WHAT MICROSOFT’S NEW COMMERCE EXPERIENCE MEANS FOR YOU
- Microsoft’s Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) program continues to evolve as it adapts to support the constantly shifting needs of today’s businesses. As part of its investment in the CSP program, Microsoft has reduced licensing complexity and costs, as well as provided flexibility to support a range of client purchasing scenarios. To achieve this, Microsoft launched the New Commerce Experience (NCE) for Microsoft Azure in 2019 – and in October of 2021 expanded NCE to include Microsoft 365, Dynamics 365, Windows 365, and Power Platform.
- The latest announcement sees a change in ‘seat-based offers’ such as Microsoft 365, Dynamics 365, Power Platform, and Windows 365. This change will see new enforcement of a 72-hour cancellation window and changes to the flexibility model with the introduction of new monthly term offers that are subject to a 20% increase in price.
WHAT NEW FEATURES WILL THE NEW COMMERCE EXPERIENCE PROVIDE?
Multi-Geo – Available in 2022
Multi-Geo allows organizations to provision and store data at rest in the various geo- locations that they have chosen to meet data residency requirements. This is currently only available for customers who consume online services via Enterprise Agreements (EA) or Enterprise Subscription Agreements (ESA).
As a part of the New Commerce Experience (NCE), Multi-Geo will be available for customers consuming online services on CSP in 2022. This will give smaller organizations that do not meet the criteria for EA/ESA the ability to secure Multi-Geo pricing.
Home Use Program (HUP) – Available in early 2022
The HUP will allow employees of organizations who consume online services via CSP to take advantage of purchasing a Microsoft 365 subscription with a 30% discount.
Hybrid Use Benefits (HUB) – Available in 2022
HUB will allow organizations to further capitalize on their Microsoft investments made via the CSP program.
As your Microsoft experts, the ne Digital team is here to help you navigate the latest changes and updates to the CSP program so that you can take advantage of all available features, benefits, and opportunities
Key Differences among Licensing Terms in the New Commerce Experience:
Frequently Asked Questions:
Q: We deal with a lot of temporary workers (Volunteers / Students), as well as having our full-time staff – can we have a mixture of annual and monthly commitment licenses?
A: Yes, you can have as many subscriptions as you like – each will have a different end date and cost though (as the monthly commit licenses are 20% higher than the annual)
Q: When we add additional licenses to an existing subscription, what happens to the end date and cost?
A: As you are adding licenses to an existing subscription, the new licenses will have the same end date as the existing ones (co-termed). Regarding cost, as you’ve locked in the price for the full term on that subscription (1 month or annual)
Q: What are the benefits of signing up for an annual commitment now?
A: An annual commitment represents 16.7% saving on the 1-month licenses over a year.
Q: Can I reduce the number of licenses I have in a subscription?
A: Yes, but you only have a 72hr window (from point of adding the first license) to remove any. Once the 72hr window has passed, you’ll be unable to make changes till the subscription is renewed (so either monthly or yearly).
Q: If I decide 4 months into an annual commitment that I don’t want any licenses anymore, can I cancel them?
A: Yes, but as you are in an annual commitment, you will be charged for the full term.
Q: We have Office 365 E3 licenses on an annual commitment but decide we want to upgrade some or all users to Office 365 E5 licenses during the term – is this allowed?
A: Yes, you can upgrade at any point, however, you can only downgrade when the subscription auto-renews.
Q: Can I still get trial licenses?
A: Yes, you can get up to 25 licenses for 30 days for some products. The trial licenses can’t be canceled during the 30 days and auto-renew is automatically on, so after the trial has ended the licenses will convert into paid licenses that are on an annual commitment (unless the auto-renew is switched off). If you’re interested in trialing any of the Microsoft products, please speak to your account manager who can advise.
Q: Can we manage renewal changes before the renewal date?
A: Yes, we can change license types/quantity/term and billing frequency before the renewal date, but these changes will only come into effect upon the subscription renewal date
Q: I will need to flex some of my licenses throughout the year due to having contract staff – can I have a mixture of fixed and flex licenses?
A: Yes, we can provide you with both fixed-term and monthly subscriptions for your licensing needs. Please discuss this with your sales representative, so we can help you make the right decision for your business.
