Complete guidance for WorkSpan partners to migrate to Microsoft's new FY26 Solution Areas and Plays structure.
Overview
This guide provides comprehensive instructions for WorkSpan co-sell partners to navigate the upcoming changes to Microsoft's co-sell program. Microsoft is evolving its Solution Areas and Solution Plays to better align with customer priorities and significant advancements in AI, with changes taking effect on August 9, 2025.
Before You Begin
To ensure a smooth transition to the new Microsoft co-sell structure, WorkSpan partners must meet the following requirements:
- Active WorkSpan Co-sell Partnership: You must be an active WorkSpan co-sell partner with existing Microsoft co-sell opportunities.
- CRM System Access: Access to your CRM system (WorkSpan CRM, Salesforce, or other) with appropriate permissions to modify Solution Area and Solution Play fields.
- Solution Mapping Readiness: Ability to review and map your current co-sell published solutions to the new FY26 Solution Plays.
- Partner Center Access: Valid access to Microsoft Partner Center for co-sell opportunity management.
Strategic Changes Overview
AI-Focused Transformation
Microsoft's FY26 updates bring a strategic refinement with a primary focus on Artificial Intelligence. The new structure is designed to:
- Amplify AI Opportunities: Introduction of new AI-centric plays including "AI Ready with Surface Copilot PCs," "ERP Transformation with AI," and "Innovate with Low Code AI and Agents"
- Streamline and Simplify: Consolidation of existing Solution Plays into broader, more comprehensive offerings like "Migrate and Modernize Your Estate" and "Innovate with Azure AI Apps and Agents"
- Enhance Co-sell Engagement: Better alignment with Microsoft's seller focus and incentives to improve deal velocity
Key Structural Changes
Business Applications
Previous plays like "Accelerate Revenue Generation" and "AI Powered Business with Copilot" are now consolidated into the "Sales Transformation with AI" Solution Play within the new "AI Business Solutions" Solution Area.
Data and AI, and Infrastructure
Multiple existing migration plays, including those for specific workloads like Oracle and SAP, are unified under the "Migrate and Modernize Your Estate" Solution Play in the "Cloud and AI Platforms" Solution Area.
Modern Work Evolution
The modern workplace evolution is reflected through:
- "Employee Experience" consolidation into "Copilot and Agents at Work"
- "Frontline Workers" and "Secure Productivity" merging into "Secure AI Productivity" Solution Play
Migration Steps
Step 1: Review the New Structure
Familiarize yourself with the new FY26 Solution Areas and Solution Plays structure. The complete mapping documentation has been provided for your reference.
New Solution Areas
AI Business Solutions Cloud and AI Platforms Microsoft Unified Security
New Solution Plays
AI Ready with Surface Copilot PCs Converged Communications Copilot and Agents at Work Data Security Drive Cloud Success through Unified with Enhanced Solutions ERP Transformation with AI Innovate with Azure AI Apps and Agents Innovate with Low Code AI and Agents Migrate and Modernize Your Estate Modern SecOps with Unified Platform Protect Cloud AI Platform and Apps Sales Transformation with AI Scale Business Operations with AI Scale with Cloud and AI Endpoints Secure AI Productivity Service Transformation with AI Unify Your Data Platform
Step 2: Map Your Co-sell Solutions
Proactively map your current co-sell published solutions to the new FY26 Solution Plays. This mapping will be mandatory for all co-sell opportunities in the Partner Center.
Step 3: Update Your CRM System
For WorkSpan CRM Users
WorkSpan will automatically carry out the necessary changes for you. No action is required within the WorkSpan platform itself.
For Salesforce Users
If you manage your co-sell opportunities in Salesforce, follow these detailed configuration steps:
Update Solution Play Values
- Navigate to Object Manager → Opportunity Referral → Fields & Relationships → Solution Play
- Select all existing picklist values except one and click Deactivate Selected
- Add the new Solution Play values listed below and assign them to all record types:
AI Ready with Surface Copilot PCs Converged Communications Copilot and Agents at Work Data Security Drive Cloud Success through Unified with Enhanced Solutions ERP Transformation with AI Innovate with Azure AI Apps and Agents Innovate with Low Code AI and Agents Migrate and Modernize Your Estate Modern SecOps with Unified Platform Protect Cloud AI Platform and Apps Sales Transformation with AI Scale Business Operations with AI Scale with Cloud and AI Endpoints Secure AI Productivity Service Transformation with AI Unify Your Data Platform
- Deactivate the remaining old value from step 2 above
Update Solution Area Values
- Navigate to Object Manager → Opportunity Referral → Fields & Relationships → Solution Area
- Select all existing picklist values except one and click Deactivate Selected
- Add the new Solution Area values:
AI Business Solutions Cloud and AI Platforms Microsoft Unified Security
- Assign these values to all record types
- Deactivate the remaining old value from step 2
Configure Solution Area Field Dependencies
- Navigate to Object Manager → Opportunity Referral → Fields & Relationships → Solution Area
- Click the Edit Field Dependencies section
- Set up the field dependencies as per the provided configuration screenshot below and select Save.
Create Validation Rule
Navigate to Object Manager → Opportunity Referral → Validation Rules → New and create a new validation rule with these specifications:
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Rule Name | TEMPMicrosoftSolutionAreaPlayRequiredSub |
| Description | Temporary validation rule to require the Solution Area and Play when submitting Microsoft referrals |
| Error Message | Please enter a Solution Area and Solution Play value before submission |
Validation Formula
AND(
OR(
ISBLANK(TEXT(workspan__SolutionPlay__c)),
ISBLANK(TEXT(workspan__SolutionArea__c))
),
OR(
workspan__SourcedToPartner__c = "Microsoft",
workspan__SourcedByPartner__c = "Microsoft"
),
ISPICKVAL(workspan__ReadyForSubmitPicklist__c, "Yes"),
NOT(workspan__SkipValidationRules__c)
)
For Other CRM Systems
If you use CRM systems other than WorkSpan or Salesforce, consult the guidelines provided by WorkSpan for manual update processes specific to your platform.
Timeline and Next Steps
Immediate Actions Required
- Review Documentation: Study the complete mapping between old and new Solution Areas and Plays
- Audit Current Opportunities: Identify all active Microsoft co-sell opportunities that need remapping
- Implement CRM Changes: Update your CRM system configuration according to your platform (automatic for WorkSpan CRM, manual for others)
- Test and Validate: Ensure all changes work correctly before the August 9 deadline
- Train Your Team: Brief your sales and partner teams on the new structure and processes
Conclusion
The transition to Microsoft's FY26 Solution Areas and Solution Plays structure represents a strategic evolution toward AI-driven solutions and simplified partner collaboration. By following this guide and completing the required updates before August 9, 2025, WorkSpan partners will be well-positioned to leverage the enhanced co-sell opportunities and align with Microsoft's market priorities.
Support
We encourage you to review the official resources on the Microsoft Partner Network for further details and to reach out to your Partner Development Manager (PDM) with any specific questions. For additional support or questions about this migration process, contact WorkSpan Support at support@workspan.com.
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