Featured Partner Story
Neway Drives E5 licensing growth with Azure AD Migration while providing value-added service
When their customer identified licensing inefficiencies due to merging with another IT environment, FRP Neway leveraged FastTrack GTM collateral to advance discussions around restructuring E3/E5 licensing. Neway clearly defined a path to success for each workload. This effort led to increased business as the customer continued to acquire more subsidiaries and replace old hardware and systems. Learn more in this video (12 minutes).
In this Issue
Program News | Workload News | Documentation Updates | Events and Recordings
Program News
Workload News
Documentation Updates
Events and Recordings
Correction to the recently announced 60% Teams Meetings incentive
Dear FastTrack Ready Partners,
We are reaching out with an update on the 60% Teams Meetings incentive we recently announced. Unfortunately, due to an internal miscommunication by the FastTrack team, we moved forward with this announcement before all appropriate approvals were in place.
While we are exploring this expansion, we are not yet ready to confirm this will be put in place at this time. We will notify the community if this does get approved, but for now the incentive structure for Teams Meetings remains the same as currently defined by OSU-M365 and FRP Terms and Conditions, 15% and 40%, and 60% only for LATAM and India markets.
We appreciate your understanding and sincerely apologize for the confusion this premature communication may have caused.
Sincerely,
FT Ready Program Team
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Payment and disputes update
As mentioned during the March Partner Success Calls, we anticipate the Partner Center Data Stream will be integrated into the FRP Incentive Platform in early Q4. As a result, FY21 workloads and M365 Apps payments are on hold until data is aligned. Note: We ask that partners please hold off on submitting disputes until payments have been made.
FY21 workloads
- Milestones associated to workloads new for FY21 have been captured since October.
- Payment for these workloads will be made in early Q4, when the revised data stream is integrated into the FRP Incentive Platform.
- Please wait to submit disputes until after we make our first payment using the new data source.
M365 Apps
- M365 Apps payments are temporarily on hold until the Partner Center Data Stream has been integrated into the FRP Incentive Platform.
- Milestones earned from December 2020 and beyond will be added to the first statement after that integration is complete.
- If you have an M365 Apps dispute for a milestone achieved from October 2020–March 2020, please wait until we make our first payment using the new data source to submit on the FastTrack Ready Support Site. We anticipate your statement may include payment for items previously thought to be disputes.
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Awareness only: Teams phone system subscription data addition to FTOP/RFA
Effective March 18, 2021, Phone System, Calling Plan, Meeting Room, and Dial-in Conferencing will now be visible in FTOP. This change will also allow a customer requesting assistance from FTC via RFA to select sub-modalities under Teams.
This is only a change to enhance entitlement view and what customers can see in the RFA, there is no impact to process.
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Awareness only: Trial to Paid for non-S2500 customers initiative
Some customers with a trial may be assigned to a partner for one or more E5 services, with or without incentives. Given the very short term of a trial, the Targeting team will inform the FPM and the main partner contact that they are reaching out to the account team/ customer with the goal of helping them understand and deploy E5 services.
There is no action unless the partner is already engaged with that trial. If Targeting has determined customer has intent and needs help, the partner will be offered the first option to help. If declined, the customer will go to CSS for assistance with FT benefit.
Look for an invite soon for Trial to Paid Global Readiness training sessions the week of April 12, 2021, where we will review the role responsibilities, scope, and expand on the initiative details.
Windows Virtual Desktop (WVD) for FastTrack
FastTrack service benefit for WVD is a joint M365 FastTrack and Azure FastTrack initiative. Azure FastTrack will guide the customers with core WVD enablement (Azure subscription, networking, directory, and monitoring of WVD) and M365 FastTrack will support M365 application deployments (including security baseline, management, etc.). The scope is to help customers with WVD deployment with Microsoft 365 native.
Note: While WVD is now included in FastTrack, it is not an incentivized workload in FY21.
