Microsoft changed the incentive rates on 1 October. Three months into the financial year. If that caught you mid-deal, you weren't alone, which is why October's Oaka Partner Insights went back over MCI funding when we'd normally have moved on to something new. Lindsay Climson walked through the changes by solution area, with Kate Balgowan, Head of Cloud Alliances at Arrow, covering the CSP rebate side. The short version is in the title. Microsoft insists there's no less money on the table this year. It has just been moved into different pockets, and more of it now pays out for what happens after the deal rather than for the deal itself. These are the parts worth acting on.

Most Microsoft partners can explain their value to a customer in their sleep. Plenty can explain it to Microsoft too, given a decent slide and a strong coffee. Explaining it to a buyer is a different conversation, and it's one a lot of owners don't know how to start.  That was the starting point for September's Oaka Partner Insights. Consolidation across the channel isn't slowing down, and the partners we speak to keep asking the same things. What does a succession plan look like? How do I position my business? Which metrics actually matter to the people writing the cheques? Our consultant Nigel Ridpath put those questions to three people who have seen deals from different sides of the table. Adam Kerr is Managing Partner and Founder of Primas Law, specialising in corporate transactions. Jack Henry is a barrister and owner of Henry Chambers, who has been through acquisitions as a business owner. Neil Lomax spent 17 years at SoftwareOne, latterly responsible for around $22 billion in Microsoft revenue, before co-founding Onyx. Here's what we took away.

We've had roughly the same AI conversation with Microsoft partners for a couple of years now. It usually opens with some version of "we know we need to do something with AI". Fair enough. The next part is where it gets less useful. Teams start debating which Microsoft technology to invest in, whether they need more Copilot Studio skills, how much Azure AI capability to build and whether they should start calling themselves an AI partner. Meanwhile the customer has a much simpler concern. They've got a problem and they'd quite like someone to solve it. That matters because the AI market moves fast. Six months ago customers were asking different questions, and six months from now they probably will be again. Building a practice around whichever technology is getting the most attention this quarter is an expensive way to keep reorganising your business. The better starting point is what customers are actually prepared to spend money on now

There’s a Microsoft partner conversation we have far too often.  A partner works hard for a Solutions Partner designation. Customers get associated, certifications get chased, the Partner Capability Score finally creeps over the line and everyone breathes out. Then the designation gets left alone. A few months later someone opens Partner Center and finds the score has slipped, a certification has lapsed, customers have gone missing or the renewal window is approaching with the business sitting on 41 points. Panic follows, as it tends to. The issue is rarely that the partner doesn’t understand Microsoft’s requirements. It’s that designation management has been treated as a project with a finish line rather than an ongoing part of running a Microsoft practice. This year, that difference matters more than it used to.

Microsoft Has Stopped Paying Partners to Exist  Every July, LinkedIn fills up with the same posts declaring that Microsoft has changed everything. Most of them are written before anyone's actually opened the rebates guide. The honest version is fairly simple: Microsoft has doubled down on net-new business. In our experience, a lot of partners still haven't. The part that catches people out the most has been the pace of change - This didn't creep in over several renewal cycles. The direction changed sharply between FY26 and FY27 and it's still moving and every quarter the gap widens between the model Microsoft is funding and the one most partners are still running. Treat it as a slow drift you'll adjust to eventually and you'll be building a plan for a market that has already moved on. As always – and as Oaka often refer to in our “Partner Genome” being ambiguity tolerant is not just something for the technical delivery leads within the practices we serve, but also the partnership focussed leaders.

There's a decent chance you've got Co-op funds sitting in Partner Center right now. There's a better chance nobody's done anything about them. It comes up on our calls more than you'd think. We open a partner's Partner Center together and there it is: a Co-op balance they didn't know about, attached to a deadline they hadn't noticed. Nobody's hiding it. It's just easy to miss and even easier to park for later. Later, in Co-op terms, tends to mean never. Unlike a rebate, Co-op doesn't land in your account by itself. It has to be planned, spent on eligible activity, documented and claimed on time. Slip on any one of those and the money goes back to Microsoft. It doesn't roll forward and it doesn't wait for you.

The complete Microsoft partner events calendar for UK Solution Partners — updated monthly. Covers Microsoft Ignite, AI Tour, Dynamics 365, Power Platform, and community events across the UK, Europe and North America.

Welcome to the May edition of the Oaka Studio partner newsletter. It has been a busy few weeks across the Microsoft ecosystem, and we have a lot to share.

There is a lot happening in the Microsoft partner ecosystem right now. AI is still dominating conversations and more partners are asking the same question: How do we stand out in an increasingly crowded market? Across the last few months, we have spoken with partners exploring everything from AI readiness and commercial positioning through to sales strategy, customer engagement and long-term growth. One thing is becoming very clear. The partners gaining the most traction are not trying to be everything to everyone. They are getting much clearer on who they serve, where they add the most value, and how they want to be known in the market. That is exactly why our next Oaka Partner Insights session is focused on industry specialisation.

Microsoft Has Stopped Paying Partners to Exist Every July, LinkedIn fills up with the same posts declaring that Microsoft has changed everything. Most of them are written before anyone's actually opened the rebates guide. The honest version is fairly simple: Microsoft has doubled down on net-new business. In our experience, a lot of partners still haven't. The part that catches people out the most has been the pace of change - This didn't creep in over several renewal cycles. The direction changed sharply between FY26 and FY27 and it's still moving and every quarter the gap widens between the model Microsoft is funding and the one most partners are still running. Treat it as a slow drift you'll adjust to eventually and you'll be building a plan for a market that has already moved on. As always – and as Oaka often refer to in our “Partner Genome” being ambiguity tolerant is not just something for the technical delivery leads within the practices we serve, but also the partnership focused leaders.

Partner Insights, Cutting Through the Noise on Designations

Hey Partners , The Microsoft ecosystem has been moving fast, and we’ve been right in the thick of it. May brought real clarity and some long-awaited changes. June kept up the pace, and July kicked off with the usual burst of announcements as Microsoft opened FY26. From dual recognition to AI strategy and go-to-market shifts, we’ve been helping partners stay sharp, focused and aligned. Here’s our take at looking back at what’s been going on.

Why Does Everyone on Your Team Exist? The FY27 Question Most Partners Can’t Answer

These past weeks have been an incredible journey for us at Oaka Studio, and we’re excited to share everything we’ve been working on with you! From thought-provoking discussions at Oaka Partner Insights to the most recent Partner Pulse , we’ve been focused on one goal: helping SIs and ISVs build stronger partnerships and navigate the Microsoft ecosystem with confidence.