Program news
Partner eligibility requirements to be met by September 30, 2023
As a valued partner of the FastTrack Program, we want to remind you of the eligibility requirements that must be met by September 30, 2023, to remain in the program and continue to engage in FastTrack activities:
- Achieve one or more Specialization in either Modern Work and/or Security or be a member of one of the following Microsoft specialist partner programs including Cybersecurity Investment (CSI), Meeting Room Partner Program (MRPP) in good standing.
- FastTrack Referral Ready accepting and engaging with referred customers.
Next Steps
- We have sent an email to the Primary Point of Contact and Accounting Point of Contact in our systems for each partner company that has not achieved these two requirements. If you have not received this email and are not sure if your company is compliant, please check your spam folder or contact your FastTrack Partner Manager (FPM).
- We understand that many partners are working with their FPMs to meet the requirements and commitments to becoming Referral Ready. We appreciate your efforts and we are here to support you along the way.
- During the week of September 11, 2023 we will send out another email to partners that remain noncompliant to ensure awareness. Please take action as soon as possible to avoid any disruption to your participation in the FastTrack Program.
- If you are not sure who your company's primary and accounting contacts are please reach out to your FPM.
Thank you for your continued partnership and dedication to our customers.
FastTrack API Preview - Looking for partners to join the Preview
We are looking for a handful of FastTrack Ready Partners to add to the API Preview currently underway. The API allows your development team to surface FastTrack information within your existing applications.
The preview currently allows access to all items seen on the FastTrack page in Partner Center today, except the usage information (MAU,PAU, etc.). The tenant list, referrals, contacts, notes, entitlements, etc. are all available. FastTrack statement data and usage information are on the roadmap for future releases.
If your organization is interested in participating in the API Preview, and has resources to commit within the next few weeks, please reach out to mbarta@microsoft.com.
Important! Changes to Microsoft 365, Office 365, and Microsoft Teams subscription structure in Europe
On August 31, 2023, Microsoft announced important changes to the licensing and availability of Microsoft 365 and Microsoft Teams in the European Economic Area (EEA) and Switzerland that will become effective October 1, 2023. All new Microsoft 365 and Office 365 Enterprise customers in the EEA and Switzerland will need to choose from new offers for that region.
Why we’re making these changes
We’re making these changes in response to concerns raised with the European Commission (EC). We believe that this new licensing approach takes meaningful steps to addressing the Commission’s feedback while limiting disruption to customers and partners.
What’s changing
Starting on October 1, 2023, we will offer a new lineup of Microsoft 365, Office 365, and Microsoft Teams SKUs in the EEA to provide customers with the option of purchasing Teams separately from Microsoft 365 and Office 365. Existing customers in the EEA and Switzerland who wish to continue to use SKUs to which they have already subscribed may do so without impact (including continuing to use, renew, and add seats to their current plans as usual).
Next step
Visit the Modern Work Partner Portal to get the full details and resources
Events and training
FY24 FastTrack Partner Community Launch Event - Registration
Please join us for the FY24 FastTrack Partner Community Launch Event on September 13, 2023. During the call, we will cover the FY24 FastTrack Partner evolution and FY24 focus areas. We look forward to connecting with you next month.
Register here:
Available on-demand
Click on the links below to view content on-demand.
Feedback focus
We want to hear your ideas!
Submit your Feedback in our Ideas Forum
As we all race through FY24 Q1, we are looking for your feedback on elements in the program where we can make your life easier or contribute to your success.
New Completed Idea Submitted Last Month!
New Submitted Last Month and Currently In Process
New Ideas Submitted and Needing Your UpVote!
IDEA Examples:
- Do you have an Idea for a new Knowledgebase article that would be super helpful to have?
- Would you like to see changes to how our program’s payment statements are delivered?
- Do you have a great idea that should be implemented in any of the QTM programs ?
- Is there a tweak that would make the form easier to use in the PXPartnerSupport portal?
- Any thoughts for new or cool features to add to the FastTrack Community Portal?
Note: Claims and the OSU-M365 Modern Work program are OSU processes, so we can no longer impact change in those areas
Do you have a good idea to make it easier to submit an Idea to us? We want to hear your thoughts!
Workload news
New digital event! Enhance Your Customers’ Meeting Experience with Teams Premium
Join our experts on October 11, 2023 for the sales-focused webinar, Enhance Your Customers’ Meeting Experience with Teams Premium. In this session, you’ll get a refresher on Microsoft Teams Premium features and learn how they can enhance meeting experiences and add value in different customer use cases, best practices from real customer scenarios for driving adoption, and explore the partner opportunity.
Choose from two options:
Unlocking SMB Opportunities with Dynamics 365 and Power Platform
Looking for new ways to build and expand your small and medium business (SMB) practice? Check out the latest blog post from Angela Reese Kawano, “Unlocking SMB Opportunities with Microsoft Dynamics 365 and Power Platform.” Explore the impressive growth in the SMB sector for Dynamics 365 and Power Platform, and how the dedicated efforts of partners and the robust solutions they’re delivering play an essential role in this success.
You’ll also learn more about the ripe landscape of opportunities within the SMB sector, with industry reports predicting growth for two-thirds of SMBs in 2023 and a 70-percent increase in IT spending over the next three years. To help you capitalize on this opportunity, for the first time, we’ve launched a solution play – Scale Business Operations – tailored to SMBs. Leverage the customizable assets on the Dynamics 365 Partner Portal to help enhance sales, implementation, and support capabilities.
Get full details and sign up for the September 14 deep-dive webinar to learn more.
Plan to attend the CSP Q1 Connect call
Quick reminder to join us on September 14, 2023 or September 21, 2023 for the Microsoft 365 CSP Partner Q1 Connect call. In the first part of the call, Microsoft 365 CSP Partner Marketing Leads will cover new and upcoming announcements, along with product, resource, and tool updates for Microsoft 365, Windows 365, Teams, Security, and Device Management. In the second part, they will answer your submitted questions.
Submit your questions in advance at https://aka.ms/CSPpartnerconnectquestions. Questions will be reviewed, then prioritized by demand and answered during the webinar sessions. Our goal is to answer as many as possible during the live event.
Register today for the event in your region.
Have you registered for the CSP Masters Bootcamps?
Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) partners – We’re excited about the interest in our Microsoft 365 CSP Masters Sales & Technical Bootcamps coming in September. If you haven’t already, be sure to register today to get insight that can help you grow capabilities in selling, deploying, managing, and driving adoption of Microsoft 365 portfolio solutions for small and medium businesses (SMBs).
Don’t miss the Microsoft Copilot Sales Bootcamp
Be sure to register to enroll in the Microsoft Copilot Sales Bootcamp! This multi-day partner event addresses the new era of AI across the Microsoft Cloud. Join us to learn more about our AI capabilities from both business and technical aspects, with an overview of each Microsoft Copilot solution.
The event will take place on the following dates and times:
- September 19-21, 2023, 9:00-10:30 AM PT
- September 20-22, 2023, 9:00-10:30 AM, London Summer and India Standard Time
We help demystify AI and Copilot by covering the narrative, customer conversations, and technical requirements to take advantage of the AI opportunity. Discover how to make the most of this opportunity and get your customers ready for Copilot.
Be on the lookout for additional deliveries for LATAM, EMEA, and APAC with closed captioning supporting 11 languages.
Register to enroll today!
Documentation updates
Terms and Conditions
Download the Terms and Conditions for current program details.
FastTrack Playbook
Visit the Playbook Change Log for a complete list of updates.
Service Description
Access the FastTrack Service Description.
