Share via

December 2025 announcements

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

Microsoft Defender Experts Suite launches January 1, 2026

Microsoft is introducing the new Microsoft Defender Experts suite, an integrated, expert-led security offering that helps organizations defend against threats, build cyber resilience, and modernize security operations.

  • Date: December 22, 2025
  • Workspace: General
  • Impacted audience: Resellers and Scale Solution Providers (SSP).

This update is for awareness only—no partner action needed. However, there's a significant opportunity for both resellers and scale solution providers (SSP).

Resellers and SSPs can use the suite's unified per user, per month SKU, which bundles managed XDR, proactive and reactive incident response, and access to dedicated engineering resources. By participating, resellers and SSPs can expand their security portfolio and offer customers direct access to Microsoft’s advanced security capabilities.

Microsoft Defender Experts suite will be generally available starting January 1, 2026, and customers can use a limited-time promo offer that will last from January 1 to December 31, 2026.

Next steps

On January 6, visit Defender Experts suite to learn more.

Tax documents available for download from Partner Center Billing

As of December 1, 2025, tax documents are available for download from partner center billing for all applicable countries/regions.

  • Date: December 22, 2025
  • Workspace: General
  • Impacted audience: All indirect provider and direct bill partners in CSP channel

Tax documents are now available on partner central for partners to view and download. Documents are available on partner center billing.

Next steps

Refer to this article on Microsoft Learn for guidance on how to download tax invoices.

Extended Microsoft 365 promotions for Cloud Solution Provider partners

Promotions extended—keep deals moving through June 30, 2026.

  • Date: December 17, 2025
  • Workspace: General
  • Impacted audience: CSP partners

Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) partners on new commerce can strengthen renewal and upsell efforts with extended Microsoft 365 suite promotions through June 30, 2026.

Use these offers for new Microsoft 365 customers to deliver advanced security and compliance capabilities alongside world-class productivity—while driving adoption and growth for your business:

  • 10% discount on Microsoft 365 E3, Security add-on suites (Purview Suite and Defender Suite), and Microsoft 365 E5 three-year subscriptions
  • 15% discount on Microsoft 365 E5 annual term (one year)

Next steps

Access partner readiness resources for details on eligibility, terms, and best practices.

End of Sale erroneous three-year offers in Cloud Solution Provider Partner Center

Three-year offers for various products were created in error.

  • Date: December 16, 2025
  • Workspace: General
  • Impacted audience: All partners

Three-year offers were mistakenly created for the following products:

Product Product ID SKU ID
Microsoft 365 E3 CFQ7TTC0LFLX 0001
Microsoft 365 E5 CFQ7TTC0LFLZ 0002
Office 365 E3 CFQ7TTC0LF8R 0001

Microsoft is taking steps to End of Sale the offer for the January 2026 price list, but this doesn't show up in the price list preview. Refrain from transacting the offer in the interim.

Next steps

For further inquiries, contact Partner Center Support.

SQL Server 2025 available early for CSP partners

Accelerate AI application development with SQL Server 2025—available for purchase on December 17, 2025 for Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) partners.

  • Date: December 15, 2025
  • Workspace: General
  • Impacted audience: Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) partners

We announced the general availability of SQL Server 2025 at Microsoft Ignite in November, and now CSP partners can purchase it starting December 17, 2025, ahead of the January 2026 price list. With this early availability, you can get a head start on renewals and migrations, positioning your business as a trusted advisor for customers planning their next data platform upgrade.

What this means for you and your customers:

  • No price change: Pricing remains the same as SQL Server 2022, so you can confidently plan offers and bundles.
  • Transition timeline: SQL Server 2022 will reach End of Sale on January 21, 2026. Customers can purchase SQL Server 2022 until January 20, 2026, and both SQL Server 2022 and 2025 versions will be available in the January price list.

Next steps

  • Explore the SQL Server 2025 announcement for a complete overview of the latest product updates and AI-powered capabilities.
  • Start planning renewals and migrations now. Review your customer base and identify SQL Server upgrade opportunities.
  • Prepare for End of Sale. Ensure customers who need new SQL Server 2022 subscriptions purchase them before January 21, 2026.

