3 min to readPartner Programs

Microsoft CSP vs. EA: 5 Reasons to Switch to CSP

Mattijs VersteegTeam Lead Microsoft Advisory Services

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How does the Microsoft Cloud Solution Programme (CSP) differ from a Microsoft Enterprise Agreement (EA)?

The Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) programme represents an alternative agreement type to the Enterprise Agreement (EA) Examining the differences is essential when deciding which is best for your organisation

An EA is a comprehensive software licensing and cloud services agreement that includes:

A three-year contract between the customer and Microsoft, facilitated by a Microsoft partner, allows you to lock in a price
An annual “true-up” for businesses to optimise licences to a certain extent. This can be beneficial if your headcount stays steady for at least a year
Value with optimised pricing—including potential discounts, 24/7 Microsoft support, planning services, and technical training
Access to the latest versions of on-premises and cloud software (if you’re fully on-premises, an MPSA makes more sense)
Predictable, scheduled payments and licence assistance from a partner

By contrast, CSP offers:

Suitable for a variety of organisation sizes
Scalability that allows a company to adjust based on organisational changes
No minimum user requirement
Flexible billing options
Option to choose commitment terms, ensuring payment only for cloud usage
Value-added services from a Microsoft partner, including billing, spend management, and 24/7 technical support for incidents and service requests

Why CSP might be better for your organisation

Did you know that organisations switching to CSP save an average of 10-20%* on their IT costs? That means reviewing your Microsoft licensing and considering CSP can bring significant benefits to your organisation. In addition, many organisations find that their current licensing model no longer fits their dynamic business needs. CSP offers the solution here.

Here are five reasons why it is worth considering:

You only pay for what you use, resulting in cost optimisation: Moving to a more flexible model can help control costs. With CSP, you have no upfront commitments and only pay for what you use, which can lead to significant savings—especially for organisations with fluctuating business needs.
You gain flexibility: Revising your licensing model can give you more flexibility in terms of payment options and help in tailoring services to your organisation's specific needs. This can be especially useful for growing and dynamic organisations that need to be able to scale up or down quickly without commitments.
You can access support and training: By moving to CSP, you get access to 24/7/365 customer support, incident management, spend and usage management, and training from your CSP partner. This can help you get the most out of your Microsoft investments and ensure that your team is well equipped to work with the latest tools and technologies. Your partner can also help you continue your digital transformation journey.
You have a single point of contact: Managing licences and services can be a complex task. By reviewing your agreement and moving to a CSP model, you can benefit from continuous licence management and a single point of contact for all your Microsoft services. When partnering with SoftwareOne, our simplified client portal becomes your single platform to manage all your agreements in one place. This can reduce administrative workloads and unburden your IT team.

Extra benefits of the New Commerce Experience

The New Commerce Experience is a subscription type under CSP. It enables you to lock in subscription periods of 1 month, 12 months, or 36 months, to offer greater flexibility and tailor-fit to your organisation's needs. Moreover, you can benefit from promotions such as discounts on annual subscriptions and flat monthly fees for temporary subscriptions. This makes CSP an attractive alternative to a traditional EA, with similar benefits and more flexibility.

Why SoftwareOne?

SoftwareOne has years of experience in Microsoft licence management and has helped countless clients innovate while achieving significant cost savings. We’ll work with you to review your EA and help you bring down costs, enjoy greater flexibility, receive better support, and more easily manage your licences.

*Source: How Azure migration helped Panasonic cut costs by 50%