Daily AI brief · April 24, 2026
Lock In Copilot Pricing Before July 1 or Pay More
Microsoft's Copilot Business promo ends June 30, Acronis ships MSP-native GenAI security, Colorado's AI law takes effect August 2, and agentic AI hits Power Automate — here's what to act on now.
1. Microsoft 365 Price Increases Confirmed for July 1 — Copilot Promo Ends June 30 *(Microsoft Partner Center / Pax8)*
Microsoft 365 Copilot Business costs $18/user/month under the promotional annual rate available until June 30, 2026, rising to $21/user/month from July 2026.
That's not the only change:
every plan tier is affected — from Enterprise and Business to Frontline and key standalone products — as Microsoft adds stronger security, broader IT management, and new AI features to every suite.
Most increases range from five to thirty-three percent.
What it means for SMBs / MSPs: You have a 67-day window to close any pending Copilot Business deals at the promotional rate —
the IW coverage requirement has also been removed, so customers no longer need to meet the 80% Information Worker threshold to qualify for the 30% or 40% off Copilot for All offers.
Pull your renewal queue now.
2. Acronis Launches GenAI Protection — MSP-Delivered Shadow AI Monitoring *(GlobeNewswire, April 22)*
Acronis announced the launch of Acronis GenAI Protection, a monitoring and security solution that enables managed service providers to control generative AI usage across client environments, preventing sensitive data exposure and protecting against malicious prompt manipulation.
It discovers and monitors generative AI applications used across client environments, inspects prompts for sensitive data such as PII or PHI to prevent unauthorized transmission to public or unsanctioned AI tools, and detects and blocks malicious prompts designed to manipulate AI behavior or compromise workflows.
What it means for SMBs / MSPs: This is the first purpose-built, MSP-delivered shadow AI governance product — if your clients are already using ChatGPT or Copilot informally, this is how you put guardrails around it and build a new recurring revenue line.
3. Microsoft Power Automate Gets Agentic "Self-Healing" Flows *(Microsoft Power Platform Blog / Cloud Wars)*
The latest updates to Power Automate introduce various agent-based features for authoring, optimization, and self-healing, which can be applied to desktop flows and Copilot Studio-driven actions in cloud flows.
Alongside this,
makers can now use their preferred AI coding agents — such as GitHub Copilot, Claude Code, or any MCP-compatible assistant — to build and modify canvas apps through natural conversation, with a Canvas Authoring MCP Server that runs locally alongside the development environment; describe a screen or an entire app in plain language, and the coding agent translates that into structured, validated YAML.
What it means for SMBs / MSPs: Self-healing flows mean less middle-of-the-night alerts when an automation breaks — evaluate this for any client running unattended RPA workflows.
4. Colorado's AI Act Takes Effect August 2 — And the EU's Full Enforcement Follows the Same Week *(Holland & Knight / EU AI Act)*
The EU AI Act will be fully applicable on August 2, 2026, with some exceptions — prohibited AI practices and AI literacy obligations entered into application from February 2, 2025, and governance rules for GPAI models became applicable on August 2, 2025.
On the domestic side,
Colorado's AI Act, effective February 1, 2026, takes a risk-based approach to AI regulation — for high-risk AI systems making consequential decisions about housing, employment, education, healthcare, insurance, or lending, it requires detailed impact assessments evaluating discrimination risks; even small businesses using AI for loan applications, insurance quotes, or tenant screening must comply if serving Colorado customers.
What it means for SMBs / MSPs: If any client uses AI for hiring, credit, or healthcare decisions — even through a SaaS vendor — compliance exposure is real now, not someday.
5. Anthropic's Claude Mythos Confirmed — Won't Be Publicly Released *(renovateqr.com)*
Claude Mythos is Anthropic's next-generation AI model, confirmed to exist after a data leak on March 26, 2026; internal documents describe it as "by far the most powerful AI model we have ever developed," positioned above the existing Opus tier. Anthropic confirmed training is complete and that it is being trialed with early access customers, with a focus on cybersecurity partners first. No public release date has been announced.
On April 7, Anthropic announced it will NOT be publicly released due to cybersecurity risks, and it is only available to select partners under Project Glasswing.
What it means for SMBs / MSPs: Don't hold your roadmap waiting for Mythos —
Gemini 3.1 Pro leads 13 of 16 major benchmarks and ties GPT-5.4 Pro on the Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index at roughly one-third of the API cost, while Claude Sonnet 4.6 leads real expert-level work evaluations.
Pick a lane and ship.
Acronis GenAI Protection (for MSPs)
Acronis GenAI Protection is designed to be provisioned, managed, and monetized by MSPs; through a centralized console integrated into the Acronis platform, service providers can monitor AI usage across customer environments, including policy enforcement, reporting, and risk mitigation.
- Who it's for: MSP technicians and practice managers who already run Acronis Cyber Protect and want to turn AI governance into a service line.
- How long a first test takes: 30–60 minutes to activate in a sandbox tenant and run the shadow AI discovery scan on a single client environment.
- First step: Log into your Acronis partner console, navigate to the Cyber Workspace preview, and enable GenAI Protection on one test client. Review the shadow AI usage report before pitching it to that client.
Put your Microsoft 365 renewal on this month's agenda and get a Copilot Business quote before June 30. Microsoft 365 prices rise July 1 and the Copilot promo ends June 30. Buying before then means $18 per user instead of $21, and for a 10-person team that's $360 saved in the first year. Ask for a short demo in Teams so you know what you'd be paying for.
*For MSPs:* A one-page proposal with that dollar figure gives renewal conversations a clear yes-or-no before June 30.
Don't pitch Claude Mythos as "coming soon" to clients evaluating AI vendors.
Claude Mythos will not see public release due to cybersecurity risks and is only available to select partners under Project Glasswing.
Promising a capability that's closed-door creates credibility risk when clients Google it and find the same answer. Stick to what's generally available today.
AI governance is becoming a managed service — and the window to own that conversation is now.
As organizations rapidly adopt generative AI tools, businesses face growing risks related to data leakage, shadow AI usage, and malicious prompt manipulation — and many consumer-grade AI tools lack enterprise visibility, while enterprise solutions are not designed to be delivered and managed through MSPs.
Acronis GenAI Protection is the first purpose-built product to close that gap, but it won't be the last. The pattern emerging is clear: MSPs who can deliver a structured AI governance offering — covering shadow AI discovery, prompt data protection, and a written use policy — will differentiate sharply from those who just sell seats.
For SMBs, the path is not complexity but consistency: simple systems, minimum controls, and a culture that understands that digital risk is now business risk, not an IT issue.
That's a service description, not a whitepaper — and it's one you can sell today.