Effective March 10, 2021, new support for Windows Virtual Desktop (WVD) RFA tool will allow customers to initiate a request for assistance from the FastTrack portal to get FastTrack assistance to deploy WVD.
Playbook processes are in place to support this expanded scope. A new WVD service is available in FTOP with associated Entitlements and L1/L2/L3 entitlement status.
Reference Material
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Identity announcements from Ignite
Identity is the foundation to a Zero Trust approach, and innovations around Azure AD, the cloud identity solution of choice for over 425 million users, can help you reinforce a customer’s first line of defense. Some key Identity Ignite announcements shared information on how to:
- Provide a secure and seamless user experience
- Secure access to all apps
- Secure customers and partners
Read the full Yammer post about Identity Ignite Announcements.
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M365 Engineering pulse survey for Mobile Apps
M365 Engineering is taking a pulse survey for implementation of Mobile Apps across several roles internal and external, as well as customer experience. The survey should only take about 5-7 minutes. We appreciate your participation.
Mobile Apps survey: https://ncv.microsoft.com/APBShd7Qds
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Microsoft Intune: March 2021, in development and Endpoint analytics update
To assist in your readiness and planning, the In Development for Microsoft Intune page lists Intune UI updates and features that are in development but not yet released.
In addition:
- This page and the What's New page are updated periodically. Check for additional updates.
- Refer to the M365 roadmap for strategic deliverables and timelines.
Note: These items reflect Microsoft’s current expectations about Intune capabilities coming in a future release. Dates and individual features may change. Not all items in development have a feature description on this page.
Read the full Yammer post including new capabilities for Endpoint analytics.
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FRP Edge Newsletter – March 2021 edition
The following announcements were published in the March 2021 edition of the FRP Edge Newsletter:
- Ignite announcements
- M365 Support Deprecation for IE11 & Legacy Edge End of Support Announcements + Campaigns
- Clarification around POE submission requirements
- Automation in M365 Admin Center
- Demo resources
- New adoption resources
- Customer success stories
Read the Yammer announcement FRP Edge Newsletter – March 2021 Edition for more information.
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M365 Admin Center browser usage reporting
The M365 Admin Center Reporting now has the latest telemetry data for Microsoft browser monthly active usage. IT Pros can now see a detailed report of all Microsoft browser usage across their organization. This information will provide valuable insight and aid in reaching their Microsoft Edge adoption goals.
Note: This report is representative of Microsoft ONLY (including Microsoft Edge, Microsoft Edge Legacy, and Internet Explorer) browsers and is specific to monthly active usage (MAU) of connected M365 services. This report does not show usage of other browsers.
Reference material:
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Guidance for partners on critical Exchange Server security updates
On Tuesday, March 2, 2021, Microsoft released security updates for multiple on–premises Microsoft Exchange Server zero-day vulnerabilities that are being exploited by a nation-state affiliated group that we are calling Hafnium. The vulnerabilities affect Microsoft Exchange Server. Exchange Online is not affected.
Please review guidance for partners on critical Exchange Server security updates. Content is meant to answer questions that customers may ask and is intended to support partners with responding to this situation.
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Microsoft Ignite announcements for Microsoft 365 Apps admin capabilities
In May and September 2020, we announced new cloud-based capabilities in the following three areas: intelligent insights, servicing automation with controls, and Microsoft 365 Apps health. We’ve seen over 11 million devices running Microsoft 365 Apps Onboard to Inventory. We’ve also provided IT admins with over eight million app health metrics and delivered servicing updates to over 500,000 devices with our new Servicing Profile, keeping them continuously secure with the latest security improvements and up to date with improvements for collaboration and remote work.
At Ignite, we announced improvements and additional new capabilities to keep devices up to date, giving you greater control and enabling you to manage Office more easily as a service:
- New in Microsoft 365 Apps Inventory and Servicing Profiles
- General availability of Skip and Rollback
- General availability of Microsoft 365 Apps health
Learn more about our Microsoft 365 Apps admin capabilities announcements in the post by Aleš Holeček (CVP of the Office Experience Organization Engineering) here.
