Traditionally, companies over 500 employees would purchase their Microsoft licensing through an Enterprise Agreement which was, in Microsoft’s view, the most strategic vehicle to purchase licenses. This is now changing, with more companies moving to CSP (Cloud Solution Provider), because CSP is more than just a licensing program. With CSP you get 24/7 support from your CSP partner who understands your account as well as receiving one monthly invoice for your services and licenses, making it easier to manage your monthly spend.
Here are my top four reasons to move from an EA to CSP…
1. True-up (or down) at any time
In an Enterprise Agreement, you can true-up to a premium license, but you can’t true-down to a license of less value. You are committed for the duration of your agreement to the licenses that you choose. With CSP, you can change the quantity and type of license at any time. This gives you the flexibility and reassurance of knowing that as your business changes, your CSP licenses can change with it.
2. No surprise charges
Under an EA, if you add a product half way through the first year of your contract, you will owe the full cost for the next two and a half years, which can come as a surprise. In the CSP agreement, you have the satisfaction of knowing your monthly invoice will only be for the licenses you have, meaning you only pay for what you use.
3. Partner support
If you have an EA agreement, you will be all too familiar with the frustrating generic 1-800 support numbers for Microsoft licensing. With CSP you can relax knowing you always have your partner on hand to help or escalate to product engineers.
4. Easy billing
Having a simple monthly invoice can really help save time and frustration. In the CSP agreement, you will have one monthly invoice from your partner for any services and subscriptions, making it easier to manage. CSP also gives you the choice to pay annually, if you prefer.
CSP seems to be the way forward for a lot of organisations, and if you choose Core as your CSP, you not only get the above but also end-user training and adoption services to help you really get the most out of your licenses – at no extra cost!
Contact me at Kathleen.greenan@core.co.uk to find out more.
