Microsoft are always looking to improve, and with improvement comes change. So, it’s not a huge surprise to hear Microsoft are making some big changes to the way Managed Service Providers (MSP) buy and provide Microsoft licenses.  

Microsoft are introducing this new programme as ‘The New Commerce Experience’, and its purpose is to bring everyone in line, whether they buy direct from Microsoft, or through a partner.  

So, what’s changing? 

• 3 new subscription options: Microsoft will be introducing 3 subscription options for you to choose from; 1-month, 12-month and 36-month contracts.
• Pricing: Microsoft have not yet confirmed the prices for each contract; however, they have announced that monthly subscriptions will be priced 20% higher than the monthly cost of annual or 3-year contracts.  
• License number: Currently, you can decrease the number of licenses you have if staff leave, however Microsoft are changing this. Now, once you have agreed a subscription term and number of licenses, you can’t decrease them until your subscription term is over. Fortunately, you can transfer them to new staff.  
• Mix and match subscription options: Luckily, Microsoft are allowing companies to have a mix of different contract types, so you could have half of your employees on monthly contracts, and half on 12-month contracts. This is great for businesses with seasonal staff or if you have expected staffing changes.  
• 72-hour cancellation policy: Orders may now only be cancelled within the first 72 hours of purchase, and this applies to every new, add-on, or renewal transaction.  

What do you need to do? 

These changes are coming around quickly, and by quickly we mean March 2022! 

With that in mind, it’s a good idea to talk to your IT provider about this if you haven’t yet, but we hope they have spoken to you about this already. Find out how your IT providers are planning to manage this change and minimise the impact on your business.  

At brokenStones, we’re all about making life easy for our clients, that’s why we’re carrying out an extensive audit so that we can advise them on the best option to take. We’ll manage this change for them to minimise the impact on their business, both operationally and financially. 

We like to make Life and IT easy for our clients and will be happy to help if you feel you need some impartial and professional advice. If so, please use the button below to book a free 15-minute call with us to discuss this further.