Highlights from our visit to Microsoft Ignite

We’re back from Microsoft Ignite San Francisco, where over 20,000 CIOs, IT Managers, and Partners explored 70+ announcements shaping the future of business applications and AI. Together with Louis Rustenhoven, Michael Hartmann and Rob Idink, Novature explored how AI, infrastructure, and security are evolving at high speed.

Microsoft was refreshingly transparent about the current state of AI and agentic AI projects, acknowledging that many initiatives still face challenges with ROI and success. As a result, Ignite emphasized governance, security, and measuring the impact of AI agents in organizations.

Two key concepts stood out:

1. The Frontier Firm: Organizations at the forefront of innovation, transforming employee experiences, customer engagement, and business processes, all powered by Microsoft’s AI platform.
2. Partners as Customer Zero: Microsoft relies on partners to bring frontier firm concepts to customers, especially SMBs and corporates. Partners are encouraged to reimagine their own businesses with AI, going beyond simply adopting Copilot or chatbots.

Top announcements for Dynamics Partners:

• Copilot as the Ultimate UI: Microsoft 365 Copilot is evolving into the central intelligence layer (“Work IQ”), connecting people, processes, and content.
• Fabric IQ & Foundry IQ: Unified analytics and knowledge management across operational systems, custom apps, and the web - enabling grounded, impactful AI agents.
• Agent Factory & Agent 365: New programs to help partners build, manage, and secure AI agents across Microsoft and third-party platforms.
• Frontier Partner Badge: Microsoft’s new recognition for partners demonstrating innovation and leadership in Dynamics. To earn the badge, partners must achieve three specializations (Copilot, AI Apps/Platform/Developer Productivity, Data Security) and attain Solutions Partner designations in Modern Work or Business Applications, Security, and a Cloud & AI Platform-aligned designation.

Challenges & Opportunities:

Becoming customer zero and building AI-driven practices is a significant investment for partners, but Microsoft offers a unique, end-to-end platform covering both end-user AI and business process automation. With Business Applications at the heart of agentic AI transformation and a partner-led business model, we’re confident our partners have a bright future, and we’re committed to supporting every step of the journey.