Since September 2017 there have been two options for customers buying Windows 10 Enterprise E3 User SLs in CSP: a Local Only SKU which (not surprisingly) allowed just local installation of Windows 10 Enterprise E3, and a full SKU which included the additional rights to run Windows 10 Enterprise E3 in a hosted virtual desktop. From 1 October, 2018 the Local Only SKU will be retired and the price of the full SKU will be reduced to an ERP of $7 per user per month to match the previous Local Only SKU price. Find the announcement and a link to an FAQ here: http://bit.ly/2NmAemn.
Tag Archives: CSP
Azure Reserved Instance Usage
If you’re a CSP partner then it’s important to sell the correct Reserved Instance to a customer, and then to check that the discount is being applied to a virtual machine. This article gives useful instructions for both of these tasks: http://bit.ly/2N5udyZ.
Switching an Azure CSP Subscription to another Partner
If a customer has bought Azure services through a CSP partner then there’s an Azure Subscription set up and charging for the consumed services is done via the partner. However, can an Azure Subscription be switched from one partner to another if need be? It can indeed – it’s not a particularly elegant process involving a form and action required from both partners and the customer, but if you need to do it you can find instructions here: http://bit.ly/2PxC19J.
Managing Windows 10 CSP Subscriptions
If you have responsibility for deploying and managing Windows 10 Subscriptions in CSP then there are three interesting documents that you might find useful: An Introduction to Windows 10 Subscriptions in CSP; The Role of Azure AD in Windows 10 Cloud Subscriptions; and Windows 10 Upgrade Benefits for CSP Customers.
Find all of these documents with their overviews here: http://bit.ly/2P1h6ML.
Server Subscriptions
Microsoft announce the immediate availability of Server Subscriptions through the Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) program. Server Subscriptions are available for Windows Server and SQL Server and are paid upfront for either a 1-year or 3-year term. They give access to the Azure Hybrid Benefit which means that customers may install the products on-premises or use them to license the products within an Azure virtual machine. You should consider them to be best friends with the new Reserved Instances since they now offer the most cost-effective way to license predictable Windows and SQL Server workloads in Azure.
You can find the announcement here (http://bit.ly/2m6NfFj). There’s a whole host of resources on both Server Subscriptions and Reserved Instances here (http://bit.ly/2NIC5n1) where you’ll find a sales sheet, an Operations Guide, overview presentations, and an FAQ.
Skype for Business Online Plan 1 Retirement
Microsoft announce that Skype for Business Online Plan 1 will be retired from the CSP program, effective 1 August, 2018. If you want information on the plans to migrate customers to, and how to do it, then this is the page for you: http://bit.ly/2MGp63I. It’s worth noting that most Office 365 plans do now actually include Skype for Business Online Plan 1 functionality.
Azure Services Available in CSP
Not all Azure services are yet available in CSP and if you want to check exact availability then here’s a useful article to peruse: http://bit.ly/2q8aTmy. It covers availability of the general Azure services, as well as what can be purchased through the Visual Studio Marketplace and charged to a CSP account, and which Azure Marketplace items are available in CSP Subscriptions.
Windows Virtualisation Use Rights in CSP
Microsoft announce that virtualisation use rights in CSP will be available for Windows 10 Enterprise licences on 6th September 2017, enabling Windows VMs to be hosted in Azure or with a qualified multi-tenant hosting partner.
At that time Windows 10 Enterprise E3 will be available with or without virtualisation use rights, and Windows 10 Enterprise E5 and SPE will be updated to include them. There will also be a new Windows 10 Enterprise E3 VDA offering for customers who require access to Windows VMs on non-Windows Pro devices.
Find the announcement here: http://bit.ly/2tGfT3c.
Azure Government services available in CSP
Microsoft announce that Azure Government services for US government and public sector agencies are now available through the Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) program.
Find the announcement here: http://bit.ly/2tRqMOg.
Microsoft Hosting and Cloud Service Provider Newsletter
The April 2017 Microsoft Hosting and Cloud Service Provider Newsletter is out. There’s just one item of licensing interest: there was a minor update to the Services Provider License Agreement on 16 April, 2017 when the definition of a Reciprocal Service Provider was included.
Sign up for this free newsletter here: http://bit.ly/2gbk5iR.