If the sum of the products in your composition can be classified as Enterprise, it means that the products fall under the definition of Qualified Device (in the case of Enterprise Products) or Qualified User (in the case of Enterprise Online Services). Customers running Microsoft EA should be aware that the contract includes strictly defined processes for adding new products to the contract. You can «Add Products» for products that have not been ordered before, or you can add incremental use for previously ordered products via the annual «True-up» process: «Submit the order for the difference between the products used/installed and the last reported number. This includes licenses for which the product has been used or installed at any time since the last True-Up, even if the licenses are not actively used at the time of your True-Up.» : EA True Up Guide, Page 4] Companies also receive the Microsoft True-up – an annual evaluation of the qualified licenses provided in your EA. Microsoft has special accelerators to motivate account managers to renew and sell high-level agreements as they want to maintain their market leadership role and increase the number of products in customer organizations. However, the agreement is not without flaws. For example, EAs are one of the most complex agreements offered by Microsoft. They require high upfront payments, and while it`s easy to scale them, you`ll find that it will be quite painful to scale down one of your subscriptions. (iii) Online Services. For online services identified in the product erms as eligible for adjustment, the registered affiliate may place a reservation order for additional licenses prior to use.
(Reference: Enterprise Enrollment 2017) If you`re trying to reduce your number in your EA, there are two things that really turn out to be crucial factors in how you can go low: whether the product is an enterprise-wide purchase and whether it`s a subscription or perpetual license. This type of setup promotes a mindset where you only have to worry about the number of licenses as your update approaches. However, when it comes to additional products, you will have to pay for the maximum number of licenses you have had since the last adjustment. While it may not be as defensible in a software audit as the number in your Active Directory, the numbers retrieved from your HR systems or simply your email accounts may be enough for your veracity. Microsoft recognizes that it is one of the most important providers to help companies create business processes. The company often uses its market position as leverage to convince customers to buy more licenses than they need. In this guide, we explain how to find your own leverage and negotiate the renewal of Microsoft Enterprise Agreement and True-Up to your advantage. No matter what tool you`ve implemented, it`s a great way to monitor and then count what you have in your software environment.
However, it`s important to make sure these are accurate numbers that your tools report, as the wrong numbers undermine your entire SAM process and don`t give you an accurate reflection of your data. The acceleration of technology has caused companies to lose a clear view of their IT spending. This poster offers 6 ways to save IT costs. 30 days in advance: The Microsoft team will contact you in a verification order that reflects changes to your EA. If you complete your True-Up after this date, Microsoft will not allow you to reduce your subscription. They will simply automatically bill you based on your previous year`s bill. If you owe them more, Microsoft will never say no to more money, but no discount will be questioned at this point. g. Confirmation requests. A registered affiliate must submit an annual adjustment order that takes into account any changes since the first order or the last order. If there are no changes, an update instruction should be sent instead of a confirmation order.
The agreement also offers flexibility. Instead of stopping the growth of your business every time you need to buy new licenses, simply add the changes to your technology landscape to your tab, so to speak, and your adjustment will then be adjusted to fit any software you`ve used in the past year. The «enterprise product» is what makes a company agreement, well, «company». Several products are classified at the enterprise level: Office Professional, the Windows operating system, primary or enterprise CALLs, and some Office 365 subscriptions. A customer must choose to purchase an «enterprise» product for all of their qualified users or devices. For example, you may not say we have 10,000 devices, but sign an EA for 5,000 devices. The add-on covers most other products – Visio, Project, Windows Server, Exchange Server, etc. – and these products can be purchased à la carte. This revision-focused adaptation of contracts will be further expanded as part of the Microsoft Business and Services Agreement (MBSA).
The MBSA now allows Microsoft to verify compliance with an external auditor. For example, if the auditor finds more than 5% non-compliance, the organization must pay the costs of the audit and 125% of the license price based on the price list then in effect for the customer price level (A-D) and not the agreed price of the relevant agreement(s). This can be problematic, not only because of unbudgeted expenses, but also because of non-compliance with non-mission-critical software. (For example, a «technical» lack of Project or visio deployed in a Citrix environment and secured under AD security groups can affect the «strategic expenses» budget. You must consider any increase in the number of skilled workstations, skilled users, SLs of Enterprise Online Services users, and/or additional products/online services running since the last anniversary. Pros: Remember that Microsoft wants you to update your licensing plan (for example.B. from E3 to E5, from F3 to E3, or E5). If you do it with the right data in hand, you have more facts to support the requests and can ask the right questions to get the right results.
Next, here are the best practices for trading your Microsoft EA. Remember when you read: there`s never a bad time to re-evaluate your deal – but the sooner you start, the better. .