Microsoft Ignite 2024 Updates and Exclusive Insights for Partner Growth
Estimated Read Time: 5 minutes
Intended Audience: Microsoft Partners
The AI Revolution is Strong
Microsoft Ignite 2024 spotlighted AI as the catalyst shaping the future of business. With nearly 70% of the Fortune 500 now using Microsoft 365 Copilot, AI adoption is accelerating rapidly. This growth unlocks significant market opportunities, as Microsoft equips its partners to leverage cutting-edge AI innovations and drive success.
Custom AI Solutions with Copilot Studio
Azure AI Lays the Foundation for Partner-Led Innovation
Microsoft’s commitment to providing a robust AI platform was evident with the introduction of Azure AI Foundry. Formerly known as Azure AI Studio, this unified toolkit accelerates AI solution development by integrating Microsoft’s AI services into a cohesive platform, simplifying the creation and deployment of AI models. Additionally, Microsoft showcased significant enhancements to Azure AI, offering tools that allow partners to stay competitive and innovative.
Key Features of Azure AI for Partners:
- Access cutting-edge capabilities, including GPT-4 and the new Phi-3 small language models.
- Utilize vector search in Azure AI Search and Models as a Service (MaaS) to deploy scalable, customized AI solutions.
- Modernize without disruptions with Azure’s robust infrastructure providing seamless support.
Productivity and Partner Opportunities with Microsoft 365 Copilot
Microsoft 365 continues to evolve with AI-powered tools that boost productivity and open new doors for partners. As of December 1st, 2024, Partners now have the flexibility of monthly billing for annual Copilot licenses, making the solution more accessible for clients. Additionally, beginning January 1, 2025, Microsoft is introducing a 15% discount on Microsoft 365 E5 subscriptions, offering more value to clients and encouraging broader adoption of Microsoft’s premium suite.
To further strengthen its commitment, Microsoft is extending Copilot Copyright Commitment protections to resellers, ensuring that partners are safeguarded as they deliver value through AI solutions. These changes align with Microsoft’s vision to empower partners in the AI era by expanding opportunities across customer engagement, commerce, and incentives.
Inspired by Satya Nadella’s keynote, Microsoft envisions a “tapestry of Copilot agents,” creating an agentic world where tailored AI solutions revolutionize how businesses operate. This futuristic concept is now a reality, with Copilot integrated across Microsoft 365 to align with the way users work.
Opportunities for Partners:
- Educate clients on maximizing AI features like intelligent meeting recaps and email drafting within Teams and Outlook. Microsoft provides a Copilot Success Kit to assist partners in guiding customers through the adoption process.
- Create value-added integrations that connect Copilot to existing business systems. With the introduction of Copilot Studio, partners can develop AI agents tailored to specific client needs, enhancing efficiency.
- Demonstrate the power of Copilot to drive adoption and long-term client engagement. By showcasing Copilot’s capabilities, partners can deepen client relationships and build loyalty.
Enhanced Partner Benefits Launching in 2025
Starting January 22, 2025, Microsoft’s revamped partner benefits packages are set to empower partners at every stage of their journey. With three tiers of benefits tailored to meet diverse needs, these updates equip partners with the tools and resources necessary to accelerate growth and deliver exceptional solutions.
- Launch Benefits ($13.7k+ value): Designed for new partners, this package lays the groundwork for success. It includes up to five users across nine essential software products, $700 in Azure credits, and key tools like Microsoft 365 Business Premium, Dynamics 365 Business Central and Sales Enterprise, and Visual Studio Professional.
- Success Core Benefits ($62k+ value): Recommended for partners aiming to grow their cloud and AI practice, this tier offers advanced resources to expand your offerings. Partners gain access to $2,400 Azure credits, technical presales and deployment hours, and technical consultations.
- Success Expanded Benefits ($390.8k+ value): For high-performing partners, this premium package delivers in-demand benefits and tools, with $4,000 in Azure credits, unlimited technical presales, and deployment hours. It’s an ideal solution for partners transitioning from legacy silver and gold benefits, offering the tools needed to lead in their industries.
Microsoft is also rolling out the Partner Center AI Assistant, a preview tool designed to enhance partner efficiency. By leveraging natural language interaction, this assistant simplifies navigation of the Partner Center, providing insights into membership, billing, earnings, and account management. Partners can access this tool via the Partner Center dashboard, enabling quicker, data-driven decision-making.
These benefits reflect Microsoft’s commitment to driving partner success through innovation, resources, and support, ensuring every partner has the opportunity to grow and excel.
Marketplace Enhancements
- Marketplace now supports three private offer types:
- CSP Private Offers enable partners to scale globally, maintain customer billing relationships, and provide comprehensive solutions. These offers support two-tier selling models, allowing CSPs to serve both direct and indirect resellers.
- Multiparty Private Offers (MPO) have expanded availability to the US, Canada, and the UK, empowering partners to unlock larger deals by combining ISV and partner solutions. These offers help partners capitalize on customers’ Azure consumption commitments by aligning with pre-committed budgets.
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- Private Offers allow ISVs and service providers to transact their professional services through the Marketplace. This enables partners to offer complete solutions while simplifying invoicing and payment.
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- As part of the Marketplace Rewards program, propensity scoring is a new benefit that uses Microsoft’s customer data and machine learning models to rank potential customers by their likelihood to convert. Partners submit target lists, which are scored as high, medium, or low propensity. These insights help partners prioritize sales efforts, focusing on high-propensity leads to optimize time and resources. Combined with Azure Sponsorship credits, this feature has been a powerful sales accelerator for ISVs, supporting POCs, trials, and customer incentives.
Security Grows as a Priority and Revenue Opportunity
At Ignite 2024, Microsoft showcased significant advancements in Microsoft Security Copilot, designed to address the increasingly complex threat landscape. Building on the Secure Future Initiative (SFI), Microsoft has made security the top priority across the organization, embedding its principles of secure by design, secure by default, and secure operations. With 34,000 engineers dedicated to this mission, Security Copilot continues to revolutionize how organizations manage and mitigate risks.
Key innovations include Copilot integrations with Purview, Entra, and Intune, enabling streamlined Data Loss Prevention analysis, actionable identity protection insights, and enhanced device management. Security Copilot also unifies threat intelligence, automating repetitive tasks and prioritizing high-risk incidents through new Logic Apps workflows. Over 15 new plugins expand its functionality, offering advanced threat detection and network insights.
These enhancements equip partners to deliver scalable, efficient security solutions tailored to evolving client needs. By leveraging Security Copilot, partners can strengthen their offerings and help clients navigate an increasingly complex cybersecurity landscape with confidence.
Navigate Microsoft Ignite 2024
With over 200+ announcements rolled out at Microsoft Ignite, we understand it can be overwhelming. Fret not—our team at Maven is always at the forefront of Microsoft updates. We’ve helped hundreds of Microsoft Partners succeed with our deep knowledge and expertise in the Microsoft ecosystem.
Contact us today to explore how we can help you leverage these innovations and achieve your growth goals this FY’25 and beyond.
