Microsoft introduces perpetual software licenses in the CSP program

Starting early in 2021, Microsoft announced that all partners enrolled in the Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) program will be able to sell commercial perpetual software licenses for on-premises deployment through CSP. Previously these software licenses were available via other programs, such as the Microsoft Open License program, which was created over 20 years ago. Microsoft is introducing this change as a way to simplify licensing by enabling perpetual software license purchases through the new commerce experience, with a target date of January 2021.

Perpetual software licenses require a one-time upfront purchase, in contrast to traditional CSP, which is based on a monthly subscription model. The software is license-only (L-only) and does not include the option to add Software Assurance (SA). This new set of available products offers qualified partners the opportunity to sell a greater breadth of Microsoft products through CSP. The perpetual software licenses in CSP include popular desktop tools such as Visio, Project, and the Office Suites as well as the Office components, such as Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Infrastructure servers are also included, such as Windows Server, SQL Server, and Biztalk Server, together with productivity servers, such as Exchange, SharePoint, Skype for Business, and Project Server.

Creating new opportunities for partners

Microsoft is constantly making available new products to CSP, enriching the portfolio of services that partners can sell to customers while meeting their needs for digital transformation. Until today, Cloud Solution Providers could not sell perpetual software licenses through CSP, which has led to an opportunity gap and a consequent revenue loss.

Adding perpetual software licenses to CSP allows Microsoft to provide a new level of flexibility for customers with increased workloads who can’t move over to the cloud. Ultimately, this new addition enables the company to better meet customer needs throughout their digital transformation journey.

At the forefront of Microsoft’s updates

Microsoft Service Providers and Cloud Distributors need a dynamic CSP automation platform that keeps up with the pace of evolving technologies. interworks.cloud understands the unique pain points and complexity associated with every Microsoft update in the CSP program and is committed to providing a cost-effective, leading-edge, and intuitive all-in-one Microsoft CSP solution. With the interworks.cloud platform CSPs, xSPs, and Cloud Distributors can fully automate their provisioning and billing and stay aligned with Microsoft CSP to maximize their opportunities and boost business growth.

Reflecting the aforementioned update, CSPs can now seamlessly manage, sell, and bill perpetual software licenses through the interworks.cloud platform, along with their subscription-based products.

Using end-to-end cloud automation, Cloud Solution Providers can simplify their daily hassle and sell and bill their perpetual licenses, through one unified and integrated platform. What’s more, they can extend their market reach and expand their offerings to build unique solutions, tailored to their customers.

Both CSPs and their end-users taste the benefits when adopting the interworks.cloud solution. End-users will enjoy a simplified purchasing experience through a customized Marketplace with accelerated sales and delivery cycle. Also, CSPs can satisfy users with hybrid purchasing needs who want to transact only with a single partner.

Ordering perpetual licenses from a CSP’s Marketplace

The interworks.cloud solution for perpetual licenses

All current and potential customers of the interworks.cloud platform are now able to seamlessly sell, provision and bill perpetual software licenses to their downstream customers. This functionality is similar to any other product and makes the purchasing experience easier for the end-user.

The interworks.cloud platform offers:

• Automated import of perpetual licenses and prices to the platform, according to supported languages & currencies
• Ability to publish the perpetual software licenses to your customized Marketplace
• Easy ordering of perpetual licenses from the platform and your Marketplace
• Automated provisioning of perpetual licenses from Microsoft and synchronization of credential data with the platform
• Management of all Perpetual Licenses sold, as assets, both from the platform and your Marketplace
• Automated invoice generation for billing the perpetual license products
• Cancellation of a license purchase within 60 days

Considering the above, all CSPs using the interworks.cloud platform will be able not only to automatically get the superset of perpetual license products that are available in the countries they have defined in the Microsoft settings, but also sell, invoice, manage and cancel those licenses from the platform or their Marketplace.

Get started today

With Microsoft continuing to support Cloud Service Providers by expanding its offerings through efforts such as including perpetual licenses in CSP, interworks.cloud is committed to helping your cloud business keep up with all the latest technologies. Our platform will continue to make it easy for customers and resellers to quickly order, provision, bill, and manage Office 365, Azure, and other cloud services while staying ahead of the digital transformation curve.

If you want to learn more about how interworks.cloud can help you drive your business to the next level, request a free demo today!