Microsoft News & Updates:

1: SPLA Program update regarding outsourcing:

In August 2022, Microsoft announced an important SPLA program update regarding outsourcing:
New licensing benefits make bringing workloads and licenses to partners’ clouds easier.

Given that these new terms take effect October 1, 2025, SPLA partners currently outsourcing SPLA licensed workloads to listed providers, including Alibaba, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google, or Microsoft, will need to transition to alternative licensing arrangements by October 1, 2025.

Insight can help you with the transition, reach out to your local account manager.

2: Free SQL offers in Azure:
 

Microsoft extended the free Azure SQL Database offer which allows you to create up to 10 General Purpose databases in each of your Azure Subscriptions with the first 100,000 vCore seconds, 32 GB of data, and 32 GB of backup storage free per month for the lifetime of the subscription.

Microsoft also launched a new offer in May 2025 for Azure SQL Managed Instance which gives you 720 vCore hours of compute and 64 GB of storage every month for 12 months.

More information can be found here

3: Microsoft Update: No Pricing Adjustments Following Latest FX Review:
 

As part of its regular semi-annual pricing evaluation, Microsoft has announced that there will be no price adjustments for Commercial Cloud or on-premises software services as a result of local currency fluctuations.

Reminder: Microsoft reviews foreign exchange (FX) impacts twice a year - in February and September.
Pricing changes, if any, are communicated following these evaluations.

This update provides customers with continued pricing consistency and predictability across Microsoft's cloud and on-premises offerings.

4: Upcoming Price Adjustment for Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central:
 

Microsoft has announced its first price adjustment for Dynamics 365 Business Central in over five years, effective October 1, 2025. This change ensures pricing consistency across all currencies globally. To coincide with the price increase, Microsoft is increasing the storage entitlement included with each per user license. Customers can continue to purchase Business Central at the current rates until September 30, 2025.

Beginning October 1, 2025, the updated pricing will apply to all new subscriptions and renewals of existing subscriptions.

We recommend reviewing your current subscriptions and renewal timelines to take full advantage of the current pricing.

More information can be found here

5: Windows Server hotpatching:
 

Microsoft has announced that hotpatching for Windows Server 2025 will be generally available as a subscription service starting July 1, 2025. Hotpatching allows updates to be installed without requiring a reboot, enhancing server availability and reducing downtime.

This feature, previously exclusive to Azure, will now be accessible to on-premises and multicloud environments through Azure Arc. The subscription will cost $1.50 USD per CPU core per month.

More information can be found here

Insight's Cloud Commerce Platform – Improvements and Developments:

Cloud Commerce Platform - CCx on https://buy.insight.com - July 05, 2025:

1: Enhanced Auto-Renewal Management for Software Subscriptions:

Customers will benefit from enhanced control over their Software Subscriptions with the introduction of Auto-Renewal management capabilities.
This feature allows users to easily toggle Auto-Renewal on or off, providing greater flexibility to manage renewals in alignment with organizational needs and preferences.

With this enhancement, customers can proactively adjust subscription settings—helping streamline budgeting and avoid unexpected renewals.

2: Streamlined Visuals - NCE Logo Removal:

As part of Phase 1 enhancements, NCE logos will be removed to deliver a more streamlined and visually consistent experience. By simplifying these visuals, we aim to improve product discoverability and create a more cohesive interface for users.

This update will apply to the following areas:

• Recently viewed products
• Featured products list
• Product tiles in search results

3: Improved visibility on cancellation allowed until date:

Customers will benefit from improved visibility of the "Cancellation allowed until date" on the Subscription Details Page, allowing them to easily identify their cancellation deadlines.

4: Cloud Provider Product Terms & Conditions enhancements:

Customers will benefit from enhanced management and visibility of the Cloud Provider Product Terms & Conditions (T&C’s), as they will receive timely alerts through an "Action Required" banner when Terms & Conditions have changed and action is needed.

Upon accepting the T&C’s for a specific vendor, customers will have their acceptance recorded in the T&C’s history on their Account page, including details such as the date, time, and user, which improves transparency and accountability.

Until changes are made to the T&C’s, no additional acceptance during purchase, modifications or upgrades is needed.

5: Adobe Auto-Renew Email Notifications – Enhancing Transparency and Customer Experience:

To further improve the experience for direct customers, we are introducing an email notification feature that alerts users whenever Auto-Renew settings for Adobe products are enabled or disabled.

This enhancement strengthens transparency and customer control by ensuring timely communication around subscription status changes.

With automatic alerts, customers are empowered to:

• Stay informed about adjustments to their Auto-Renew settings
• Make proactive, informed decisions about their subscription preferences
• Avoid unexpected charges or unintended service interruptions