The six biggest takeaways from Microsoft Ignite that every SMB solution provider needs to know.

Want to know how the latest announcements from Microsoft Ignite will impact you? Fresh from attending the event, we’ve cut through the noise to pick out the six biggest takeaways most relevant for you and your customers right now.

Fresh from an enjoyable few days in snowy Chicago, the Exertis Cloud team is back in town after an engaging visit to Microsoft Ignite 2024. As you might expect from a flagship partner event, there were plenty of exciting updates across every area of the Microsoft portfolio.

If you were able to attend, you’ll probably relate to volume of announcements that came thick and fast through the three-day itinerary. Cutting through the noise to decipher the changes set to impact you and your customers most is no easy task. Fortunately, we’ve done the heavy lifting and after hotly debating all the news, we’ve pulled together a summary of the six biggest takeaways every SMB reseller or MSP needs to know.

1. Monthly Copilot pricing plans available next month

AI is everywhere across IT and technology right now, so it’s no surprise that Copilot was consistently top of the bill at Microsoft Ignite. Microsoft shared some interesting stats about the level of uptake to date, with 70% of Fortune 500 companies using the AI companion within their organisation.

But it isn’t just end customers who benefit. Microsoft’s own research suggests that partners are selling an average of 15 hours of services alongside every Copilot deployment, presenting a sizeable additional revenue opportunity for those well-enabled to support their customers.

To support this opportunity even further, Microsoft is introducing a new monthly payment plan for Copilot which it hopes will overcome some of the common objections around upfront investment. This will still require an annual commitment, but will allow businesses to pay for the tool on a monthly basis, spreading the cost to support cash flow.

2. Better access to Copilot training and enablement

Copilot undoubtedly presents an exciting and attractive opportunity for customers and solution providers alike, but realising its full potential is only possible when you have the knowledge and skills to identify and capitalise on new innovations. In a bid to support partner enablement, Microsoft is introducing a new AI@work CSP Insider program. This will provide partners with regular updates on new features and releases, as well as visibility of the upcoming product roadmap and technical guidance to support more complex deployments.

Microsoft is also offering some additional after sales support, with partners now able to access over two hours of complimentary, Microsoft-delivered end-user training for their customers. These resources cover everything from core functionality across M365 apps, to best practice steps for common use cases.

3. All eyes on Azure

It wasn’t only Copilot taking centre stage. Cloud migration and Azure adoption were among the major talking points at Microsoft Ignite, and one of the most eye-catching was the launch of Azure AI Foundry. This platform provides developers with access to a wide variety of models, services and capabilities to help them create customised generative AI platforms on enterprise-grade infrastructure, and move from proof of concept into full productive apps at speed.

There were also some interesting updates away from Gen AI that will be of real interest to those targeting the SMB space, one of which was a new SMB pricing model. This has been specifically geared around workloads and modified virtual machine usage calculations that better reflect typical SMB usage patterns. The introduction of simplified deployment frameworks has also significantly reduced technical complexity, making Azure more approachable for smaller organisations.

Another notable announcement focused on Azure Essentials, a comprehensive program that has been created to help organisations maximise on their Azure investments. This includes access to comprehensive best practice guides, Microsoft training resources and reference architectures. By bringing these resources together within a single platform, alongside direct access to support form Microsoft experts, its hoped that businesses can improve the reliability, security and performance of cloud, and more importantly, investments in AI.

4. Additional MFA enforcement on the horizon

You’ll likely already be aware of the recent mandatory enforcement of MFA for several of Microsoft’s admin portal, including Azure, Intune and Entra. However, this is just the beginning and the message from Microsoft is clear – attackers aren’t breaking into your systems, they are logging in. Identity attacks and phishing were two of the four biggest cyber threats highlighted, and MFA is a vital step to ensure company systems are properly secured.

The evidence suggests that MFA blocks 99.2% of account compromise attacks, which is why it’s now set to be rolled out to other parts of the Microsoft portfolio including the M365 admin portal, Azure Mobile app, as well as Azure CLI and PowerShell.

This rollout will take place later in 2025, but it’s important to start conversations with your customers now to ensure they are ready for the changes and can conduct any necessary account hygiene steps ahead of time.

5. CSP renewals should be on your radar

With the previous move from CSP to NCE, and the requirement for 12-month subscription commitments, upcoming renewals for products such as M365 have becoming hugely important in recent years.

And while this has shifted slightly with the recent addition of partner-to-partner transfers within NCE, renewal dates should still be seen as an important milestone. Microsoft revealed at Ignite that 45% of current CSP subscriptions are set to renew between January and March. On average it takes 90 days to plan and execute on a renewal cycle, as well as any additional upsells, so the time to act really is now. This is especially prevalent for those with M365 and O365 E subscriptions, who will need to renew inside NCE for the first time and can take advantage of an introductory promo offer before the end of December.

6. New Azure and Security SMB designation on the way

Following initial details released in March, Microsoft used Ignite to reveal more information about its revised Azure and Security SMB partner paths. Due to be released in 2025, these designations are part of a wider commitment from Microsoft to invest in small-to-medium sized partners, and significantly reduce the bar for Solution Partner designation beyond the level currently outlined in the Enterprise path.

For Azure, the designation threshold still sits at 3 net new customers, but drops to an average monthly spend of $500 rather than $1000. You’ll only require a single certified team member to qualify, with either an intermediate or advanced certification. Usage growth is also assessed but remains at the same requirements as Enterprise designations.

In terms of the Security path, this again sees a lowering of the bar for SMB Solution Partner designation, with up to 5 new tenants required with either 5-300 protected seats in M365, or more than $600 monthly Azure spend. As with the Azure path, the designation only requires a single certified team member with an intermediate certification. Net new deployments of 5-300 M365 seats, or an Azure spend of between $750-12,000 will also contribute, with up to 6 required to achieve the designation.

Whether you’re looking to support your customers with a Copilot deployment, want a helping hand unlocking additional enablement or training resources, or require some expert guidance to help migrate your SMB customer to Azure, our skilled and knowledgeable team is ready to help.