October brings a wave of exciting updates, promotions, and compliance reminders for Microsoft partners. Whether you’re a Cloud Solution Provider (CSP), security partner, or managing Microsoft 365 offerings, here’s what you need to know this month.
New Microsoft 365 E3 Annual CSP Promotion – 20% Off
- Launch Date: October 13, 2025 – December 31, 2025
- Eligibility: Customers with 500+ base licenses of O365/M365 and fewer than 50 existing ME3/ME5 licenses.
- Discount: 20% off Microsoft 365 E3 (including E3 without Teams and EEA variants).
- Minimum Order: 250+ licenses
- Next Steps: Use the promo kit (available from Oct 10) and download eligibility lists via Cloud Ascent (from Oct 25).
Extended: Microsoft 365 E5 15% Off Accelerate Annual Promotion
- Now valid through: December 31, 2025
- Designed to help CSP partners upsell to Microsoft 365 E5 with advanced security and compliance.
Mandatory MFA Now Live in Partner Center
- Effective: August 30, 2025 (portal), September 30, 2025 (API readiness)
- Full API enforcement: April 1, 2026
- Action Required: Integrate MFA into all Partner Center API calls and ensure all users comply.
Update Your Partner Center Data by October 15
- Why: Inaccurate tax or bank info may lead to account restrictions or payment issues.
- Action: Review and update all five sections of your tax profile in Partner Center.
New Deployment Accelerator Workshops
- Available Now:
- Defender & Purview Suites
- ME3/ME5
- Microsoft Sentinel
- Defender for Cloud
- Incentives: Earn funding for customer milestones and adoption.
Microsoft Sentinel: New 50GB Commitment Tier
- Promo Period: October 1, 2025 – March 31, 2026
- Discount: Up to 32% off pay-as-you-go pricing
- Ideal For: SMB customers and indirect resellers
- Lock-in Pricing: Until March 31, 2027
Microsoft 365 E5 Mini-Suites Renamed
- Effective: October 1, 2025
- New Names:
- Microsoft 365 E5 Security → Microsoft Defender Suite
- Microsoft 365 E5 Compliance → Microsoft Purview Suite
These changes reflect Microsoft’s focus on integrated, AI-powered security and compliance solutions.
Link: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/partner-center/announcements/2025-october
