Open Office 365 Licensing Expanded by Microsoft
Open Office 365 Licensing Expanded by Microsoft by UCStrategies Staff
The senior partner technical strategist for cloud at Microsoft, Bryan Von Axelson, has said that VARs will be able to own and manage the billing relationship with their customers as the result of the expansion of Microsoft’s Office 365 licensing on September 1.
Enterprise SKUs like E1, E3, the Exchange-only option and Office 365 ProPlus will be available for sale by partners of Microsoft. Office 365 ProPlus is the version which installs locally, but is sold as part of a monthly subscription, and is included in Office 365 Open.
Von Axelson said: “You asked, we delivered. We are enabling you to own that billing relationship and have the flexibility that many of you requested.”
In February, midmarket SKUs were added to Office 365, and partners could, until now, only steer enterprise customers to Microsoft and get a commission, through the company’s Advisor model. Microsoft commands the billing relationship with that arrangement.
Including enterprise SKUs is significant as it provides greater incentive for partners to take part in the Microsoft cloud story.
Future Tech is a Holbrook, New York-based Microsoft partner, and the CEO of that company, Bob Venero, believes the change signifies that Microsoft has confidence in the channel’s ability to generate enterprise business.
Venero stated: “From my perspective, it's an olive branch for the channel. It's going to be a big play for my salespeople, and it means we're going to be having more discussions with Microsoft.”
In 2008, Microsoft launched the Business Productivity Online Suite (BPOS) of cloud apps which took control of billing BPOS customers, along with the Advisor model. Office 365 Open is aimed at calming disquiet which developed after partners called for BPOS to be abolished.
Von Alexson believes that cloud is very important to Microsoft, and will represent 40 percent of the company’s business in fiscal 2013. Von Alexson stated: “The cloud is your enabler to deliver your services to customer devices and endpoints.”
According to the senior director of Microsoft's U.S. SMB channel group, Eric Martorano, around $6 billion is spent each year on channel related business, and this year, Microsoft aims to combine a number of separate programs via the SMB Champions Club program. (CY) Link