Sales updates
Microsoft 365 E7: The Frontier Suite launch
Microsoft announces M365 E7: “The Frontier Suite”, a new bundle designed to bring AI, security, identity, and governance together in one platform. The idea behind it: organisations are moving from AI experimentation to AI at scale, where AI agents operate alongside employees. But those agents need the same governance, identity, and security controls as people.
- Microsoft 365 E7: Frontier Suite – launching 1 May 2026 at USD$99 per user/month
- Combines Microsoft 365 E5 + Copilot + the new Agent 365 platform
- Agent 365 acts as a control plane to observe, manage, and secure AI agents across the organization
- Built on Microsoft’s existing stack, including Entra, Defender, Intune, and Purview security capabilities
- Supports multiple AI models, including next-gen OpenAI models and Anthropic’s Claude
- Agent 365 will also be available as a standalone product
M365 Price Increases and new capabilities – 1 July 2026
Microsoft announced new AI, security, and management features coming to Microsoft 365 in 2026. To support these enhancements, global price adjustments will take effect on 1st July 2026. Nonprofit pricing will be adjusted in line with commercial pricing, as it is tied to commercial rates through a fixed percentage discount.
Price Increase
- M365 Business Basic – 16%
- M365 Business Standard – 12%
- M365 Business Premium – 0%
- M365 E3 – 8%
- M365 E5 – 5%
- M365 F1 – 33%
- M365 F3 – 25%
Microsoft Promotions
Microsoft 365 Copilot Business
- 15% discount (minimum 1; max 300)
- End date: 30 June 2026
Business Standard + Copilot Business
- 35% discount for new Copilot customers (minimum 10 licenses; max 300)
- End date: 30 June 2026
Business Premium + Copilot Business
- 25% (minimum 10 licenses; max 300)
- End date: 30 June 2026
Purview Suite for Business Premium
- 50% discount
- End date: 30 June 2026
Microsoft 365 Copilot
- 15% discount for new Copilot customers (minimum 10 licenses; max 2,400)
- End date: 30 June 2026
Microsoft 365 E5
- 15% off for net-new E5 customers
- End date: 30 June 2026
Microsoft 365 E3 & E5 3-Year
- 10% discount for new-to-offer customers committing to three-year terms (minimum 100 licenses).
- End date: 30 June 2026
Windows 365
- 20% discount for new Windows 365 customers (available monthly or annually)
- End date: 30 April 2026
Adjustment to Copilot Business Promo Offers
Microsoft has removed the “one-time only” restriction that previously caused some partners to delay purchasing Copilot Business until their renewal dates. Customers with renewals between now and 30 June 2026 can upgrade today and renew at the same discounted price.
Microsoft Copilot Business updates
As of 1 March 2026, Microsoft is introducing a monthly commitment option (with a 20% price uplift) for Copilot Business and Copilot Business bundles. This monthly commitment option is not available for Microsoft 365 Copilot (Enterprise) and is not eligible for promotional pricing.
Microsoft is retiring standalone SharePoint Online and OneDrive for Business plans (Plan 1 & 2)
This change reflects low demand for standalone plans and Microsoft’s continued shift toward Microsoft 365 suites as the primary way customers get SharePoint and OneDrive services.
Key dates:
- End of sale: 31 May 2026 – no new customers starting 1 June 2026. Existing subs will continue to auto-renew
- End of life: January 2027 – no further renewals
- End of service: December 2029 – fully retired. Customers must transition to M365 suites, capacity packs, or PAYG
Microsoft 365 Business, E3, and E5 suites will be the primary path forward.
Microsoft Extended Service Terms
Starting 4 May 2026, Microsoft is removing the free grace period for CSP subscription renewals.
Previously, when a subscription expired without renewal (auto-renewal is off), customers had 30 days of free grace period where services continued, and users had access to Office apps while renewal decisions were finalised. That is going away. Microsoft will offer Extended Service Term (EST) instead.
Pax8 is working to make this transition as seamless as possible for our Marketplace and partners. We’ll share more updates as we approach 1 April. Pax8 has auto-renew set to on for every purchase. If you do not want to renew, you can schedule a cancellation for the renewal or cancel in the seven-day window post renewal.
Program Updates
Expanded Microsoft Partner Benefits
Microsoft has rolled out updated benefits across the Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Program (MAICPP), including enhancements to benefits packages, select Solutions Partner designations, and specialisations. These updates are designed to help partners accelerate AI innovation, strengthen security capabilities, expand cloud development capacity, and execute smarter go-to-market (GTM) strategies.
What’s new?
- Increased Azure credits to support solution development and testing
- Expanded Copilot benefits – including additional Microsoft 365 Copilot capacity packs, Copilot Studio, and select Dragon Copilot access
- Enhanced security offerings with Microsoft Defender Suite, Microsoft Entra Suite, and Microsoft Intune Suite
- Access to the new Partner Marketing Center Pro, featuring AI-powered tools to help partners discover, customise, and deploy campaigns more efficiently
If you already hold an active benefits package, Solutions Partner designation, or specialisation, these refreshed benefits are automatically included in your current entitlements.
Microsoft Skilling and Certification
Partners who invest in upskilling are better positioned to deliver greater value to clients, differentiate themselves in a competitive market, and unlock new revenue opportunities. Earning Microsoft certifications also helps you secure the 25 points required for incentives and rebates in the Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Program (MAICPP), directly supporting both growth and profitability.
To help you get there, Pax8 provides free certification vouchers – reach out to your Channel Account Manager to get started.
Pax8 Microsoft AI Optimisation Program
This program provides sales incentives to Partners selling M365 Copilot Business, M365 Copilot Enterprise and M365 Copilot Nonprofit to their customers, with opportunity to unlock up to $600 (USD)!
Partners can enrol themselves to unlock earnings HERE. Promotion applies from enrolment date till 31 March 2026.
Pax8 is also providing a suite of enablement resources to help you go to market with Copilot, including editable PowerPoint templates, a campaign-in-a-box and end-user training hosted by Microsoft. Whether you’re just getting started or looking to scale your Copilot practice, these tools can help you accelerate adoption and drive revenue.
Copilot Business + Zensai Offer
Zensai is an AI-powered Human Success Platform that integrates directly into Microsoft365 (including Teams, SharePoint, Outlook, and Copilot). Its mission is to help organizations unlock human potential by combining learning, engagement, and performance management in one seamless experience.
M365 Copilot Business & Zensai customer enablement promotional program is designed to provide partners with the incentive to sell a net new subscription of over 10+ licenses of Copilot Business, Copilot for Nonprofit or Copilot Business Premium Bundle licenses. They are then eligible to get the same amount of licenses Zensai free for a year.
- *Note that Zensai is an annual commit, billed monthly*
- Promotional Period Enrollment date – 31 March 2026
- Within 30 days of net new purchase of Copilot, partner must enroll through the form https://pages.pax8.com/Pax8-Copilot-Zensai.html
- Within the same 30 days of purchase and enrollment, partner must checkout Zensai licenses to access the promotion
APAC Pax8 Microsoft enablement sessions
Pax8 and Microsoft continue their strong collaboration with The Power of Microsoft Webinar series, exploring how Microsoft’s solutions are helping organisations innovate faster, work smarter and lead confidently in an AI-driven world.
