Monthly Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Program update
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What’s new for Solutions Partner designations, specializations, and other Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Program offerings and benefits.
- Impacted audience
- Partners enrolled in the Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Program
Partner Marketing Center - New AI-Powered Marketing Platform
Drive faster, smarter go-to-market execution with AI-driven customization, automated campaign activation, and real-time performance tracking. Launch solution play–aligned campaigns in minutes and optimize results with actionable insights—all in one intuitive platform.
This new benefit replaces the existing Partner Go‑To‑Market (GTM) Toolbox. The Partner Marketing Center is available for all offers that previously included GTM Toolbox, ISV Success Renewal, Partner Launch, and Partner Success Core. The benefit will be available to all eligible partners starting 13 February.
All partners currently using GTM Toolbox will be transitioned to the Partner Marketing Center, and partners who purchase an offer that earlier included the GTM Toolbox benefit will now automatically be upgraded to the Partner Marketing Center – New AI‑Powered Marketing Platform.
Workspace: Benefits
Key Changes:
- Partner Go‑To‑Market (GTM) Toolbox is being upgraded to Partner Marketing Center – New AI‑Powered Marketing Platform.
- There will be a 24‑hour provisioning delay for this marketing benefit after offer purchase.
- The following free MAICPP benefits are consolidated into a single experience under Partner Marketing Center – Downloadable Marketing Campaigns:
- Partner Marketing Center
- Digital Marketing Content OnDemand (DMC)
- Geo Expansion Readiness Assessment
Changes to Specializations and Solutions Partner Designations
The performance and skilling requirements for the SAP on Microsoft Azure specialization were updated as of January 16, 2025. Microsoft updated this specialization to make it more accessible for a broader range of partners.
Key changes:
- Lower ACR threshold: the Azure Consumed Revenue (ACR) requirement decreased from $30,000 to $7,500, totaled over three months.
- Streamlined skilling validation: Partners are able to validate required Microsoft learning coursework directly within Partner Center, removing the need to do so in the third-party audit. Skilling requirements can be met through either:
- Three (3) individuals passing the Azure for SAP Workloads Specialty certification OR
- Three (3) individuals passing the Run SAP on the Microsoft Cloud learning path
The skilling requirements for the Microsoft Azure VMware Solution specialization were updated as of January 16, 2025. Microsoft updated this specialization to make it easier to obtain.
Key changes:
- Technical Assessment removed: the Azure VMware Solutions (AVS) Technical assessment requirement are removed from the skilling requirements.
- Broadcom Certification requirements removed: the Broadcom certification requirements are also removed, which were previously checked as a portion of the audit.
As of February 6, 2025, Microsoft expanded the list of eligible workloads for the Modern Work Solutions Partner designation, giving partners more pathways to qualify for and attain the designation, stand out in the market, unlock benefits, and earn specializations.
To view the complete list of eligible workloads, see: Solutions Partner for Modern Work.
As of February 6, 2025, Microsoft made an adjustment to the customer growth calculation for the Modern Work and Security Solutions Partner designations. A customer’s growth from the SMB path to the Enterprise path no longer negatively impact partners’ SMB-path performance. As a result, partners may see an increase in net customer adds, deployments, and usage growth metrics associated with the Modern Work and Security Designations on the SMB path.
This update has been applied automatically, and no partner action is required.
Partners on the SMB path for Business Applications or Azure designations aren't impacted by this update, as this change is only applicable to Modern Work and Security Designations.
Visit Partner Center to review any updated scoring for Modern Work and Security Solutions Partner Designations on the SMB path.
Coming soon
In mid-February 2026, Specialization percentage growth calculations round to the nearest percent. This means that a partner with a growth rate of 34.52% will round to 35%. This will positively impart partners in meeting the performance criteria for the following specializations:
- Microsoft Low Code Application Development
- Intelligent Automation
- Business Intelligence
- Small and Midsize Business Management
- Adoption and Change Management
- Teamwork Deployment
Specializations: Frequently Asked Questions
To help partners more easily find answers to common questions related to Azure Specializations, we’ve published the FAQ in the Specializations overview.
This FAQ brings together guidance on common procedural articles such as scheduling, eligibility scenarios, and what to expect at different stages of the specialization process. It's intended to complement existing documentation and help partners quickly self-serve answers without needing to open a support request.
We encourage you to review the FAQ before submitting questions, as it addresses many of the scenarios that commonly come up during specialization planning and execution.