Local currency price adjustments for Microsoft’s Commercial Cloud

Effective February 1, 2026, Microsoft will be adjusting prices for its Commercial Cloud services to more closely align with global levels.

  • Date: December 12, 2025
  • Workspace: General
  • Impacted audience: Commercial (including worldwide commercial public sector), education and non-profit

Effective February 1, 2026, Microsoft will be adjusting prices for its Commercial Cloud services to more closely align with global levels in the following currencies: Swiss Franc (CHF), Danish Krone (DKK), Euro (EUR), Norwegian Krone (NOK), and Swedish Krona (SEK).

This ensures that customers across different geographies and currencies experience consistent pricing regionally. No on-premises software pricing is adjusted.

Effective Date: February 1, 2026 (price list preview January 1)

Local Currency % Price Adjustment:

Pricing Currency Cloud % Adjustment* On-premises % Adjustment
Swiss Franc (CHF) -9.5% None
Danish Krone (DKK) -7.4% None
Euro (EUR) -7.4% None
Norwegian Krone (NOK) -7.2% None
Swedish Krona (SEK) -13.5% None

Percentage changes for individual SKUs might vary slightly from these percentages due to pricing calculations and rounding rules.

Next steps

For more information, read the announcement blog.

Questions

If you have questions, submit a support ticket via the Partner Center support page. 

Introducing the Microsoft Sentinel prepurchase plan

Unlock new margins and customer value with the Microsoft Sentinel prepurchase plan.

  • Date: December 10, 2025
  • Workspace: General
  • Impacted audience: Cloud Solution Provider distributors, indirect resellers, direct bill partners

Through the Microsoft Sentinel prepurchase plan (P3), you can get Microsoft Sentinel precommit units (CUs) at a discounted rate. This gives you the opportunity to help more customers protect data and minimize risk.

  • Predictable pricing: Annual prepurchases can better align with buying cycles and reduce spend variability.
  • Significant savings: Save 44% when you buy a 5k CUs' plan for Microsoft Sentinel. Plus, unlock up to 73% (exact discount saving percentage varies depending on region pricing and the commitment tier in use) savings when you use it with commitment tiers.
  • Maximize Microsoft Sentinel savings: Eligible Microsoft Sentinel retail costs automatically deduct first from Microsoft Sentinel CUs, thereby maximizing savings.

Next steps

Check out the available resources, including an FAQ, partner pitch deck, and transaction guide, to get started. 

Smarter referral submissions are here

Smarter referral submissions are here! Enhanced with intelligent prompts for accuracy, delivering faster processing and boosting seller engagement launching in Partner Center this January.

  • Date: December 2, 2025
  • Updated: December 9, 2005
  • Workspace: General
  • Impacted audience: All Microsoft co-sell partners who submit referrals via Partner Center UI for SMEC and Enterprise opportunities.

Driving Partner Success with a Smarter Referral Experience

Partner Center delivers an automated referral qualification process that accelerates opportunity creation and strengthens seller engagement. By streamlining prequalification checks and ensuring completeness upfront during the referral submission process, partners benefit from faster processing, and improved data quality.

These enhancements enable real-time insights, quality scoring, and intelligent routing, helping partners create high-value opportunities with confidence.

What’s coming to Partner Center?

There's a phased approach to the launch of the referral submission enhancements:

  • Smart prompts to validate BANT by improving missing or low-quality details, resulting in stronger referrals.
  • AI-driven smart prompts to help articulate Customer Need—improving relevance and reducing time spent typing.
  • Suggestions for using Campaign ID to improve deal tracking for Microsoft-hosted campaigns.
  • Enhanced experience that suggests product names as you begin typing in the list.

Note

Phase 1 enhancements are focused on the Partner Center UI. No changes to the referral submission process via bulk upload and APIs.

Phase 1 (available – Jan 2026)

Inbound co-sell referrals will now undergo automated completeness checks as part of the enhanced submission experience. This update introduces validation to ensure only high-quality referrals progress, without requiring any more action from partners.

