As we step into the first week of February, there’s a flurry of recent updates and events that Microsoft’s partners should be aware of. Staying informed and making the most of these resources can significantly enhance your partnership with Microsoft and drive success for your business. Here are the most recent updates and upcoming events:
New Subscription Renewals Dashboard
- Enabled a Renewals widget in the Insights workspace to help CSP partners manage upcoming renewals for legacy and new commerce license-based subscriptions.
- Partners can view renewals 7, 30, and 90 days in advance, take actions like turning off autorenewal, and export full subscription lists using the Downloads hub.
D-U-N-S Retirement and Moody’s Introduction
- Starting February 10, 2025, Moody’s will replace D-U-N-S for customer account lookup in the Referrals workspace.
- Partners will see Moody’s customer data for account matching during the deal-creation process and bulk uploads.
- Microsoft Security Copilot is now available for Admin On Behalf Of (AOBO) on the Service Management page.
- Microsoft is enforcing MFA for all users signing into Azure and Microsoft 365 admin centres and removing unused Azure subscriptions.
Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Program Update
- Updates to AI Platform and Build AI Apps specializations, and introduction of an AI assistant for prepurchase questions.
- New SMB paths for Solutions Partner designations in Data & AI, Digital & App Innovation, and Infrastructure will be available in February 2025.
Global Promo Readiness Guide Update
The January edition of the Global Promo Readiness Guide has been updated with new promotions for Microsoft 365 Copilot, Microsoft 365 E5, and Microsoft 365 Business Premium, with discounts available until mid-2025. Some highlights include:
- Microsoft 365 E3 15% off for new to E3 customers
- Windows 365 15% off for new to Windows 365 customers
- D365 Business Central 10% discount for M365 customers
- M365 Copilot 15% off extension to March 31, 2025
- See all details and all promos at the link above.
January CSP Monthly Updates and Community Reminder
- Updated partner launch calendars, CSP Bimonthly Update newsletter, and other CSP community resources are now available.
- Monthly CSP community Q&A sessions provide opportunities to learn about changes and ask questions.
Upcoming Events
Microsoft also have some great events upcoming that you can attend, to give yourself the best chance of staying up to date on all events you can do so via the Microsoft Events Catalogue.
In person upcoming events include:
- UK Business Applications Roundtable – 06/02/2025
- Harnessing the Power of AI: Windows 11 and Microsoft Surface Copilot+ PC’s – 19/02/2025
- AI Immersion Series: Realizing and Measuring Value of AI Investments – 19/02/2025
- Fabric Analyst in a Day – 27/02/2025
- The Future of Frontline Work: Navigating the AI Opportunity – 28/02/2025
- Fabric Analyst in a Day – 28/02/2025
There are also 49 virtual events upcoming suited to Partners, I have applied the filters and you can see these HERE.
Latest Updates
It’s crucial to stay on top of updates, but equally important to fully understand the vast array of resources, tools, collateral, and programs available to you as part of the Microsoft Partners network. Here are just a few highlights of these each month:
Partner Portals
The Microsoft Partner Portals available for Modern Work, Security, Azure, Dynamics 365 and Power Platform. Each one being the home of some of the best content available to partners to enable them to build strong practices, go-to-market and win customers. Content such as practice build guides, pitch decks, solution demos, readiness learning paths, programs and funding opportunities, events and news.
Practice Development Guide for Microsoft 365 Copilot
This guide provides everything a partner needs to build a strategy, develop skills, and go to market with Microsoft 365 Copilot. It’s all in one place and supported by Microsoft to ensure success with Copilot.
Cybersecurity: A Top Investment Priority
In 2025, cybersecurity is topping the list of investment areas for businesses, even ahead of AI investment. Here are some key stats underscoring the importance of security expertise:
- On average, there is a cyberattack attempt every 39 seconds, over 2,200 per day, with around 10 per day leading to data compromises.
- Today, just 35% of UK businesses fully utilize cloud-based solutions.
- 58% of UK SMEs do not use cloud-based computing.
- 75% of executives do not trust their own data.
- Approximately one-third of businesses have formal policies covering cybersecurity.
- 50% of UK businesses suffered a cyberattack in 2024, up from 39% the year prior.
Statistics Sources: Capterra’s 2025 Tech Trends survey, Gartner, UK Government Cybersecurity Strategy, NCSC, Forrester, IDC, Cybersecurity Ventures, and reports from Microsoft, AWS, and IBM.
Partners can capitalise on this opportunity by exploring the resources available in the Microsoft Security Partner Portal. This portal offers pre-built solution plays, marketing materials, product and solution presentations, and readiness learning paths this is truly enabling Microsoft Partners to put their best foot forward and support their customers in what is clearly a focus for most businesses in 2025.
If you want to understand more about any of these announcements, or what they may mean for your business, please contact your Account Manager or partners@infinigate.cloud.