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Latest Updates to the Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Program

Monday, January 13, 2025
Reading time: 5 minutes

Microsoft is continuously enhancing its AI Cloud Partner Program (MAICPP) to better support its partners. Here’s a breakdown of the latest updates and what they mean for you.

Briefly before the updates, the MAICPP is structured into several steps, starting with the  Solution Partner Designation. To achieve this designation, partners must earn at least 70 points across five subcategories:

  • Net customer add
  • Intermediate certifications
  • Advanced certifications
  • Usage growth
  • Deployment

Only cloud revenue counts towards these points. Once partners achieve the Solution Partner Designation, they can pursue Specialization (read our ebook “Maintaining profitability through Specialization” to know what you need to do to acquire a Specialization and how Companial can facilitate it).

Licensing Incentives

Microsoft has detailed the licensing incentives available to partners, particularly for Dynamics 365. These incentives are divided into three areas:
  • Core
  • Global strategic product accelerators
  • Customer add incentives
Partners can earn up to 34.75% in incentives for new customer acquisitions and usage growth. However, starting April 2025, only new commerce subscriptions will qualify for these incentives.

Co-op Opportunities

Microsoft allocates 40% of incentives to co-op funds, which partners can use for marketing, partner skilling, and market development activities. Partners must claim these funds by specific deadlines, and any unclaimed funds above $10,000 will be forfeited. Companial Partners can use their co-op funds for Companial Learning Journeys.

Promotions and Discounts

Several ongoing promotions are available to support partners:
  • Business Central New Customer Promotion: Offers a 10% discount on Business Central essentials and premium licenses for customers who already have Microsoft 365 Business Standard or Premium subscriptions.
  • Microsoft 365 Copilot: A 15% discount on annual subscriptions is available until April 1, 2025.

Upcoming Changes

Starting January 2025, partners will no longer be able to purchase the Action Pack or renew existing silver or gold competencies. Instead, they must achieve the Solution Partner Designation to qualify for incentives and benefits. Additionally, Microsoft announced updates to the partner benefit packages, with new internal use rights becoming available from January 2025.

These updates reflect Microsoft’s commitment to enhancing its partner ecosystem by providing clear pathways for growth and development. Partners are encouraged to review the detailed benefit guides and take advantage of the available promotions to maximize their opportunities within the Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Program.

If you are already a Companial Partner, you can watch the full webinar recording for more information or register for the License and Partner Program Update webinar series. If not, we encourage you to learn more about Companial Membership and how you can benefit from it.

Martina Rankenburg
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