Key features:

  • Estimated deal value: Must be realistic; placeholder values like "0 USD" or “00 million” triggers a warning.
  • Estimated close date: Must be a future date; past dates or those within the next seven days are invalid.
  • Customer need: Must be clearly defined, including product/service need and business context. AI-based autonotes generation is available.
  • Customer contact information: Valid contact details must be provided, or partners must select the consent checkbox to share information later.

Additional information:

  • General availability: planned for January 2026
  • Partner Center Learn documentation
  • No partner action required, changes are embedded in the submission flow

Next steps

Questions

If you have any questions, submit a support ticket via the Partner Center Support page.

Marketplace Intent field mandatory for co-sell referrals via API & connectors

Marketplace Intent field mandatory for co-sell referrals via API and connectors.

  • Date: December 9, 2025
  • Workspace: General
  • Impacted audience: Partners using API integrations and enablers

Starting January 5, 2026, we’re introducing an enhancement to improve the co-sell inbound referral submission experience. All API-based referral submissions include the Marketplace Intent field as a required component. This change ensures greater consistency and better data quality.

The Marketplace Intent field becomes a required field for all IP co-sell referral submissions made via API in Partner Center. This change aligns API-based submissions with other submission channels and ensures referrals are complete and consistent.

  • Accepted values: Yes, No, Have not decided

Next steps

  • Ensure that referrals submitted via the API workflows include the Marketplace Intent field, starting January 5, 2026, for a smooth co-sell experience.
  • Contact your partner support team if you need assistance with API updates.
  • Communicate changes to the relevant teams within your organization.

Strengthen your security posture and maintain CSP authorization

Take action now to improve your security score and build trust with customers.

  • Date: December 8, 2025
  • Workspace: General
  • Impacted audience: Indirect resellers

Details

Meeting Microsoft mandatory security requirements helps you reduce risk, demonstrate reliability to customers, and maintain your Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) partner authorization. Annual validation of security requirements begins January 2026, so take these key steps to stay secure and authorization-ready:

  • Provide a monitored security contact in Partner Center and keep contact information current to ensure timely communication.
  • Enable multifactor authentication (MFA) for all in-scope users with administrative roles.
  • Review and limit privileged roles regularly and remove inactive accounts.

Next steps

Learn how to improve your security posture using the Security workspace for indirect resellers One-pager.

Track your progress on security requirements in the security workspace, a centralized platform within Partner Center that offers dashboards, alerts, and statistics that you can harness to boost security.

Access more tips and tools to strengthen your security and maintain authorization:

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: December 5, 2025
  • Workspace: Membership
  • Impacted audience: Partners enrolled in the Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Program

Summary

This month’s updates continue to enhance partner differentiation and readiness across high-demand solution areas. Key changes include specialization updates that integrate AI capabilities, revised skilling and performance requirements, and streamlined qualification frameworks to support partner growth and agility.

Details

The Accelerate Developer Productivity with Microsoft Azure specialization has been renamed to the Agentic DevOps with Microsoft Azure and GitHub specialization. Additionally, the performance requirements for this specialization have changed. These changes were made to better align the specialization to the Agentic DevOps business.

Key changes
  • Performance: The ACR requirement now must be met from a specific set of sub-strategic pillars: Azure DevOps, GitHub Copilot, GitHub Platform, and/or Microsoft Dev Box
  • Performance: The requirements for a total of $30,000 ACR from the past three months from three customers remain unchanged
  • Performance: The Microsoft Sales Experience (MSX) engagement requirement has been removed

Partners should visit Partner Center to review their current qualification status and prepare for the updated requirements.

The Build AI Apps with Microsoft Azure Specialization has been renamed to the AI Apps on Microsoft Azure Specialization. Additionally, the performance requirements for this specialization have changed. These changes were made to better align the specialization to the AI Apps business.

Key changes

  • Performance: The ACR requirement now must be met from an updated set of strategic pillars for each of the three categories:

    • Microsoft Foundry strategic pillars: Rest of Azure AI, Azure OpenAI, third Party (3P) GPU

    • Azure Application Platform services strategic pillars: App Platform Services, Container Services, Serverless and Supporting App Services, Integration Services, Developer Services and Platform, GitHub Copilot

    • Azure Data Platform strategic pillars: Modern Database (DB), MySQL and PostgreSQL PaaS, Azure SQL Core, Fabric F SKU

Performance: The requirements for a total of $15,000 from the past three months from each group of products remains unchanged.

