Microsoft Partner Program Updates: May 2026

Wayne Hollomby

Categories

News

Microsoft has announced a series of updates for April 2026. This blog covers changes to products, solutions, services, partner programs, and other key information. Let us look at the latest news updates.

Microsoft 365 E7 Launch 

  • Microsoft 365 E7 will be available on 1 May 2026, on monthly, annual (one-year),and triennial (three-year) terms
  • Annual (one-year)promotional offers available
  • 10% off Microsoft 365 E7 annual terms(one-year) License minimum 10 | License maximum9,999 
  • 15% off Microsoft 365 E7 annual terms (one-year) License minimum 100 | License maximum 9,999 
  • Triennial (three-year)promotional offer available
  • 15% off Microsoft 365 E7 triennial terms (three-year) License minimum 300 | License maximum 9,999 
  • Microsoft advise promotions may experience a slight delay in transactability and may be available later than 1 May 2026
  • Microsoft 365 E7 and Microsoft 365 Agent Partner Skilling Learning Journeys are now available for Sales Ready and Project Ready

Microsoft 365 E7 & Agent 365: GTM resources and enablement 

  • In preparation for the launch of Microsoft 365 E7 and Microsoft Agent 365, Microsoft has introduced new resources designed to assist with planning customer engagements and enhancing your engagement strategy.
  • Updated Copilot + Power Accelerate engagements: Immersion Briefings, Envisioning & POC, and Deployment Accelerator now incorporate Agent 365 in both the customer pitch deck and hands‑on lab experience that can be found HERE
  • New GTM resources:Frontier Transformation partner hub features refreshed CSP launch kits and updated solution and vision decks to support Microsoft 365 E7 and Agent 365 engagements with these being some of the key assets
  • Customer insights in ASPX: From 30 April, access targeting and usage insights to identify high‑propensity Microsoft 365 E7 and Agent 365 opportunities

Reminder: Microsoft 365 pricing and packaging updates coming in July 2026 

  • As announced by Microsoft in December 2025 a global pricing update will take effect across all purchasing channels on 1 July 2026
  • Security and management capabilities across Microsoft 365 suites will be expanded empowered by AI
  • Review Microsoft’s previous announcement about the pricing updates HERE to learn more

Expanded Copilot for All promo updates to help you unlock more revenue opportunities 

  • Microsoft are updatingthe30% and 40%offCopilot for AllCSP promotional offerstoexpandcustomer eligibility on 13 April 2026
  • What’s different? 
  • IW coverage requirement removed:Customers no longer need to meet the 80% Information Worker (IW) coverage threshold to qualify for the 30% or 40%offCopilot for Alloffers
  • Lower license thresholdfor the 40% offer:TheminimumMicrosoft365Copilot purchase requirement for the 40% discount is reduced from 1,500 licenses to 1,000 licenses
  • Tenant activationno longerrequired:CSP customerseligible for the 40%offpromotional offercan now transact directly through Partner Center without having their tenant first activated

Extended promotion on Microsoft Purview Suite for Microsoft 365 Business Premium 

  • Microsoft is extending the 50% promotional offer on Microsoft Purview Suite for Business Premium to 1 July 2026
  • The offer previously was due to expire on 31 March 2026

April monthly Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Program update 

  • Key changes include specialisation updates that integrate AI capabilities, revised skilling, and performance requirements, and streamlined qualification frameworks to support partner growth and agility

FY26 Modern Work Partner Activities April 2026 updates 

  • The April 2026 update focuses on expanding AI Workforce and Secure Productivity partner opportunities, with refinements across Copilot and Agents at Work, Secure AI Productivity, Converged Communications, and Cloud & AI Endpoints. The intent is to help partners engage customers earlier, drive larger deal motion, and align incentives more closely to Microsoft 365 E7 and Agent 365 adoption

Windows 365 Business – 20% price decrease coming 1 May 2026 

  • Beginning 1 May 2026, Microsoft will lower the list prices of Windows 365 Business by 20% to help make Cloud PCs more affordable for small and medium-sized businesses
  • New subscriptions get the lower pricing on/after 1 May 2026
  • Existing subscriptions receive the updated pricing at their next renewal depending on purchase channel and terms

License Mobility for Windows Server and SQL Server subscriptions 

  • From 1 April 2026, Windows Server and SQL Server subscriptions purchased under the Microsoft Customer Agreement (MCA) through Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) partners will be eligible for License Mobility rights
  • CSP perpetual licensesremainunchanged and don’t gain License Mobility
  • No action isrequiredfrom partners or customers to activate this benefit. The updated product terms will take effect automatically on 1 April 2026

Office LTSC 2021, Project LTSC 2021, and Visio LTSC 2021 nearing end of support 

  • Support forOffice Long Term Servicing Channel (LTSC) 2021,ProjectLTSC2021, andVisioLTSC2021will end on 13 October 2026
  • The products will no longer receive updates, security fixes or technical support after 13 October 2026 

Update on Pricing for Extended Security Updates for Windows and SQL Server 

  • Microsoft is introducing a standardized pricing approach for Extended Security Updates for SQL Server and Windows products including Windows 10 Enterprise 2016 LTSB and Windows Server
  • The new pricing model will apply starting 1 April 2026, for any new Extended Security Updates offerings for Windows products and SQL Server
  • This does not apply to existing offerings, including Extended Security Updates for Windows Server 2012, Windows 10 version 22H2, or SQL Server 2014
  • Read the Microsoft announcement HERE

ACM for Agents playbook released 

  • New adoption and change management playbook has been released to use as a guide through planning, implementing, adopting, managing, and improving Microsoft 365 Copilot agents with practical objectives, step-by-step actions, checklists, and supporting resources
  • Download the playbook HERE

New Microsoft 365 SMB upsell enablement deck 

  • The SMB Microsoft 365 upsell scenarios guidance deck equips partners and sellers with practical guidance to confidently position and upsell Microsoft 365 Business suites. It covers pricing and packaging, incremental value across tiers, Microsoft Copilot Chat versus Microsoft Copilot Business differentiation, discovery questions, objection handling, customer stories, and links to additional SMB resources—helping sellers drive higher-value conversations and growth with SMBs. 
  • Download the SMB M365 upsell enablement deck HERE

New Azure SMB GTM assets now available 

  • Equip partners, resellers, and sales teams with focused Go-to-Market assets for the Microsoft Azure SMB market to support targeted messaging and drive growth in Cloud and AI platforms
  • Download the Azure SMB GTM assets HERE

Scheduled and Recent Events: 

For more information   

If  you would like to discuss any of the above, please speak to your Business Development Manager, call us on  +44345 249 3303 or email us at partners@infinigate.cloud and we’ll be happy to chat through any of your questions.