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Posted on: 24 February 2022
Author: CorbelAdmin
Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock these last few months you will be aware that huge Microsoft 365 changes are happening (if you have been under that rock make sure you catch up here: http://ow.ly/ywfp50I1fC8)
We all love Microsoft 365– the ease of collaboration, the fantastic productivity features, and the secure cloud storage. However, understandably with the biggest increase in subscription prices from Microsoft for more than a decade, many local Ipswich companies have needed assistance to manage the transition to the new licencing model.
As dedicated IT support experts one of our core business roles at Corbel is Office 365 support. As with all our IT support services our main priority is our customers, and, as their Office 365 migration partner, guiding them through the changes in the most seamless way possible.
As part Microsoft’s New Commerce Experience (NCE) and Corbels proactive approach, we assigned the lovely Mark Roper, our Account Executive to demystify the Microsoft 365 changes.
As part of the complex process Mark personally consulted with each business, reviewing their current 365 licenses, and developing a strategy individual to each customer, incorporating either a hybrid of monthly or yearly commitment that would give our local businesses the maximum flexibility and the most cost- effective cost of ownership.
Throughout the process, there were a number of questions that were continually brought to the fore and Mark felt it would be great to share the most frequently asked questions.
Top 10 FAQs
- 1. Will charity/education clients be affected by the changes?
At the moment, academic licenses, will not be moving to the new Microsoft platform (NCE). This is expected to be launched in Q2 2022 for education/charity licenses.
- 2. What happens if I add a license to an annual commitment within NCE mid-term?
If, for example, you started your licenses in March on an annual commitment. Any mid-term licenses you add will be calculated and pro-rated based on the remaining coverage. So, if you add a license in August, this runs from August – March (the contract term) and calculated as such.
- 3. When will official UK pricing be available based on the six SKU’s that are receiving a price increase? Currently, I have only seen US pricing.
As Corbel understand it, official UK pricing based on the six SKU’s that are seeing a price increase will be available on March 1st 2022. Any prices out now based on UK pricing, are predicted.
- 4. Based on the 72-hour cancellation period, if I make a mistake by requesting a license will Microsoft help after this initial 72 hours?
From what we have heard from Microsoft, they are extremely unlikely to budge on this and unlikely to help. If you are requesting new licenses, it is important to remember the commitment term you have signed up for.
- 5. Can you have a mixture of annual/monthly NCE licenses?
Yes, you can, this particular model works well, where you have seasonal staff and aren’t expecting the license to be needed for a full annual commitment.
- 6. If I change IT provider, can I transfer my licenses to the new partner if I decided to change?
No, you have to wait until the commitment end date, so on a monthly commitment, this is at the end of the 30 days. With an annual commitment, this would have to be done at the end of term.
- 7. Am I able to downgrade a license i.e. Microsoft Premium to Standard?
On NCE, this is not possible, there are upgrade paths i.e. E3 to E5 but you cannot downgrade a license to a lower value license until the end of commitment term.
- 8. I want to add an Exchange Online Plan 1 license for a month for a user is this possible on NCE?
You can still do these on a month to month basis (with the 20% surcharge). So licenses such as Exchange Online Plan 1 & 2 can be done monthly.
- 9. If I go to an annual commitment, can I pay monthly?
Yes, this is one of the more common methods we see. If you know your licenses aren’t going to fluctuate in a year. You can continue monthly billing but will be tied down for the year with the licenses you initially commit to.
- 10. Are these changes being made in the UK/European market?
These are worldwide changes that Microsoft have made that will affect all Microsoft customers across the globe.
If you need any Office 365 technical support or further information on how these significant Microsoft 365 changes will impact your business, please do get in touch and Mark will be happy to guide you through our Office 365 solutions.
For more information on Microsoft 365 click here
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