---
title: Your October 5th Microsoft Monday briefing by Partner1
description: Stay updated with key changes in the Microsoft ecosystem, including certification updates, new programs, and essential deadlines for partners.
---

[Activate Your Partner Ecosystem](https://www.partner1.io/partner-blog)

# [Your October 5th Microsoft Monday briefing by Partner1](https://www.partner1.io/partner-blog/your-october-5th-microsoft-monday-briefing-by-partner1)

 Written by [Juhi Saha](https://www.partner1.io/partner-blog/author/juhi-saha) | Oct 7, 2026, 9:17:45 AM

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

Q1 FY27 just ended. We've been talking a lot about incentives, and they finally went live this past week, alongside all of the October changes we've been talking about for the last couple of months. Copilot Business usage-based billing dates also changed for the second time. If you're a software company that was previously enrolled in ISV Success, congratulations! You've been upgraded to Frontier Accelerate for Marketplace Premium through your renewal date. We're sharing a few key updates from the full list that our clients get in real-time.

**Bonus:** Partner1's [Microsoft Marketplace Assessment](https://assessments.partner1.io/msft-mkpl) helps you benchmark your current marketplace motion against Microsoft's FY27 framework in seconds!

**NOW**

- Frontier Accelerate for Marketplace is officially live as of last week! This unifies ISV Success, Marketplace Rewards and other programs for ISVs and moves companies through three pillars. There's a free tier and a paid premium tier. If you were already enrolled in ISV Success, you've been upgraded to the premium tier through the remainder of your enrollment period.
- Marketplace GTM got a content refresh and multi-party private offers continue to expand globally, expanding to Hong Kong. It's clear that Marketplace is where Microsoft is focusing ion this FY and channel-led selling through resale enabled offers and multiparty private offers is top of mind. I did a session with [Jason Rook](https://www.linkedin.com/in/jrook/) on your channel-led sales playbook - check it out and the assets [here](https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/event/Marketplacecommunityeventscalendar/the-marketplace-playbook-for-channel-led-sales/4478922?afd_azwaf_tok=eyJraWQiOiJBQTFBOUFGMTM1QUU0NDI0RDgyN0I1M0MwOUYyRDA4N0JCRTQxMjRENDE4MDNFMzY5NkYwMUYwQjk2NUU4RTUzIiwiYWxnIjoiUlMyNTYifQ.eyJhdWQiOiJ0ZWNoY29tbXVuaXR5Lm1pY3Jvc29mdC5jb20iLCJleHAiOjE3ODk3NjU3ODcsImlhdCI6MTc4OTc2NTc3NywiaXNzIjoidGllcjEtNTRjNDdiOTljNC1ra3dsOSIsInN1YiI6IjM3LjE5LjE5Ni4yMDgiLCJkYXRhIjp7InR5cGUiOiJpc3N1ZWQiLCJyZWYiOiIyMDI2MDkxOFQyMTA5MzdaLTE1NGM0N2I5OWM0a2t3bDloQzFJQURkYmtuMDAwMDAwMmdmZzAwMDAwMDAwMXJocCIsImIiOiJZdWxkV1pha0dSSVE5Y2x1eWxoMkMzLVVvY0pXVDhCZF9zUEthTTB4VE44IiwiaCI6IkxPbktoLU5iR2pBUVhzQ2hMaExtcHQ0QXdxU2w5T19IYTl6dkhZOXAtQlUifX0.lBF9AiQYWTOgBggqfbJ60aMr0-5OoI-bQsCzIb-iqk9K9lagf_ChPt62jRVZd__1siEOkSyNUX-B5c3lK5kuFO2I1KYfe7oPW2PGKkRTnPoNWeoxEWwF5X5S1tEaHE4W5LiE-7SIR8-kyge_jNmP4AkwSEi-8A8d_yCtITrpHsHJFsgFH1qKmF9rsOSs8_llptD24zl_OdHv03I4iVpkk7YoVrzo4RGnXSTuTJ_-027pg8vVTPjaaHOxZJLR1dpAVfHmwqrIwNbtoaSiyKYtokcBt84Oue3GvwCH9QqrRfGRKdM9tcXaD-nq8kwDzs-FDH8JAJnN0XHl59N2Q4VNkQ.WF3obl2IDtqgvMFRqVdYkD5s). If you're going to be at Ignite, we have an exciting update coming up for an in-person opportunity to build your channel-led sales motion. Stay tuned!

**October 13:** The AI Business solutions partner event will be centered around the new Copilot, and it's also end-of-life for Office, Project and Visio LTSC 2021 licenses.

**December 1:** Copilot Business usage-based billing as the default for new M365 Copilot Business licenses moved a month out to December 1, with the default cap remaining at 4,000 Copilot credits/user/month. Don't let your partners scramble in a month - set them (and yourselves) up for success by getting ahead of this change.

**The bigger picture**

It's Q2 FY27 and with it come enforcement of the changes Microsoft spelled out a quarter ago - live margins, new Marketplace programming and pathways and new billing models. Rather than sitting on the updates we've been sharing, it's time to start communicating them to customers and updating your sales and operational playbooks.

Take the [Microsoft Marketplace Assessment](https://assessments.partner1.io/msft-mkpl) 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®](https://www.linkedin.com/company/partner1-io/) is the premier partner activation firm built by former Microsoft executives. We help B2B companies grow profitably and globally through partner ecosystem-led growth.

If someone forwarded this to you, you can subscribe [here](https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/7062561705460912128/?displayConfirmation=true&lipi=urn%3Ali%3Apage%3Ad_flagship3_pulse_read%3Bls4ny6%2BRTlW%2F2kKFTt4qRQ%3D%3D) and follow us at [www.partner1.io](https://www.partner1.io/).

[View full post](https://www.partner1.io/partner-blog/your-october-5th-microsoft-monday-briefing-by-partner1)

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