Microsoft Partner Center Issues June 2026 Updates for Partners

Microsoft Partner Center issued its June updates today. Here is a summary:

Marketplace Rewards Azure Sponsorship Guidance Issued June 25

Marketplace Rewards partners received updated guidance on Azure sponsorship use cases on June 25.

• Azure sponsorships support customer deployments tied to Marketplace deals.

• Sponsorships also offset infrastructure costs for no-cost trials of eligible SaaS and Azure Application offers hosted on partner tenants.

• FY27 brings use case-specific allocations under Frontier Accelerate for Marketplace.

• Customer deployments receive a larger dedicated allocation.

• No-cost trials receive a smaller dedicated allocation.

• The new unified offering combines ISV Success, Marketplace Rewards, Azure IP co-sell, and Solutions Partner designations.

New Check Inventory by Resource Type API Now Available

A new Check Inventory by Resource Type API launched June 23. The existing Check Inventory API retires September 25, 2026.

• The new API requires a resourceType parameter such as VirtualMachines, SqlDatabases, or CosmosDb.

• It filters results by resource type to handle growing Azure service complexity.
• The response contract remains unchanged.

• Partners must migrate integrations to /v1/extensions/product/checkinventorybyresourcetype before September 25.

• Documentation lists supported resource types and usage examples.

Failure to migrate by the retirement date will break existing inventory checks.

Windows 365 GPU Enterprise Select 256 GB SKU Opens in CSP July 1

The Windows 365 GPU Enterprise Select 256 GB SKU becomes available for new Cloud Solution Provider purchases on July 1, 2026.

• A temporary CSP purchase limitation ends June 30.

• The SKU targets graphics-intensive workloads including design, visualization, and advanced development.

• CSP partners can now close opportunities paused during the limitation period.

• Partners should re-engage customers who expressed interest in high-performance Cloud PC configurations.

The full Windows 365 portfolio remains available to meet varied customer performance needs.

Updated Microsoft Partner Agreement Takes Effect December 1

Partners can preview the updated Microsoft Partner Agreement in Partner Center.

• For most partners the updated MPA takes effect automatically on December 1, 2026. No signature or acknowledgment is required.

• CSP direct bill and distributor partners in France must explicitly accept the updated terms in Partner Center between December 1, 2026, and February 28, 2027.

• An updated CSP Program Guide takes effect December 1, 2026, for all direct bill and distributor partners.

• Microsoft revised terms to reflect current business practices and to strengthen privacy, security, compliance, and transparency commitments.

Partners can review the updated MPA, a summary of changes, and the CSP Program Guide directly in Partner Center.

These updates require timely action from affected partners. Marketplace Rewards participants should align sponsorship usage with the new FY27 allocations. API users must complete migration before the September 25 retirement. CSP partners selling Windows 365 GPU SKUs can resume full sales activity July 1. All partners should review the updated MPA ahead of the December 1 effective date.