CSP Partner Center and Microsoft Program Updates – August 2025 Wrap Up

In the past month, several important updates have rolled out across Partner Center and Microsoft programs.

It's important to stay on top of these key dates and changes as missing a milestone could impact compliance, customer experience, or your ability to transact.

Use the table below for a quick at-a-glance view of what's coming and what actions to take.

Recent Announcements

1. Net Paid Seat Adds (NPSA) Reporting

Effective 28 August 2025, Net Paid Seat Adds (NPSA) reporting is now available directly in Partner Center.

What it enables

This new capability represents a major step forward in partner reporting. With NPSA insights, you can:

• Track and analyse Microsoft 365 seat growth across your customer base.
• Identify what's driving performance — new customer adds, existing account expansion, or churn.
• Spot customer trends early and act to improve results.

Why this matter

Previously, partners could view growth numbers, but not the underlying drivers. With the new NPSA dashboard, you now have visibility into:

• Month-over-month and quarter-over-quarter changes in seat adds.
• A bridge table view breaking down new customers, expansion, and churn.
• The ability to segment by customer size, from small businesses to enterprises.

This means you can finally answer key questions:

• Is growth coming from new logos or upselling within existing customers?
• Where is churn occurring, and how can we mitigate it?
• Which customer segments are performing strongest?

👉 Explore the NPSA dashboard here: Microsoft Partner Insights – NPSA

Actions Required:

• Familiarise yourself with the new NPSA reporting dashboard.
• Leverage the insights to strengthen internal sales tracking and performance management.
• Use the data to align sales strategy with actual customer growth drivers.

2. Compliance Update – Partner of Record Validation

Effective 1 December 2025, Microsoft will enforce Partner of Record (POR) validation for all new CSP orders and subscription changes.

What this mean

• Only active, compliant resellers can be assigned as the Partner of Record.
• Enforcement is designed to reduce errors, improve compliance across the CSP program, and provide real-time validation through the POR validation API.
• Both the API and Partner Center UI will check reseller compliance status before allowing new orders or subscription changes.

Actions Required:

• Verify your Reseller Partner Location Account ID (PLA ID).
• Ensure the PLA ID is linked to an active CSP Indirect Reseller tenant.
• Confirm your CSP tenant business address is in the same region as your distributor's tenant (e.g., Australia-based partners must align with an Australia-based distributor).
• Review Microsoft's updated resources on error code definitions and indirect reseller instructions:
• • Error Code Documentation – helps you quickly interpret and resolve compliance validation issues.
  • Partner of Record Instructions Guide – includes onboarding steps, PLA ID validation, and tenant activation guidance.
• We'll share these links separately so you can integrate them into your compliance checks.

3. Program Agreement Update – AI Cloud Partner Program

On 22 August 2025, Microsoft announced updates to the AI Cloud Partner Program Agreement.

• The updated agreement is already available for review in Partner Center.
• All changes automatically take effect from 22 September 2025.
• No action is required, but partners are encouraged to review the changes to remain across program adjustments.

4. Security Update – Mandatory MFA in Partner Center

As of 30 August 2025, Microsoft has enforced multi-factor authentication (MFA) across all Partner Center pages.

• Portal access: MFA is now mandatory for every user accessing Partner Center.
• API readiness: MFA support for Partner Center APIs will be available from 30 September 2025.
• API enforcement: From 1 April 2026, MFA will also be required for all API integrations.

Why this matter

This is a critical step to protect both partner accounts and customer data, while ensuring uninterrupted access to Partner Center services.

Actions Required:

• If you haven't already, enable MFA for all users accessing Partner Center.
• For partners using API integrations, begin testing MFA compatibility once support becomes available.
• Complete MFA adoption across all integrations before 1 April 2026.

5. Compliance Milestone – Microsoft Customer Agreement (MCA)

From 7 October 2025, customers who accepted the Microsoft Customer Agreement (MCA) via partner attestation before 1 April 2023 must re-accept the updated terms.

Why this matter

• Customers who have not re-accepted will face blocked subscription management actions, including:
  • New purchases
  • Increasing subscription quantities
  • Term duration or billing plan changes
  • Upgrades
• This ensures customers are always aligned with the latest MCA terms, protecting both partners and customers from legal and operational misalignment.

Actions Required:

• Use the Bulk Attestation Tool or Partner Center to identify impacted customers.
• Guide customers through the re-acceptance process (or attest on their behalf where permitted).
• Complete all re-acceptance actions before 7 October 2025 to avoid transaction blocks.
• Be aware: from 5 January 2026, only new API acceptance or direct customer acceptance will be valid — prepare your teams for these tool changes now.

6. Windows 10 Extended Security Updates (ESU) Program

On 1 September 2025, Microsoft launched the Windows 10 Extended Security Updates (ESU) Program, ahead of Windows 10 reaching its end of support on 14 October 2025.

What it provides

• Up to three years of paid critical and important security updates, allowing customers to continue using Windows 10 securely while planning their transition to Windows 11.
• Flexibility for customers to purchase ESUs in one, two, or three-year increments via CSP.

Actions Required:

• Educate your customers on the Windows 10 end-of-support timeline and ESU options.
• Position ESU as a bridge solution while planning Windows 11 upgrades.
• Note: ESU SKUs are already available in the CSP price list (from 1 September 2025).
• Align with customers on their transition plan to Windows 11, ensuring security and compliance through to 2028.

Stay Informed – Join Our October Partner Update Webinar

To help you stay ahead of these changes and others, we invite you to our next update session: 

🗓  Date: Thursday, 2 October 2025
🕒 Time: 2:00 PM – 2:45 PM AEST
🔗 Register now