December 2022 announcements

Article
03/22/2023
13 minutes to read

This page provides the announcements for Microsoft Partner Center for December 2022.

Now available: Cancel an Azure subscription by API

Date: December 16, 2022

Summary

If a customer's Azure plan subscriptions have been compromised, partners can now cancel the Azure subscriptions by API, in addition to being able to cancel them at Partner Center.

Workspace

Customers

Impacted audience

Direct-bill partners and indirect providers

Details

On November 22, 2022 we announced that Partner Center has enabled Global admins with Admin agent roles the ability to cancel Azure subscriptions from Partner Center.

As of December 15, 2022, partners can now cancel their Azure subscription by API.

This capability enables partners with customer Azure subscriptions more control in the event of compromise or abuse. It also enables partners to cancel the Azure subscriptions and the Azure plan directly from the Partner Center, shutting down suspicious activity discovered in their Azure plan subscriptions.

Next steps

Review the Azure management documentation to find out how to take advantage of this new capability:

Update: Fix for Marketo connector for Marketplace leads expected in February 2023

Date: December 16, 2022

Summary

Update: A fix for Marketo connector has been implemented.

A fix for Marketo connectors for Marketplace leads is expected in February 2023. You can use the workaround described in Details until then.

Workspace

Marketplace offers

Impacted audience

All partners who have configured Marketo as a lead destination for their Marketplace offers

Details

As we announced on November 15, 2022, the Marketo connector configuration for your Marketplace offers in Partner Center isn't working because of a sudden change in the Marketo platform that requires more authentication details from your company.

Our engineers expect to have a fix for Marketo connector configuration in February, 2023.

Until then, you can continue to use the following workaround to access leads.

To access leads:

Sign in to Partner Center.
Select Referrals.
Select Leads and then Marketplace Leads.

For more information, see About leads—customer inquiries, marketing-qualified leads, and sales-qualified leads.
For answers to frequently asked questions about leads, see the Leads FAQ.

Next steps

Export leads from the Referrals workspace in Partner Center in the meantime, and upload them into your Marketo system.
Watch for further updates here.

Removal of legacy Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) seat-based offer partner incentives on December 31

Date: December 15, 2022

Summary

This announcement is a reminder that legacy CSP incentives for some seat-based offers will end on December 31, 2022.

Workspace

Incentives

Impacted audience

CSP direct-bill partners and indirect providers, and resellers through their indirect providers

Details

As we continue our journey to new commerce, our partner incentives are evolving. We currently offer partner incentives for more than 400 Azure, Microsoft 365, and Dynamics 365 SKUs in new commerce to support partners as they migrate customers to the new experience.

As previously announced, with the new commerce incentives in place, Microsoft will discontinue the legacy incentives for these SKUs on December 31, 2022. You can find a complete list of the affected SKUs in the CSP product addendum on the partner incentives portal.

To continue earning incentives, you must transact these offers in new commerce CSP, with you enrolled in the Microsoft Commerce Incentives (MCI) program and meeting eligibility requirements.

Non-commercial offers included in the CSP product addendum that aren't available in new commerce as of January 1, 2023, will continue to be available through legacy CSP incentives.

Microsoft will continue to pay partner incentives for non-commercial offers that aren't available in new commerce, including Education, Government, and Nonprofit offer IDs, and promotions.

Next steps

To understand and effectively drive adoption of seat-based offers in the new commerce experience, partners should review and share the available resources with appropriate organizational stakeholders.

View the CSP in new commerce journey map.
Sign in to the partner website to review the new commerce experience for CSP seat-based offers collection.
Learn more about incentives on the partner website and download the incentives guide.
Enroll in the MCI program through your Incentives dashboard in Partner Center.
Set up an MCI bank and tax profile by following the steps outlined in the **Payout and tax profile*- section in Partner Center.
Review the MCI materials available.
Register for upcoming partner community calls.

Questions?

If you have any questions or need more information, contact Support by selecting the **Incentives*- workspace.

Enhancements to Deal Details page in Referrals make it more powerful and easier to use

Date: December 14, 2022

Summary

The Deal Details page in the Co-sell opportunities section of the Referrals workspace has been enhanced with new features that make it easier, more powerful, and more intuitive to use.

