News

Microsoft replaces the free CSP grace period with a paid Extended Service Term from April 2026, shifting renewals to a 23% premium model that trades free buffer time for uninterrupted service.

Microsoft quietly removed the Power Apps per App Plan from the January 2026 licensing guide. Existing customers face renewal cost increases of up to 300% as only Premium or PAYG options remain.

Microsoft Defender Experts Suite combines MXDR, Incident Response, and advisory engineering into a single managed security offering. Promotional pricing in 2026 comes with strict prerequisites, high seat minimums, and opaque pricing.

GitHub reduced prices for hosted runners, but quietly introduced a fee for self-hosted usage. The developer backlash was immediate. Within a week, GitHub reversed course — but the cost problem remains.

Microsoft’s January 2026 Product Terms update formalises Security Copilot in M365 E5, rebrands Azure AI Foundry to Microsoft Foundry, adds new third-party AI model licensing terms, and clarifies Teams Phone carrier liability.

Microsoft’s December 2025 Product Terms update introduces three changes: an updated Bing Grounding Terms of Use reference in Copilot Studio, the general availability of Dragon Copilot Nursing, and the addition of Windows 365 Reserve to the Product Terms.

Visual Studio 2026 updates Product Terms with a revised Office entitlement and consolidated licence conditions, while keeping the per-user subscription model unchanged. Key implications for compliance and entitlement tracking.

Microsoft SQL Server 2025 brings major licensing changes: Power BI Report Server now included in Standard, Web edition discontinued, clarified fail-over rights, and significant capacity and feature updates across editions.

Microsoft renamed E5 Security and Compliance but didn’t finish updating the Product Terms. Half the document references products you can no longer purchase. Those managing licensing renewals right now, our hearts are with you.

Microsoft’s Teams bundling returns with ‘no Teams’ packages becoming up to 44% cheaper, creating new procurement opportunities for organisations using alternatives like Zoom or Slack. The changes coincide with EA discount removal on November 1st, forcing complex strategic recalculations.

Microsoft faces a trust crisis: from Pentagon letters of concern and China-based engineer revelations to EU regulatory settlements and failed AI trials, governments now demand sovereignty and transparency.

Microsoft faces global antitrust backlash over cloud licensing, AI dominance, and bundling, forcing policy shifts across the US, UK, and EU.