Microsoft Leans into Accounting Profession with AI-Focused Sponsorship of Scaling New Heights

Microsoft will join Scaling New Heights 2026 this June for the first time ever, bringing one of the world’s most influential AI developers directly into a space full of accountants, bookkeepers, consultants, and client advisory professionals.

Participation will include featured placement in the exhibition hall, an AI-focused keynote from Microsoft leadership during the Monday morning mainstage session, and a Tuesday morning breakout session focused on Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central. Microsoft Copilot experts will also participate in a broader AI training track designed specifically for accounting professionals.

Scaling New Heights 2026 brings the profession together in Orlando this June

Scaling New Heights 2026 will take place this coming June for four days in Orlando, Florida. The event’s theme, Strange New World, reflects the diverse challenges professionals face today. Practitioners are working through a business environment defined by uncertainty, rapid change, and a growing list of responsibilities that sit well beyond compliance.

Economic pressures are mounting, and ongoing policy changes complicate planning. Talent shortages persist across practices of all sizes, and the pace of technological change, including AI, continues to accelerate. At the same time, clients expect more than accurate records and timely compliance. They want on-demand insight, context, and informed guidance to support decision-making.

Why Microsoft’s sponsorship matters to accountants

Microsoft’s participation in the conference matters because its products are already woven into the way many businesses work every day. Tools like Microsoft 365, Windows, Teams, Excel, and Azure are a familiar part of the daily workflow for organizations across the country. That gives Microsoft a real advantage in the ERP space. Business Central and Copilot are in an environment that companies already use, which puts Microsoft in a strong position to shape how financial systems, operations, and AI work together.

Scaling New Heights programming will feature Copilot specialists in its dedicated AI training track designed specifically for accounting professionals, led by technology expert Randy Johnston of K2 Enterprises. In addition, the Tuesday morning Power Breakfast session, Becoming a Frontier Firm: How Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central can help you lead the way, will focus on CPA and CAS practices serving small and midsize businesses that need stronger visibility and more modern financial systems. Planned demonstrations include Business Central’s built-in AI capabilities and Copilot agents for bank reconciliations, cash flow forecasting, and late-payment follow-ups.

For firms building CAS practices, that combination is especially relevant. Many clients have already outgrown basic accounting systems, but they are not always ready to evaluate what comes next on their own. That creates an opportunity for practices that can connect accounting technology decisions to broader conversations about workflow, reporting, process improvement, and advisory value. A platform like Business Central is part of that discussion because it reaches beyond the general ledger and into the wider operating environment of the business.

The Microsoft leaders taking the stage at Scaling New Heights 2026

Andre Faria, Global Sales & Channel Leader and AI & SMB Transformation Advocate, and Peter Jakobsen, Solution Architect in Microsoft’s Global Center of Excellence, will present a keynote and fireside chat during the Monday morning mainstage session. Faria’s work has focused on helping small and midsize businesses modernize through partnerships and practical AI adoption, while Jakobsen brings more than 20 years of experience across Microsoft Dynamics NAV and Business Central. The Tuesday Power Breakfast session will also include Jennifer Dorsey, Microsoft Solution Area Lead for AI Business Process, a 25-plus-year Microsoft veteran whose background includes product marketing, go-to-market strategy, Business Central, and U.S. small and midsize business sales.

That lineup suggests Microsoft intends to speak to the profession from several angles at once: AI adoption, ERP modernization, channel strategy, and practical implementation. For attendees, that matters because the questions firms are asking right now are not theoretical. They want to know which clients are ready for more advanced systems, where AI can reduce manual work without creating more review burden, and how modern platforms can support more consistent, scalable advisory relationships.

What Microsoft’s sponsorship signals for the profession

Microsoft’s first appearance as a sponsor also reflects a broader shift in the market. Large technology companies increasingly see accountants as influential decision-makers in software adoption, reporting strategy, and operational modernization for small and midsize businesses. That does not mean every firm needs to become a technology consulting practice or VAR. It does mean practices need to be more informed about the systems their clients rely on and more confident in evaluating how AI and ERP tools fit into the work.

As Scaling New Heights 2026 approaches, Microsoft’s presence will be worth watching not simply because of the company’s size and market share, but because of what it may signal about the future direction of accounting technology. Attendees will have an opportunity to see how Microsoft positions Business Central and Copilot for practices and clients that need stronger processes, better visibility, and more connected financial operations. In a profession that is being asked to do more with better data and fewer resources, that is a conversation likely to resonate well beyond the conference.

With registration now open, Scaling New Heights 2026 offers the perfect opportunity to see how platforms like Business Central and Copilot are being positioned for our changing profession.

This article was written with the assistance of AI and edited by a human.