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In This Article
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Overview
The Microsoft Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) program is a partner program that enables Managed Service Providers (MSPs), Value-Added Resellers (VARs), and other IT service providers to sell and manage Microsoft cloud services for their customers. The CSP program allows partners to offer a range of Microsoft cloud solutions, such as Microsoft 365, Azure, Dynamics 365, Power Platform, and Power BIAzure, while providing value-added services, such as technical support, billing, and provisioning.Through the CSP program, partners can offer flexible billing options, such as monthly or annual billing, and provide customized solutions that meet the unique needs of their customers. Partners can also manage their customers' the following:
- Manage cloud services through a single, unified portal
- Provisioning and deployment help
- Resolving performance & service availability issues
- Managing updates for services and software
- Answering usage questions
- Flexible billing options and subscription support
Overall, the Microsoft CSP program provides a flexible, scalable, and customizable solution for partners like Evolve IP to sell and manage Microsoft cloud services for their customers, while enabling them to differentiate themselves in the market and drive business growth.
Differences Between an Enterprise Agreement and CSP
An Enterprise Agreement was once the go-to model for businesses when purchasing Microsoft products. However, in recent years, with more and more businesses moving to the cloud, Cloud Solution Providers have become a new option. These are some of the main differences between the two options:
- Licensing: The Microsoft Enterprise Agreement is a licensing program that enables organizations to purchase Microsoft software licenses in volume for a 3-year period, while the Cloud Solution Provider program enables partners to sell and manage Microsoft cloud services for their customers on a subscription basis.
- An Enterprise Agreement includes all Microsoft products, while a CSP includes cloud subscriptions only (Office 365, Microsoft Azure and Dynamics 365).
- An Enterprise Agreement allows an increase in the number of users at any time. However, you can only decrease the number once every year with a 30-day notice. With CSP, you can increase or decrease the number of users every 30 days if your licensing is deployed with the monthly option.
- Pricing: Enterprise Agreement pricing is generally based on the number of licenses purchased and is fixed for the 3-year term, whereas Cloud Solution Provider pricing is typically based on usage and can vary from month to month.
- Contract Length: Enterprise Agreements are typically 3-year contracts with a minimum of 500 enterprise user licenses, while Cloud Solution Provider contracts are more flexible and can be renewed or cancelled on a monthly or annual basis.
- Billing and Support: Enterprise Agreements are typically managed directly between the customer and Microsoft, with billing and support provided by Microsoft. With the Cloud Solution Provider program, billing and support are provided by the partner.
- CSP offers monthly billing as compared to the annual upfront payment and additional charges for added users with the Enterprise Agreement.
- Support: The Enterprise Agreement covers basic support and the option to obtain premier support at additional charges. CSP offers 24/7/365 support from the CSP partner with priority access to Microsoft Premier Support.
Overall, the main difference between the two programs is that the Enterprise Agreement is focused on software licensing for on-premises deployments, while the Cloud Solution Provider program is focused on providing flexible, subscription-based licensing for Microsoft cloud services, with more customization and support provided by the partner.
What is CSP?
CSP is designed to provide Microsoft public cloud subscriptions, such as Office 365, Enterprise Mobility Suite (EMS), Azure and Dynamics Online. With CSP you will receive a monthly invoice from Evolve IP for subscriptions (software) and services. Evolve IP provides 24/7/365 support to you as your CSP partner. Evolve IP also has a Premiere Support Agreement with Microsoft which bypasses tier one support and goes direct to tier two.
Is CSP Only for Cloud Services?
Yes. The Cloud Solution Provider program is Microsoft Public Cloud only.
Do I Sign a Contract with Microsoft with CSP?
Yes. You will agree to add Evolve IP as your Microsoft CSP partner by clicking a link sent from Evolve IP during our implementation process that pairs Evolve IP's CSP tenant with your Microsoft tenant. Customer signs the Microsoft Cloud Agreement and the Microsoft Online Service Terms (OST) apply. The Cloud Agreement is the legal bond between your organization and Microsoft. Microsoft determines the conditions for use.
Who Provides the Support?
Within the CSP program the CSP provider, Evolve IP, provides premier support without additional charges.
Within the Enterprise Agreement, Microsoft provides basic support and the option to obtain premier support at additional charges.
May I Start and Stop at Any Time?
No. The CSP program is based on a monthly and annual subscriptions. This means that you can reduce subscriptions every 30 days and you can add subscriptions at any time.
The agreement between Evolve IP and our customers will reflect the term commitment made to Microsoft.
Who do I Pay?
Evolve IP. We take care of the payment for the cloud subscriptions with Microsoft.
Evolve IP pays for your services in the previous billing cycle roughly every 30 days.
Why Choose the CSP model?
CSP provides subscriptions and services with the benefit of monthly consumption and billing.
