October 21, 2024
WHAT'S HAPPENING: Expanded Availability of Copilot for Microsoft 365
WHEN: June 12, 2024
Microsoft has expanded the list of prerequisite licenses required to purchase Copilot for Microsoft 365 to include standalone offers. This means you can now Copilot for Microsoft 365 as an add on to the below product list, in addition to the previously included suites. Microsoft 365 Apps for business and enterprise Microsoft Teams Essentials, Enterprise, and EEA Exchange Kiosk, Plan 1, and Plan 2 SharePoint Plan 1 and Plan 2 OneDrive for Business Plan 1 and Plan 2 Microsoft Planner Plan 1 (formerly Project Plan 1) Microsoft Project Plan 3 and Plan 5 Project Online Essentials Visio Plan 1 and Plan 2 Microsoft ClipChamp
WHAT'S HAPPENING: Microsoft's Azure Standard Support Promotional Offer Ends
WHEN: June 30, 2024
The previously available offer for customers buying Azure services under EA, EES, SCE, or MCA to receive 6 months of Azure Standard support for no cost has now ended. Support options for Azure customers can be viewed here.
WHAT'S HAPPENING: Dynamics 365 Contact Center Generally Available
WHEN: July 1, 2024
Microsoft has released Dynamics 365 Contact Center, a new Contact Center as a Service (CCaaS) solution delivering generative AI to every customer engagement channel. This product will be available either standalone ($110 USD MSRP per user per month) or included in the Customer Service Premium suite ($195 USD MSRP per user per month)
WHAT'S HAPPENING: Grace Period for Azure Reservations Changes Extended Indefinitely
WHEN: July 1, 2024
As communicated in our November 2023 post, Microsoft had indicated that there was going to be a grace period change to the Azure reservation exchange policy (originally set to take place January 1, 2024, then July 1, 2024)
Microsoft has now announced that the grace period for this has been extended indefinitely. They have committed to providing at least 6 months’ notice should this change in the future.
WHAT'S HAPPENING: "External User" definition to be updated in Microsoft's Product Terms
WHEN: October 1, 2024
Microsoft will be updating the definition of an "External User" in their product terms to "refer to users that are not (a) employees of Customer or its Affiliates, (b) contractors or agents that typically work for Customer or its Affiliates for more than 30 hours on average per week, or (c) contractors or agents that typically work onsite for Customer or its Affiliates on each working day. "
Currently, the definition simply states that "External Users" are users that are not employees, onsite contractors or onsite agents of Customer or its Affiliates. You can view the list of products this may impact on the Microsoft official announcement.
WHAT'S HAPPENING: Microsoft Publisher End of Life
WHEN: October 13, 2026
Microsoft Publisher 2021 will reach end of support on October 13, 2026. After this time, it will no longer be included in Microsoft 365 and existing on-premises suites. There will no longer be support offered for this product.
WHAT'S HAPPENING: Bing Maps for Enterprise Retirement Announced
WHEN: June 30, 2028
Bing Maps for Enterprise will be retired on June 30, 2028. Existing Bing Maps for Enterprise customers can continue to license Bing Maps for Enterprise APIs and SDKs until June 30, 2028. Microsoft will no longer be accepting new Bing Maps for Enterprise customers from June 30, 2024, onwards. Existing customers with an enterprise license have until June 30, 2028, to transition to Azure Maps, while customers on the free and basic license for Bing Maps for Enterprise have until June 30, 2025.
This article offers comparisons and guidance on migrating from Bing Maps Enterprise to Azure Maps.
Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest updates.