Performance: The three unique customers contributing to Azure Consumed Revenue (ACR) in the last three months, but come from the updated combined list of strategic pillars

Next steps

Partners should visit Partner Center to review their current qualification status and prepare for the updated requirements.

Now live: Microsoft 365 Copilot Business SKUs, bundles, and promotions

Empower SMB customers with AI productivity—and unlock new revenue streams for your business.

  • Date: December 4, 2025
  • Workspace: General
  • Impacted audience: All CSP partners: distributors, indirect resellers, direct bill partners, scale solution providers (SSPs).

As of December 1, 2025, new Microsoft 365 Copilot Business SKUs, bundles, and promotional offers are available in Partner Center. These additions unlock AI-powered productivity for SMB customers and create fresh opportunities for CSP partners to drive renewals and accelerate growth.

About Copilot Business

Copilot Business delivers the same AI-powered productivity features as the current Copilot SKU at a more accessible price point for SMBs:

  • Price: 21.00 USD per user/month, for up to 300 users
  • Requires: Microsoft 365 Business Basic, Standard, or Premium license

Customers can tap into Copilot in core Microsoft 365 apps for everyday productivity, use work-grounded AI chat, and create agents that automate business processes. By bringing Copilot Business to SMBs, you’re supporting how they transform with AI while strengthening your role as their trusted advisor.

Convenience bundles for renewals

With three streamlined bundles, you can simplify conversations and drive Copilot adoption for Microsoft 365 renewals:

  • Business Basic + Copilot Business: Basic + 21.00 USD
  • Business Standard + Copilot Business: 30.50 USD per user/month at list (for example Standard + 21.00 USD)
  • Business Premium + Copilot Business: 43.00 USD per user/month at list (for example Premium + 21.00 USD)

New promotions for Copilot Business

From December 1, 2025, to March 31, 2026, take advantage of limited-time offers to accelerate adoption during renewal conversations:

  • Standalone Copilot Business (21 USD): 15% off, 1–300 licenses
  • Business Standard + Copilot Business bundle: 35% off, 10–300 licenses
  • Business Premium + Copilot Business bundle: 25% off, 10–300 licenses
  • Microsoft Purview suite add-on for Business Premium: 50% off for a security-forward offer

Use these promotions to simplify sales motions and create compelling upgrade paths for SMB customers.

Promo eligibility criteria

The following applies to new purchases and renewals within CSP new commerce:

  • License minimums:
    • Standalone Copilot Business: 1-license minimum
    • Bundles: 10-license minimum
  • License maximum: 300 licenses per customer tenant
  • Customers must have an active Microsoft 365 Business Basic, Standard, or Premium subscription for Copilot Business eligibility.
  • Promotions can't be combined with other global or regional offers.

Review the Global Promotion Readiness guide for complete terms and conditions.

Next steps

Here’s how to capitalize on this opportunity with SMB customers:

  • Use Microsoft CloudAscent and targeting signals for your renewal campaigns.
  • Explore the partner playbook to learn more about offers and pricing.
  • Review the partner FAQ for details on terms and conditions.
  • Download the launch kit for content to use in customer conversations.
  • Read the blog for more details on the CSP renewal opportunity with Microsoft 365 Copilot Business.

Pricing and packaging updates for commercial Microsoft 365 suites coming in 2026

Microsoft 365 pricing and packaging updates are coming in 2026. Start renewal conversations now to lock in current pricing and drive upsells.

  • Date: December 4, 2025
  • Workspace: General
  • Impacted audience: CSP partners (distributors, indirect resellers, direct bill partners, scale solution providers, global/regional systems integrators)

At Microsoft, we continually evolve and improve our solutions to keep pace with work transformation, delivering consistent value and empowering our customers to remain productive, protected, and prepared for what's next.

Today, we announced expanded availability of security and management capabilities to the commercial Microsoft 365 suites starting in 2026. Along with these added features, there will be a global price update to these suites across all purchasing channels effective July 1, 2026.

