Microsoft has announced that from 1 August 2019 there will be a new agreement for customers to directly purchase and manage Azure Services. The new Microsoft Customer Agreement (MCA) will replace existing Azure offers that are currently available through Direct Enterprise Agreements.

This new agreement is a part of Microsoft’s continuing modern commerce strategy which is changing the way customers can purchase Microsoft offerings. The MCA is a digital, evergreen agreement which will offer Azure services on a pay-as-you-go basis with no upfront or ongoing commitment.

By default, eligible customers will see their Azure consumption moved to the MCA upon expiry of their current Enterprise Agreement. Microsoft sales representatives will be contacting customers to discuss the impact and practicality of the change.

In addition to the initial announcement, Microsoft have released an FAQ which details the changes further.

Cloud Solution Provider

The MCA is not the only agreement through which Azure can be purchased. Trustmarque currently offer and will continue to support our customers on Azure through the Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) platform.

CSP with Trustmarque is a flexible and cost-effective way to consume Azure that benefits from Trustmarque’s industry leading support and managed services.

Our Enterprise Services Portal provides additional functionality beyond that which comes as standard with Microsoft Azure, to simplify financial management and billing of the dynamic, consumption-based pay as you go (PAYG) costs, calculating and managing all your Azure activity to reduce risk, control costs and ensure you get the most out of Azure.

If you are considering purchasing Azure services in the near future and need to speak to a licensing specialist for more information, advice and possible options, please contact your Trustmarque Account Manager or email [email protected]

By Tom McEwing.

Tom is one of our Microsoft Licensing Specialists who advises our customers on how to get the most from their Microsoft volume licensing and contracts.