As part of the Secure Future Initiative, starting November 2024, Microsoft will block and finally delete inactive Azure subscriptions. This includes both Azure subscriptions purchased using a credit card and Azure subscriptions provided through CSP partners.
Azure subscriptions are considered inactive, when there has been no activity, consumption, or support cases for more than 12 months.
The subscription removal is split in these 3 steps:
- Inactivity threshold: 12 months
- Notification window: 30 days
- Blocking state: 90 days
When an Azure subscriptions falls for the inactivity threshold, the Account Owner and the Service Admins of the subscription will receive an e-mail notification from Microsoft, announcing that the unused subscription will be blocked in 30 days if no activity is registered (creating resources, new usage, or creating support ticket).
For Azure subscriptions purchased through the CSP channel, the associated partner also receives an email notification:
If the Azure subscription has still not been used 30 days after the notification, Microsoft will change the state of the unused subscription to Blocked.
At this point Microsoft will send another notification to the Account Owner, Service Admins, and a possible CSP partner, informing that the unused subscription is blocked, and that it will get deleted in 90 days, if there has been no actions to unblock it.
When an Azure subscription is blocked, it is no longer possible to make changes to the subscription.
Neither the customer nor a partner can unblock an Azure subscription. Only Microsoft can do this, and it requires that either the customer (when purchased using a credit card) or the CSP partner create a support case to Microsoft Support, requesting the block to be removed.
Is the Azure subscription not unblocked within 90 days, Microsoft will delete the blocked Azure subscription.
When an Azure subscription is deleted, all resources and data within the Azure subscription will also get permanently deleted.
References:
- Monthly update: Important actions partners need to take to secure the partner ecosystem (14. October 2024) – https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/partner-center/announcements/2024-october#monthly-update-important-actions-partners-need-to-take-to-secure-the-partner-ecosystem
- Avoid unused subscriptions – https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cost-management-billing/manage/avoid-unused-subscriptions