Workspace

Referrals

Impacted audience

All partners who have access to the Referrals workspace—Referral admins and users

Details

The Deal Details page in the Co-sell opportunities section of the Referrals workspace has been enhanced with new features that make it easier, more powerful, and more intuitive to use.

Along with an improved grid view of deals, you can:

See workflow stages and the type and estimated value of a deal.
Edit some of the deal information during the various workflow stages in the deal lifecycle.
See all the added solutions in a deal.
Add solutions from your company, from Microsoft, and from third-party providers.
Edit a solution when it has an applicable quantity and price option, such as for Microsoft Azure VMs.

For more information, see New user experience in Referrals.

Next steps

Check out the enhanced Deal Details page, and give us your feedback by selecting Feedback at the top right corner the page.

Important actions partners need to take to secure the partner ecosystem

Date: December 14, 2022

Summary

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

Workspace

Account settings

Impacted audience

Direct-bill partners, indirect providers, and indirect resellers transacting through the Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) program and with advisors

Details

Available now

Important capabilities and changes that minimize potential fraud damage to your customers' subscriptions:

Use the new subscription cancellation capability to suspend Azure plans and related subscriptions within Partner Center if a customer's subscriptions have been compromised. To learn more, see Cancel an Azure subscription.
The Acceptable Use Policy has been updated to explicitly prohibit mining for cryptocurrencies across all Microsoft Online Services.

Other changes

Email notifications to customers: As communicated in the November announcement, this feature is now live.

We appreciate your efforts and look forward to continuing to work with you to improve the security of our ecosystem.

Next steps

Download the security best practices to learn the steps you can take today to secure your tenant.
Review the Partner Center security requirements and the CSP security best practices.
Sign up for dedicated CSP Security Q&A sessions to have your queries answered by subject matter experts.
Review the new journey map to navigate the transformational journey for partners to Zero Trust. It provides milestones, resources, and actions to take as we continue through this transformation.
Find guidance and resources in securing the partner and customer ecosystems partner readiness gallery.

Additional information

To request Azure quota changes, start here by selecting Submit a Support ticket. Once in the Azure portal, follow these steps:
1. Create a support request.
2. Select Issue Type - Service and Subscription Limits (quotas).
3. Select the Subscription that you want to change the quota on.
4. Select Quota type, for example, Spot or Batch.
5. Select Next, and continue doing so until your request is submitted in Review + Create.
The updated Acceptable Use Policy, which is part of the Microsoft Product Terms, went into effect on December 1, 2022. This change applies to all new licenses. Existing licenses will be subject to the new Acceptable Use Policy upon renewal. During this phase-in period, it's possible for a customer to have multiple licenses under different acceptable use policies, depending on each license's renewal date. We suggest seeking written pre-approval from Microsoft before using Microsoft Online Services for mining cryptocurrencies, regardless of the term of a subscription.

Improved customer notes in Marketplace "Contact Me" leads

Date: December 12, 2022

Summary

Contact Me leads are now available from marketplace with more detailed notes from customers.

Workspace

Marketplace offers

Impacted audience

Partners with marketplace offers listed for Contact me

Details

Your customers are reaching out to you. What are they looking for?

To help you prepare better for that first call to a potential customer, we've improved the Contact me customer leads you get from marketplace. We're asking customers for notes that better explain their needs, timeline, and who they are.

First impressions matter, and we believe these improved notes will help you connect with your customers in a thoughtful way.

Go on, prepare for your first call and win a customer!

We're starting with apps published on AppSource. You'll see these notes in the Referrals workspace in Partner Center and in your CRM system.

Next steps

Check out leads in the Partner Center Referrals workspace. Answer a customer today!

Grid view for deal management in co-sell opportunities has reached general availability

Date: December 9, 2022

Summary

Grid view for deal management in the Co-sell opportunities referrals page is now generally available, and the button to switch between grid view and the old user interface has been turned off.

Workspace

Referrals

Impacted audience

Referral admins in Partner Center

Details

Grid view for deal management in the Co-sell opportunities referrals page is now generally available.

The button to switch between grid view and the old user interface has been turned off.

Next steps

For more information about using the Co-sell opportunities page in the Referrals workspace, see New user experience in referrals

December Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) community update and reminders

Date: December 7, 2022

Summary

The CSP monthly update newsletter is now available, along with more CSP community resources that provide you with essential program updates.

