Microsoft’s Frontier Moment: Why E7, Agents and Copilot Wave 3 Change Everything for Partners

10th March 2026 1 minute read

For the past two years, most organisations have been experimenting with AI. Pilots here, proofs of concept there, a Copilot license for a few power users.

This week, Microsoft made it clear: the experimentation phase is over.

With the announcement of Microsoft 365 E7, Agent 365, Microsoft Agent Factory, and Wave 3 of Microsoft 365 Copilot, Microsoft is redefining how AI shows up in real work — and, more importantly, how it’s governed, secured and scaled.

From tools to transformation

Microsoft 365 E7 isn’t just another SKU. It’s the first-time productivity, security, identity, Copilot and AI agent governance have been deliberately packaged together as a single, enterprise grade solution.

For customers, this simplifies decision making.
For partners, it fundamentally raises the value of the conversation.

We’re no longer talking about “which Copilot license?”
We’re talking about how humans and AI agents operate together — securely — across the business.

Why agents are the real story

Copilot Wave 3 introduces something far more powerful than better prompts: agentic work.

Agents that can:

Plan
Execute
Coordinate across apps
And do it with enterprise guardrails
Design AI strategies
Build and deploy agents
Secure and govern AI environments
Drive adoption and measurable outcomes

That’s exciting — but it’s also risky without governance. That’s why Agent 365 is so critical. It gives IT and security teams visibility and control, and it gives partners a massive opportunity to lead AI responsibly.

Where partners fit

At Dicker Data, we see this as a turning point for the channel.

The partners who will win aren’t the ones who simply resell E7. They’ll be the ones who:

Microsoft Agent Factory accelerates this by removing friction and making AI delivery partner-led by design.

The bottom line

This isn’t about selling more licenses.
It’s about helping customers become Frontier Firms — organisations where AI delivers real, repeatable value.

For partners ready to step up, this is one of the biggest opportunities we’ve seen in Modern Work, Security and AI. Connect with me and my team to discuss how we can help you build on this opportunity.

Adam Smith Modern Work & Security Practice Lead

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