What's in a name? Your September 28 Microsoft Monday

We monitor the Microsoft ecosystem, so you don't have to.

Name changes can be seemingly innocuous, but not for the changes this week. Along with some pretty big name and product changes, there are also deadlines and incentives to keep in mind. We're sharing a few key updates from the full list that our clients get in real-time.

Bonus: Partner1's Microsoft Marketplace Assessment helps you benchmark your current marketplace motion against Microsoft's FY27 framework in seconds!

NOW:

• FY27 Growth accelerator: This accelerator now pays 12.5% on year over year incremental revenue, capped at $312,500 per customer tenant per lever. These are some pretty massive numbers, and layered in with the new Change of Channel Partner policy, it's clear that Microsoft is paying for net-new customer growth, instead of rewarding customers that CSP-hop. Focus on expanding seats and upselling Copilot inside your base instead of compete motions
• The old Copilot has a new look and feel: The copilot app is now a single super app with three modes: Home (Chat and Copilot Cowork with the full power of Office), Autopilot (or what used to be Scout) and Code, which is built on the same technology as GitHub Copilot.
• Frontier Accelerate for Marketplace Premium went live today. Keep an eye on your renewal date where you'll have to re-enroll and select which tier to enroll in - you've been automatically transitioned from older programs to this through your existing renewal date.

It's (almost) here: September 30: The promo cliff we've been talking about for weeks, for M365, Copilot, Security and Windows 365, hits THIS week.

Also September 30: Specializations Day in Partner Center: Frontier Partner opens for enrollment, Digital Sovereignty goes from manual to standard Partner Center enrollment, and the new Clinical Apps specialization goes live. Keep in mind that there have been significant changes to solutions areas, designations and specializations this FY, so if your strategy for solutions designations and specializations hasn't been updated since FY26, it's time to do so.

October 1: CSP software billed monthly gets a 5% uplift. Pull in any monthly-billed contracts now, or bake this cost into your pricing moving forward.

November 2: Copilot billing in CSP default goes usage-based. Don't forget that Copilot in 30 is now live in CSP through December 31st, a great way to trial Copilot with prospects and clients.

The big picture

This fiscal year, Microsoft is clearly prioritizing net-new growth and Copilot adoption, with programs being built around partners that can drive significant growth in areas that Microsoft has highlighted as priorities. Incentives and benefits are tied to these success metrics, so follow the incentives and plan for your business growth accordingly.

Take the Microsoft Marketplace Assessment to ensure your business is FY27-optimized and you're not leaving a single opportunity on the table.

This edition of Bits & Bytes covers the Microsoft partner ecosystem for CEOs, operators, and practice leaders. Partner1® is the premier partner activation firm built by former Microsoft executives. We help B2B companies grow profitably and globally through partner ecosystem-led growth.

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