Tag Archives: Microsoft

Power Platform licensing resources

There are updated (May 2026) Power Platform licensing resources with only a few minor updates.

In the Licensing Guide there’s some rewording of the Dataverse MCP Server section and adjustments made to some of the entries in the Appendix A: Terminology list. As far as the Licensing Deck goes, there’s text added to explain that Voice Agents consume Copilot Credits based on the total call length and the configured voice orchestration.

The one-click “Power Platform” filter in our Licensing Guides Gallery provides subscribers with quick access to these licensing resources: https://bit.ly/GuidesGallery. You’ll also find details of all the changes to be aware (and wary) of with our “What’s New” and “Cautionary Notes” features. Non-subscribers can find the latest Licensing Guide here: https://bit.ly/4taNDlf and its sidekick, the Licensing Deck here: https://bit.ly/3Pp91Ft.

Modern Work Plan Comparison documents

There are updated (May 2026) Modern Work Plan Comparison documents for SMB, Enterprise, US Government, and Education customers.

It’s no surprise that most of the changes are to do with Microsoft 365 E7 and Agent 365 after their May 1, 2026 launch. In the Enterprise documents there are new sections added for Agent Observability, Agent Governance, and Agent Security making it easy to see which features are included in a Microsoft cloud subscription and which need Agent 365/Microsoft 365 E7 licenses. The SMB document has similar, but cut-down, sections added.

Don’t forget that we help you navigate the (seemingly increasing) errors in these documents every month with our Cautionary Notes. You’ll find these using the one-click “Microsoft 365” filter in our subscriber-exclusive Licensing Guides Gallery, along with quick access to the documents and full change details: https://bit.ly/GuidesGallery.

Non-subscribers can find the documents here: https://bit.ly/4hn2hS2. If you’re a partner and prefer the Excel version, contact us from your work email address and we’ll send it right over: info@licensingschool.co.uk.

GitHub Copilot moves to usage-based billing

Advanced tasks in GitHub Copilot have historically been covered by Premium Requests, with each GitHub Copilot plan being allocated a set number of Premium Requests, and more available to be purchased on a Pay-As-You-Go basis as required.

In April 2026 Microsoft announced that Premium Requests would be replaced by GitHub AI Credits from June 1, 2026. Again, each plan includes a set number of GitHub AI Credits, but the consumption of these units is now linked more closely to the actual usage with longer, more advanced tasks and use of higher-capability AI models consuming more units. 1 AI Credit = $0.01, in common with other AI consumption units, such as Copilot Credits.

Find the announcement here: https://bit.ly/4weo0Tz.

GA of High Volume Email

Microsoft announce that High Volume Email (HVE) is now generally available in Exchange Online.

It’s a way for applications and devices to send large volumes of internal email reliably and securely without impacting user mailboxes or Exchange Online service health. Usage will be metered from June 1, 2026 with pricing set at $42 per one million recipients.

Find the announcement with some common usage scenarios listed here: https://bit.ly/4eC2hyh, and the (useful) Learn documentation detailing how to set up HVE accounts here: https://bit.ly/3QndatS.

Retirement of Windows Hybrid Benefit

The May 1, 2026 Product Terms sees the retirement of the Windows Hybrid Benefit.

This benefit was available to Windows 365 Business licensed users who were the Primary User of a device licensed with Windows 10/11 Pro, and entitled them to discounted pricing. This change coincides with the overall 20% reduction in pricing of Windows 365 Business that starts on May 1 too.

See the changes in the Product Terms here: https://bit.ly/4eU5DwD.

Agent 365 FAQs

Microsoft’s Agent 365 FAQs are updated again, prior to the launch on 1 May, 2026.

The emphasis is very much that Agent 365 is licensed per human user as those users interact with, or own, sponsor, or manage Agents. There’s confirmation added that there are no consumption-based costs for Agent 365 (yet) and a useful section at the end (key principles for understanding Agent 365 licensing) is worth a read.

Find this updated document here: https://bit.ly/486k5xG or, if you’re a subscriber, get the document and the associated “What’s New” notes in our Licensing Guides Gallery: https://bit.ly/GuidesGallery.

Microsoft Azure AI Foundry Pricing Guide – April 2026

There’s an updated (April 2026) version of Microsoft’s Azure AI Foundry Pricing Guide.

This is a useful document for understanding how you pay for the different Microsoft Foundry services via Pay-As-You-Go, Batch deployment, or Provisioned Throughput Units.

Everyone can find this document here: https://bit.ly/3Ovg52W, and subscribers can additionally find the detail of what’s new and what’s not quite right by grabbing the guide from our Licensing Guides Gallery: https://bit.ly/GuidesGallery.

Extended period for ESUs for Exchange and SfB

Microsoft announce a “Period 2” 6-month extension for the special Extended Security Updates for Exchange Server 2016/2019 and Skype for Business Server 2015/2019.

Customers who want ESUs in the new May 2026 – October 2026 period should note that Period 2 isn’t an extension to the first period of ESUs, it’s a further purchase.

Find the announcement for Exchange Server here: https://bit.ly/4sNf1pi and Skype for Business Server here: https://bit.ly/4dWfgdY.

Power Platform licensing resources

The Power Platform licensing resources are updated (twice!) for April 2026: initially, they were almost completely unchanged compared to March, but a second version arrived shortly after.

The (confusingly repetitive) summary of the different licenses at the start of the Licensing Guide has been removed, leaving information about one license type in just one section each. AI in apps capabilities are added to the Summary of Power Apps table, showing that extra AI capabilities are available when you have a Power Apps Premium license (as opposed to using the Pay-As-You-Go meter) with, as you might expect, some features also requiring a Microsoft 365 Copilot license. That change is also made in the Licensing Deck.

The one-click “Power Platform” filter in our Licensing Guides Gallery gives subscribers quick access to all versions of the licensing resources: https://bit.ly/GuidesGallery. You’ll also find details of all the changes to be aware (and wary) of with our “What’s New” and “Cautionary Notes” features. Non-subscribers can find the latest Licensing Guide here: https://bit.ly/4dTI7zw, and the Licensing Deck here: https://bit.ly/42hIooI.

Dynamics 365 licensing resources

The latest (April 2026) Dynamics 365 licensing resources are now available.

Most changes are minor, but they feature the new Sales Opportunity Agent, which gathers information from emails, meetings, and Dynamics 365 Sales to try to help sales people prioritise opportunities and close deals faster.

The one-click “Dynamics 365” filter in our Licensing Guides Gallery gives subscribers quick access to the documents and all the updates to be aware (and wary!) of: https://bit.ly/GuidesGallery. Grab the Licensing Guide here: https://bit.ly/47Y2GXQ, and its sidekick, the Licensing Deck here: https://bit.ly/4sv8qQg.