Price increases will apply to new and renewing customers starting July 1, 2026. Existing customers on commercial Microsoft 365 subscriptions impacted by the price increase will see the new prices at their next renewal after July 1, 2026.

This is a key moment for Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) partners to accelerate renewals and upgrades—and for scale solution providers to drive Enterprise Agreement upgrade decisions—ahead of the price increase.

  • Customers who renew before July 1 can lock in current pricing and ensure business continuity.
  • The pricing change opens the door for upsell motions to Microsoft 365 E3/E5 and Microsoft 365 Business + Microsoft 365 Copilot at renewal—increasing both customer value and your margins—ahead of July 1, 2026.

In fact, Microsoft internal data shows that the revenue recapture rate is 20% higher for timely renewals compared to late renewals. As you begin your renewal and upsell efforts, use our available incentives, promotions, and offers for Microsoft 365 E3 and E5—as well as Microsoft 365 Copilot Business bundles and promotions—so your customers can adopt and unlock the value of AI faster.

Successful renewal efforts can take up to three months, so now’s the time to start the conversation with your customers to lock in price savings, showcase the enhanced value of Microsoft 365, and lead more AI transformations in a growing market.

Next steps

  • Learn more about the price and packaging changes effective July 1, 2026.
  • Join the CSP Marketing Moment Episode 6: Maximize Microsoft 365 Renewals (option 1 and option 2) for the latest partner guidance and GTM resources.
  • Review upcoming renewals and prioritize high-propensity accounts for upsell paths to Microsoft E3 and E5 or Copilot Business with Microsoft CloudAscent.
  • Download the partner launch kit (including a partner FAQ, sales guidance deck, customer OFT, and customer pitch decks) on the CSP partner page to prepare for upcoming renewal and upsell conversations.

Access Security Copilot with Microsoft 365 E5

Beginning on November 18, 2025, Security Copilot is available to Microsoft 365 E5 customers, along with 12 new agents to boost security workflows.

  • Date: December 3, 2025
  • Workspace: General
  • Impacted audience: Enterprise Partner Solution team and Global Channel Partner Sales team

Details

During Microsoft Ignite, we announced that we're bringing 12 new Microsoft-built agents across Microsoft Defender, Microsoft Entra, Intune, and Purview to empower smarter security workflows for everything from data security to endpoint management. As part of this exciting new development, Microsoft Security Copilot will be made available to Microsoft 365 E5 customers to make these agents easily accessible and help security teams get started more quickly.

Rollout began on November 18 for existing Security Copilot customers with E5 and will expand to all E5 customers in the following months. Customers will receive a 30-day advanced notice before activation. Partners already using Security Copilot with their E5 subscription will receive this benefit at no extra cost.

Why this matters

Whether you use Security Copilot internally or for managing customer security, agentic AI is a value-add for you and your customers, offering enhanced protection through AI-driven automation. Your security teams benefit from cutting-edge capabilities that adapt to the evolving security landscape, and these agents are built into the everyday tools your customers use. No extra licenses, subscriptions, or setup are required, making it a seamless experience.

Next steps

Billing for standalone Security Copilot stops automatically once included in a tenant. You should confirm with your customers to prevent duplicated charges.

Get your partners ready for this transition by following these steps:

• Get more details on this transition by reviewing the FAQ on the Learn page.

• Use the to-customer email template to inform customers of this update, explain the impact, and guide them towards resources to better understand E5 and Security Copilot benefits.

​Microsoft Entra Internet Access for Government Community Cloud

Microsoft Entra Internet Access for GCC will be transactable on January 1, 2026.

  • Date: December 01, 2025
  • Workspace: General
  • Impacted audience: All Microsoft partners

Microsoft Entra Internet Access for GCC will be transactable on January 1, 2026.

Availability of Microsoft Entra Internet Access for GCC is delayed to January 1, 2026. The Microsoft Entra Internet Access for GCC currently on the December price list isn't transactable. This doesn't affect Microsoft Entra Private Access for GCC, which is now available.

Next steps

Complete purchases of Microsoft Entra Internet Access for GCC on or after January 1, 2026.

  • Last updated on