Microsoft has announced that it will phase out the Microsoft Action Pack and Microsoft Learning Pack on January 21, 2025, steering its partners toward alternatives that may come with higher costs and a stronger emphasis on cloud services.
Transitioning to New Offerings
The Action Pack and Learning Pack, which have been integral to Microsoft partners alongside Silver or Gold Membership, provided access to a variety of on-premises licenses for the company’s software. However, the newly recommended options—Partner Success Core Benefits and Partner Success Expanded—shift the focus away from these traditional benefits, favoring cloud-based solutions instead.
Microsoft describes this transition as an evolution of its partner benefits offerings, aimed at equipping partners with the necessary tools and support to navigate the ever-changing technology landscape. This shift reflects a broader industry trend, as companies increasingly embrace cloud solutions over on-premises software.
A reader from The Register, impacted by this change, expressed concerns about the financial implications: “The first impact for us will be cost. We’ll need to go from Action Pack (£390 + VAT) to Partner Success Core (£735 + VAT). Secondly, the benefits appear to have moved all online. That’s not a problem for day-to-day operations, but it will make it harder when trying to recreate a customer environment with legacy software.”
Challenges Ahead
While the Action Pack has historically been rich in legacy on-premises code, the new Partner Success program lacks this depth, potentially complicating the process of replicating customer environments, as highlighted by the reader’s feedback. This change marks a significant departure from the past, where Microsoft had previously attempted to modify the Action Pack, only to reverse course due to backlash from its reseller network.
As the tech landscape evolves, many companies have transitioned to cloud solutions, and for some partners, the Action Pack no longer meets the demands of modern technology, particularly in the realm of artificial intelligence. However, for others, this pivot towards cloud services may present challenges.
The signs of change have been evident since early 2024 when Microsoft introduced three new benefits packages: Partner Launch Benefits, Partner Success Core Benefits, and Partner Success Expanded Benefits. In August, the company announced the addition of significant new offerings, including the highly anticipated Microsoft Copilot products, Microsoft Defender for Endpoint, and Microsoft GitHub, set to launch on January 22, 2025.
As the countdown to January 21, 2025, begins, partners must prepare for the retirement of the Action Pack and its associated benefits, marking the end of an era in Microsoft’s partner ecosystem.