Please refer to the Yammer post Microsoft Ignite Announcements for Microsoft 365 Apps admin capabilities.
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MAM Blog: Great improvements to conditional launch settings
As mobile usage becomes more prevalent in your organizations, so does the need to protect against data leaks. App protection policies (APP, also known as MAM) help protect work or school account data through data protection, access requirements, and conditional launch settings.
Please read the blog App protection policy conditional launch improvements for upcoming and recently launched App protection policy conditional launch settings.
Refer to the Yammer announcement [MAM Blog] Great Improvements to Conditional Launch settings.
Terms and Conditions
The Microsoft 365 Deployment Offer Terms and Conditions have been extended through the end of the fiscal, with a new ending date of June 30, 2021.
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FastTrack Playbook
Microsoft Defender for Endpoint (MDE formerly MDATP) and Microsoft Defender for Office (MDO formerly OATP) BVD update
Effective March 24, 2021, this BVD update covers not only the name change from Microsoft Defender Advanced Threat Protection (MDATP) to Microsoft Defender for Endpoint (MDE), but it also refreshes the way we talk about the products and its features. More information and training will be posted on Yammer soon.
Update Security Baseline Discussion
Effective March 24, 2021, the Identity and Device Security Best Practices deck will be updated to include recommendations across MDO, MDE, MDI, and MCAS, Zero-Trust concepts, and the Compliance baseline strategy. The discussion will also include engineering updates to product strategy e.g., Defender FAQ, technical changes to the service, MDI/MDO updated detection algorithm updates, etc., and new guidance for customers that have been affected by a breach or security issue and for those that have not been affected but want proactive prevention guidance.
Compliance DLP Workshop is now Teams DLP Workshop
Effective March 24, 2021, Expand MIP to include MIP E3 - UPDATED Resource Link: Compliance DLP Workshop now Teams DLP Workshop.
Edge BVD update
The Edge BVD slides 4 and 29 have been refreshed with updated Edge Legacy EOS timeline for March 9, 2021 and talk track revised. "Microsoft Edge Legacy desktop app will no longer be supported and no longer receive security updates on all versions of Windows 10 on March 9, 2021. We've also announced that once Microsoft Edge Legacy goes out of support on March 9, 2021, we will remove and replace it with the new Microsoft Edge when you apply April's Windows 10 Update Tuesday release to your devices."
App Assure BVD update
Effective March 10, 2021, the App Assure has updated the exclusions and limitations pertaining to our Win10 ARM scope. These changes are reflected in the updated BVD presentation for task 3734.
FRP Virtual Connections registration
Registration is now open for FastTrack Ready Partner Virtual Connections: Partners Learning from Partners. You will hear from the Microsoft program team and your fellow FastTrack Ready Partners as they share success stories throughout the event. We strongly encourage live attendance; this event will not be available on-demand since it is designed to be interactive.
Event dates:
- APJ: April 20 – 21, 2021
- Americas/EMEA: April 27 – 28, 2021
Register today: http://aka.ms/frpconnections
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New monthly Partner Conversation Series
The ODSP Customer Engineering Team is excited to announce our new monthly partner conversation series. With this new series, we are looking to not only learn and gather feedback from you, but also inform on upcoming releases and new programs, giving you the opportunity to have conversations with our ODSP team.
We will kick off this month with a discussion on Viva Connections, the foundational part of the recently announced Microsoft Viva suite. We know you have many questions about what it is, how you can help customers get ready for it, and what new business opportunities it opens for you. We'll give a partner-focused view of Viva Connections in this interactive conversation.
Register today: March 25, 2021 8 AM PT: ODSP March Conversation – Viva Connections
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Upcoming FRP events
Click on the links below to register for upcoming events:
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Curated webinars
Click on the links below to register for upcoming events:
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On demand FRP webinars and learning
Click on the links below to learn more:
