Microsoft announces exciting new changes to CSP

Today, Microsoft announced some welcome upcoming changes to the CSP agreement. After years of asking if we’ll see 3-year SKU options in CSP, Microsoft have finally told us it’s happening and with a discount, along with news that those moving from Enterprise agreements to CSP will be entitled to keep Teams included in their M365 licenses.

Keep reading for everything you need to know about this exciting announcement.

3-year CSP SKUs

On 1^st June customers will be able to purchase Microsoft 365 E3 (with and without Teams), Microsoft 365 E5 (with and without Teams), and Microsoft Teams Enterprise standalone on a 3-year commit.

On 1^st July customers will be able to purchase Microsoft 365 E5 Security and Microsoft 365 E5 Compliance on a 3-year commit.

The 3-year SKU options above will be the same price as the 12-month commit. 3-year SKUs require a minimum purchase of 100 seats and will only offer upfront or annual billing options. You will not be able to switch any current subscriptions over to a 3-year SKU until your next renewal date. The 7-day cancellation window still stands, and you’ll be unable to make reductions after this window until the subscription end date.

Microsoft are also offering a 10% discount for any customer purchasing Microsoft 365 E3 (with and without Teams), Microsoft 365 E5 (with and without Teams), Microsoft 365 E5 Security and Microsoft 365 E5 Compliance for the first time who chooses the 3-year option.

Live 9^th June, 10% discount for Microsoft 365 E3 (with and without Teams) and Microsoft 365 E5 (with and without Teams).

• 3-year commit.
• Offer available to new customers only
• Minimum 100 seats, maximum 2,400 seats.
• Available for purchases between 9^th June 2025 – 31^st December 2025.
   

Live 1^st July, 10% discount for Microsoft 365 E5 Security and Microsoft 365 E5 Compliance.

• 3-year commit.
• Offer available to new customers only
• Minimum 100 seats, maximum 2,400 seats.
• Available for purchases between 1^st July  2025 – 31^st December 2025.

Automated support for mid-term upgrades

Microsoft also announced today that the support times for mid-term upgrades have been significantly reduced. Customers who upgrade subscriptions mid-term often require cancellation of standalone products included in the new upgraded subscription. Up until now, these requests have taken up to 5 days to complete. With the new automated support function Microsoft are able to confirm completion within 1 day of an upgrade taking place.

Seamless EA to CSP transitions

The final announcement made is the ability to keep Teams included in Microsoft 365 when you move from an Enterprise agreement to CSP. Back in April 2024 Microsoft announced the end of sale for Microsoft 365 including Teams. With this announcement, they stated customers renewing would be able to keep Teams included in their M365 licenses, but those moving from Enterprise to CSP would need to purchase Teams separately if they needed it. Today, they’ve announced this is no longer the case. Customers will now be able to keep the Teams entitlement if they move from Enterprise to CSP. It’s important to note this is only for customers who already have M365 with Teams included; new customers purchasing M365 E3 and M365 E5 will still need to purchase Teams separately.

Softcat and Microsoft Summit: Transform Together

On Wednesday 4^th June at CodeNode in London, we’re hosting our Softcat and Microsoft Summit. Featuring customer success stories and keynote sessions with Microsoft’s UK CEO Darren Hardman and our Softcat CEO Graham Charlton, we’ll explore the future of AI, Azure, Security and much more. Register for the event here.

To discuss any of these announcements with a Microsoft Licensing Specialist, please reach out to your Softcat Account Manager to arrange a call.