According to user posts on Microsoft-owned social network LinkedIn, the cuts affected managers, engineers and other positions at Microsoft.
Microsoft’s new fiscal year began with a series of layoffs and some adjustments to its spousal program, specifically when it comes to specialization needs.
Layoffs aren’t for Microsoft this time of year. The Redmond, Washington-based tech giant kicked off its 2025 fiscal year on July 1 and is expected to report its fiscal 2024 and final quarter effects later this month.
According to user posts on Microsoft-owned social network LinkedIn, the cuts affected managers, engineers and other jobs at Microsoft’s subsidiaries Flip and Nuance, and even in spaces affecting its developing synthetic intelligence (AI) business.
As for the changes to the spouse program, the first announcements in the Microsoft Partner Center don’t seem to reach the point of a new commerce experience (NCE), but they do affect how service providers make benefits as a Microsoft spouse. .
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Regarding the layoffs, a Microsoft spokesperson told CRN in an email that “organizational changes and are a mandatory and normal component of operating our business. “
“We will continue to prioritize and invest in strategic expansion spaces for our long-term and for our consumers and partners,” the spokesperson said.
CRN reached out to Microsoft for comment on adjustments to the Partner Program.
The program changes come as Microsoft prepares for its MCAPS Start for Partners virtual event on Wednesday.
Instead of a partner-focused Microsoft Inspire event in 2024, the vendor will incorporate partner-focused programming into its customer-focused Microsoft Ignite event in November, according to Microsoft.
MCAPS Start is the annual occasion for salespeople from the global Microsoft Customer and Partner Solutions (MCAPS) organization. This year, Microsoft has added partner-specific content to MCAPS Start to prepare solution providers for the year ahead.
The event will feature Microsoft executives Judson Althoff, executive vice president and chief advertising officer; Nick Parker, president of the Industry and Partner Sales (IPS) organization; and Nicole Dezen, Director of Partners and Vice President of Global Partner Solutions.
Here’s more information about Microsoft’s latest layoffs and changes to the spouse program.
As part of the first batch of adjustments to Microsoft’s component program for the new fiscal year, the vendor is adding provisioned sales sets (PTUs) as an acquisition option for Azure OpenAI self-service and Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) templates.
Starting this quarter, CSP partners can conduct Azure OpenAI provisioned throughput deployments for customers.
Payments are imaginable on an hourly basis through Azure Reservations, which will offer discounts on commitments of one month, one year or a combination, according to Microsoft. This is the first Azure service to offer a monthly duration option for reservations.
Users of the Azure OpenAI inference model can also acquire styles as part of a pay-as-you-go offering billed according to the token, according to Microsoft.
Users will need to fill out a request form to integrate subscriptions with Azure OpenAI in the same way they do for popular token-based deployments. CSP partners can help their consumers manage their quotas, create deployments, and purchase self-service reservations.
Prior to this new PTU option, users purchased reserved capacity as a component of manual and ad-hoc Microsoft box sales commitments, a self-service option, or component support. According to Microsoft, the old approach of buying PTUs required a one-month lock-up. which drove away users with short-term or intermittent use needs.
Microsoft will host an online education for CSP partners on Tuesday about the new PTU process.
A series of adjustments went into effect this month to earn Solutions Partner designations and specializations in the Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Program.
Partners who are already enrolled in applicable specializations have until December 31 to meet Microsoft’s new criteria for specializations.
Starting in July, Microsoft updated the “skills” needed for the Analytics in Microsoft Azure, Business Intelligence, Data Warehouse Migration to Microsoft Azure, Teamwork Implementation, and Supply Chain specializations.
The Analytics on Microsoft Azure specialization now requires holders to pass the Fabric Analytics Engineer Associate (DP-600) certification and the Azure Solutions Architect Expert (AZ-305) certification.
The Business Intelligence specialization now includes the Fabric Analytics Engineer Associate (DP-600) certification; the Azure Enterprise Data Analyst Associate (DP-500) certification was retired on April 30. The DP-500 exam still counts if members passed it by April 30. .
The Data Warehouse Migration to Microsoft Azure specialization now has the Fabric Analytics Engineer Associate (DP-600) certification, which replaces the Azure Solutions Architect Expert (AZ-305) certification.
The Analytics in Microsoft Azure and Data Warehouse to Microsoft Azure Migration specializations have also increased the number of qualified Americans needed from 3 to five, and at least two Americans are needed to be certified.
For Teamwork Implementation Specialization applicants, Microsoft eliminated the retired Messaging Administrator Associate (MS-203) certification requirement and doubled the number of other individuals required to earn the remaining Teams Administrator Associate (MS-700) certification from two to four.
Applicants for the Supply Chain Specialization now want the Dynamics 365 certifications: Finance and Operations Application Associate Developer (MB-500) and Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management Functional Consultant Expert (MB-335) instead of the previous Dynamics 365 Manufacturing and Supply Chain Management Functional Consultant certification. . Certification of Scholarships (MB-320). Each of the 4 certifications will need to be earned through at least one person, according to Microsoft.
On July 1, Microsoft launched its Viva Glint GA worker engagement survey product for CSP transactions.
Glint was already available as a component of the Viva Suite Stock Keeping Unit (SKU) and the Viva Glint Charity SKU. Users will need to purchase at least 50 seats and a basic SKU from Entra.
“Viva Glint’s good fortune is based on consulting and human sciences services,” according to Microsoft. “Ideal partners delight in employee engagement consulting, human capital, HR consulting, or HR and control equipment consulting. in companion Viva apps, such as Insights, can also expand your practice by empowering your team at Viva Glint.
On July 31, Microsoft will release a new edition of its Security Alert application programming interface (API).
The (full) edition of the Microsoft Graph Security Alerts API is a “unified API gateway between Microsoft services,” according to Microsoft. The vfinishor will stop using the existing Azure Fraud Notification API until the end of the year. A preview and beta edition of the New API is available.
This month, Microsoft will require multi-factor authentication (MFA) for all Azure users.
And finally, the first-year Extended Security Updates (ESUs) for SQL Server 2014 begin on Wednesday. These ESUs expire on July 8, 2025, and are intended to ease the transition to the products.
The Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Program’s Signature Cloud Support (SCS) benefit, available to partners with a Solution Partner designation in a solution domain or who have already purchased a Gold or Silver legacy benefits package, is now officially limited to 50 consistent incidents per year.
The restriction went into effect on July 1 and begins for partners once they renew their Solutions Partner designation or legacy package, according to Microsoft.
LinkedIn users have posted layoffs online at Microsoft in areas from gaming to Dynamics 365 to its subsidiaries Nuance and Flip.
Employees laid off across Microsoft diversity, from those who spent a year at the company to at least one veteran who spent 14 years.
Flip’s removals come as no surprise, as the 12-year-old organization is expected to retire its mobile apps by Sept. 30, according to Flip, which Microsoft bought in 2018 to strengthen its presence in the education market.
Flip’s mobile app was removed from retail outlets as of July 1. Flip’s features have been moved to Microsoft Teams for Education, according to Flip.
As for Nuance, Microsoft completed its acquisition of the speech popularity company for $19. 7 billion in 2022.
They are the workers who had