner launch calendars collection. You'll find a timeline for each launch and links to published materials to help you learn more about that launch.

The downloadable CSP Bimonthly Update newsletter, which aggregates recent CSP announcements, updates, events, and reminders in an easy-to-read document.

Partner Journey Maps provide detailed navigation along the journey of Microsoft’s highest priority transformations.

Need licensing readiness? The monthly CSP spotlight webinars cover the latest CSP licensing information available for all partners.

CSP Community Q&A reminder

The monthly CSP community Q&A session provides you with an opportunity to learn more and ask questions about changes affecting the program.

Register here to join upcoming calls.

Next steps

  • Review the Partner Launch Calendar, read the monthly newsletter, and register for upcoming Community Q&A calls.

Questions?

The monthly CSP community Q&A call is the best place to bring questions about operational change in the CSP program. You can submit a question up to 48 hours before the call.

Questions on any other CSP topic? Visit the Partner Center support page.

Let's do great work together.

Expanded global marketplace opportunities for ISVs in China

Independent Software Vendors (ISVs) in China can now monetize their solutions globally through the Microsoft commercial marketplace.

  • Date: January 8, 2025
  • Workspace: Marketplace offers
  • Impacted audience: ISVs in China

As of January 6, 2025, ISVs based in China can now publish and sell their software solutions worldwide through the Microsoft commercial marketplace. This expansion gives ISVs in China access to millions of enterprise customers and the extensive Microsoft partner ecosystem. ISVs in China can now:

  • Generate more revenue by reaching customers across more than 140 geographies
  • Simplify sales by leaning on the marketplace to streamline billing, payouts, and more
  • Benefit from co-sell opportunities with the Microsoft sales teams

Note

Although ISVs in China can now sell globally, customers located within China continue to access free and bring-your-own-license (BYOL) offers only.

Next steps