hen Microsoft initially went to market with
Office 365, it looked like the writing was
on the wall for partners. The MOSA model
worked on a ‘partner of record’ number
that the customer had to input in order for
the partner to be recognised for the sale. Microsoft owned
the billing relationship and he who bills, generally owns the
W
Products
Direct EA
Indirect EA
MPSA
Microsoft Products &
Services Agreement
CSP
Cloud Services Provider
OPEN
MOSP Advisor
Target
Customer
Software &
Cloud
Software &
Cloud
Software &
Cloud
Cloud Only
Minimum
Requirement
250+ seats
250+ seats
250+ seats
1+ seats
customer. However, that was then and this is now.
Partners spoke up and Microsoft listened.
The table below illustrates the various current licensing
models and their features. It is clear from this that the CSP
model offers the most comprehensive way to supply
licensing and services to your customers.
Partner
Requirements
Software &
Cloud
1+ seats
Cloud Only
1+ seats
Partner Tools
VLSC PAC
Ordering, Delegated Admin
VLSC PAC
Ordering, Delegated Admin
Volume Licensing Partner
Center
Ordering, Delegated Admin
PAC & APIs
Centralized customer
lifecycle mgmt. for partners
Offer Fundamentals
Annual prepay
3 year term
Change at anniversary
Annual prepay
3 year term
Change at anniversary
1 year subscription monthly prepay
PayGo, monthly and 3 year
subscriptions in Sept.
1 year subscription monthly prepay
PayGo – monthly in arrears
VLSC PAC
Ordering, Delegated Admin
1 year subscription monthly prepay
PAC - Advisor
Monthly or annual
The CSP model is the ideal model for partners who want to
add value to the sale. If I was to sum up the most important
benefits to a partner, these would be:
First Distribution and First for Cloud is about flexibility - we
want you to be able to transact with us in the method that
suits you best.
• The partner owns the billing relationship
• Ability to supply cloud licensing from 1 seat upwards
• It gives the partner the ability to bundle their services
• It gives the partner the ability to bundle other products
and create better value bundles
We therefore offer two other alternatives for selling CSP to
your customers. If you so choose you can email us or call
us, and we will provide you with a quote or pricelist.
First for Cloud has taken these fantastic benefits, and made
it even easier for the
partner to add their
additional value by:
• Providing a partner with their own
branded webstore
from where they can
sell Office 365, Dynamics CRM, EMS
and Azure
• Giving partners a
billing platform that
handles reoccurring
billing automatically
• Enabling the option to charge customers via account
with terms, and/or take credit card payments
• Creating bundles directly on your portal
• Adding your own products and services for online sales
• Providing a ticketing system and 24/7 call centre
for support
All you need to do is fill in an order form when you wish
to place the order. We also will be giving you access to
License Central, our own partner licensing portal where you
can obtain your own
quote 24/7/365 and
place and order at the
same time. This additional functionality will
be live within the next
two months.
SO, if you are still thinking where to next, then
the answer is simple!
1. Ensure you are registered with us so you
can place CSP orders.
2. Chat to us today
about getting your very
own webstore to sell Microsoft and over 300 other
additional products.
3. Join our Cloud Catalyst programme which assists you in
taking your unique solution to market.
27 | www.firstdistribution.co.za