Microsoft April 2022 Updates

Below are all of the relevant MSP related Microsoft announcements from April

Microsoft Teams#

1. User requests for apps in Teams store

New Feature ×

How this will affect your organization

If there are blocked apps in your organization, the end-users will be able to find and request them in the app catalog. Blocked apps are badged with a lock icon to let users know that it is currently unavailable. App store will list the allowed apps first in the catalog, followed by blocked apps. Users will not be able to install blocked apps unless they are unblocked.

When will this happen:

Late April and expect the rollout to be completed by early May

Microsoft Admin#

1. Microsoft Defender for Business standalone availability

Licensing ×

How this will affect your organization

Microsoft Defender for Business standalone will be enabled for CSPs to purchase beginning on May 1, 2022. Pricing will be available in the May 1 CSP price list. The offer is priced at USD 3 per user per month. (The price is subject to change based on subscription term, currency, and region)

Feature Comparison Doc: Compare security features in Microsoft 365 plans for small and medium-sized businesses | Microsoft Docs (opens in new tab)

2. New Commerce Experience: Change to date for blocking of legacy Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) subscription renewals

Licensing ×

How this will affect your organization

CSP partners wanting to have their customers’ commercial seat-based legacy subscriptions renewed on the legacy platform will now have until July 11, 2022, for those renewals to be completed. The previously announced end date for legacy renewals was July 1, 2022.

If you are working with a distributor, it is likely that an legacy subscriptions will auto-renew into New Commerce in order to avoid disruption in service. It is possible the legacy subscription has a back end renewal date AFTER July 11th, in which case the subscription will not renew into NCE until that official renewal date.

Partner Center Doc: April 2022 announcements – Partner Center | Microsoft Docs (opens in new tab)

3. Transfer of Azure subscriptions and reservations between partners now live for all partners

Licensing ×

How this will affect your organization

Expanding on the new commerce experience for Azure, transition tools enhance the flexibility to manage Azure in ways that adapt to customers’ evolving business needs. The Azure portal was enhanced so that a customer’s Azure subscriptions and reservations can be transferred between partners in the CSP program.

Previously this was a tedious process done with a form and it did not move RIs.

Partner Center Doc: April 2022 announcements – Partner Center | Microsoft Docs (opens in new tab)

4. Windows 365 Business and Enterprise in CSP: annual term now available

Licensing ×

How this will affect your organization

Windows 365 monthly subscription terms were made available in the current CSP experience in August 2021 and in CSP new commerce in October 2021. Effective immediately, in addition to the current monthly subscription terms, partners can now sell Windows 365 subscriptions on an annual subscription term.

The annual subscription term is priced at a 10 percent discount compared to the monthly term. The same cancellation policy applies to Windows 365 in new commerce that’s in effect for all other seat-based offers. However, midterm conversions from monthly to annual term or from annual to monthly term Windows 365 SKUs aren’t allowed, while term duration can be changed at the beginning of a new term.

Partner Center Doc: April 2022 announcements – Partner Center | Microsoft Docs (opens in new tab)