Workspace

General

Impacted audience

CSP direct-bill partners and indirect providers

Details

This month's resources cover the following topics:

Launches

Clinics

Voice of the Partner update – December 2022

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.

Always available—Launch content on demand

Within the monthly CSP community collection, you can find:

The downloadable CSP Monthly Update newsletter which, aggregates recent CSP announcements, updates, events, and reminders in an easy-to-read document.
The CSP Announcement Calendar, which provides a timeline view of upcoming changes affecting the program.
CSP launch update resources with easy-to-consume content on key operational changes.

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

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

Next steps

Review the community resources and register for the Community Call Q&A.

Questions?

The monthly CSP community Q&A call is the best place to bring questions about operational change in the CSP program. You may submit a question up to 48 hours before the call. All launch-related questions will be answered in the call and/or in the Q&A document published after the call.

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

Singapore goods and services tax (GST) rate change to be implemented on January 1, 2023

Date: December 7, 2022

Summary

The first stage of the Singapore GST rate change, an increase from 7 to 8 percent, will take effect on January 1, 2023.

Workspace

Billing

Impacted audience

All Microsoft partners in Singapore where Microsoft supplies goods and services are standard rated.

Details

The Singapore Finance Minister, Mr. Lawrence Wong, had announced in the 2022 budget on February 18, 2022, that the GST rate change will be implemented in two stages:

Stage	Rate change	Date of implementation
1	7 to 8 percent	January 1, 2023
2	8 to 9 percent	January 1, 2024

The first stage, with an increase from 7 to 8 percent, will be implemented on January 1, 2023, while the second stage of the rate change from 8 to 9 percent will be implemented on January 1, 2024.

Starting January 1, 2023

All software and service invoices issued in 2022 with a GST rate of 7 percent that haven't been paid and whose delivery won't be completed by December 31, 2022, will be fully credited and rebilled with a GST rate of 8 percent, applicable to the entire transaction.*
All software and service invoices issued in 2023 will have a GST rate of 8 percent.*
All rebate incentives issued via credit note in 2023 will have a GST rate of 8 percent.
All physical device invoices will have a GST rate based on the shipment date, that is, if shipped in 2022, the transaction will acquire a rate of 7 percent, and if shipped in 2023, transaction will acquire a rate of 8 percent.**

* For Cloud Solution Providers (CSP) and Web Direct, a GST rate of 7 percent can still apply to some product offerings for invoices issued from January 2023 onwards. Partners are advised to pay in accordance with the invoiced amount. No other action is required.

** For customers who have prepaid in 2022, no additional payment will be needed.

Next steps

Review the frequently asked questions in the dedicated partner collection for more detailed guidance.

Share this communication with all the relevant people in your organization.

Questions?

If you have questions, reach out to your support teams.

Important changes to CSP partner benefits for Azure reservations

Date: December 2, 2022

Summary

Changes are planned for Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) partner compensation for Azure reservations purchases in January 2023.

Workspace

Incentives

Impacted audience

Partners transacting through the CSP program

Details

CSP partners selling Azure reservations will have a new compensation model starting in January 2023.

Next steps

The full announcement is only available to Microsoft Partners. Sign in to access the full announcement.

Some partners seeing a discrepancy in their daily partner earned credit (PEC) reporting (resolved)

Date: December 2, 2022

Summary

The November data issue that we reported on November 23, 2022 regarding a discrepancy in some partner earned credit (PEC) reporting has been resolved.

November month-end invoices include the correct amount of PEC.

Workspace

Billing

Impacted audience

CSP direct-bill partners and indirect providers

Details

On November 13, 2022 we experienced a temporary data propagation issue that resulted in some partners seeing a discrepancy in their daily partner earned credit (PEC) reporting.

We've resolved the data issue and reprocessed all the records successfully.

All PEC reporting is correct, and the correct PEC is applied for November invoices.

Next steps

No action is required from partners affected by this data issue. November invoices will reflect all eligible earned credit.

Important licensing changes to the Microsoft India Commercial Business

Date: December 1, 2022

Summary

There will be important licensing changes to the Microsoft India Commercial Business.

Workspace

Pricing

Impacted audience

Microsoft partners in India

Details

Microsoft will implement important licensing changes to Microsoft India Commercial Business. Sign in to the Operations Readiness gallery to access the full announcement and the FAQ for partners in India.