CSP provides one invoice for subscriptions, services and support.
CSP is more flexible and fits better with how business need to expand and contract Microsoft services and subscription licenses without barriers or conditions
Resources
Cloud Solution Provider - Program Authorization Guide
This Microsoft Program Authorization Guide details additional requirements for becoming a partner in the Cloud Solution Provider Program.
If you are looking for specific details about CSP and Evolve IP please reach out to your CRM who can help you understand more about how Evolve IP interacts on our customer's behalf with Microsoft.you, the customer.
Evolve IP and the Microsoft CSP Partner Program
- Evolve IP is a Direct (Tier 1) CSP partner, and can sell Microsoft CSP products to customers with Microsoft cloud accounts/tenants in the US, CA, UK & EU.
- Microsoft provides Evolve IP a single, unified portal to manage our CSP customers. This is called the Microsoft CSP portal, and is also known as the CSP Partner Center portal.
- Evolve IP does not have a customer facing, self-service portal for subscription purchasing and management.
- Evolve IP does not offer any Microsoft funded workshops or assessments for customers.
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NOTE As a Microsoft customer, you can have relationships with multiple Microsoft CSP partners at the same time, which means Evolve IP may not be your only CSP partner. For example:
Additionally, you can purchase Microsoft subscriptions from multiple purchasing channels including Microsoft CSP partners. |
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IMPORTANT Your 365 tenant is hosted by Microsoft and belongs to you, the customer. When you establish a reseller relationship with Evolve IP, and we sell you Microsoft subscription licenses, you still retain ownership and control of your 365 tenant including all data. Evolve IP acts as a partner with you, the customer, and provides Microsoft subscriptions and support services only. |
Purchasing Channels & Subscription Transfers
Microsoft has multiple purchasing channels for you to purchase Microsoft's cloud products. Some examples are:
- Web Direct - You purchase directly from Microsoft in your M365 Admin Portal using a credit card.
- Volume License Reseller - You purchase from a reseller using a Microsoft purchasing agreement (Enterprise Agreement, Open Agreement, etc.). Evolve IP is not a volume license reseller.
- Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) - You purchase from a Microsoft CSP partner. Evolve IP is a Microsoft CSP partner.
Microsoft does not provide a means for partners to manage your purchases from other partners and/or purchasing channels, and Microsoft does not have a back-end process to transfer subscription products between partners and/or purchasing channels, which includes CSP partners like Evolve IP.
For example, the subscriptions included in a Microsoft Enterprise Agreement (EA) you purchased from another partner cannot be transferred to Evolve IP.
Instead you must purchase a new set of subscription products from Evolve IP just before your current subscriptions expire. If planned properly, you will only have a day or two of overlap and double-billing.
Microsoft Tenant/Account
Your Microsoft Tenant/Account in Microsoft's cloud is located in a specific region (US, CA, UK, EU, etc.), and your services & data are homed within one or more datacenters within that region. Your region is determined by your physical address, which is entered during the initial tenant/account setup process.
Evolve IP can only sell Microsoft subscription products and services to commercial customers with tenants/accounts residing in these regions: US, CA, UK, & EU.
A customer's tenant/account in Microsoft's cloud can be referenced using multiple terms, and all of them refer to the same thing. Here are some examples:
- Office 365 Tenant
- Microsoft 365 Tenant
- 365 Tenant
- Azure Tenant
- Azure AD Tenant
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NOTE The term Tenant is the most common reference to your account in Microsoft's cloud, and you should always refer to it as a Tenant using one of the above examples. For example, a 365 tenant or an Azure tenant. Additionally, you can have multiple tenants in Microsoft's cloud, which is usually due to mergers and acquisitions. However, you may have multiple tenants for compliance or security reasons. Again, it is recommended to always refer to your account in Microsoft's cloud as a Tenant. |
Components & Services in a Tenant
Your tenant in Microsoft's cloud has multiple components and services:
- Microsoft 365 Services - Includes Office 365 & Microsoft 365 products
- Dynamics 365 Services - Microsoft's Customer Relationship Management (CRM) products
- Windows 365 Services - Microsoft's Cloud PC virtual desktop products
- Power Platform - Microsoft's Business Intelligence (BI), automation, and low-code application products
- Microsoft Entra ID - Microsoft's identity platform (Azure AD) including Microsoft Entra products to authorize and secure identities
- Azure Subscription Services - One or more subscriptions that contain Microsoft's infrastructure, database, and application services
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NOTE In the above diagram, all components and services in your tenant use Microsoft Entra ID (formerly Azure Active Directory) for basic access & authorization, and you can purchase Microsoft Entra ID products to enable premium access & authorization features. Additionally, you can have multiple Azure subscriptions in your tenant. Each Azure subscription is a logical container with its own set of access permissions and can host any of the following:
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