Many business leaders don’t take advantage of the Microsoft Cloud Service Provider (CSP) program. They don’t know what it is and don’t realize the benefits and impact it can have on their daily IT operations — at no additional cost to them.
A CSP offers cloud computing services - such as software as a service (SaaS), infrastructure as a service (IaaS) or platform as a service (PaaS) - to businesses or individuals.
The biggest benefit of a CSP is support and license management. Rather than managing your own IT infrastructure, the services can be purchased through a CSP who also handles your license subscriptions, including management, renewals and tech support.
Microsoft CSP Benefits
Cloud computing has become a serious force in the IT world. Here are the top benefits of working with a Microsoft CSP.
- Your Microsoft CSP manages your software licenses, including renewals and software upgrades. You pay only for what you need and can increase or decrease your licenses on the spot and at any time.
- All licenses are conveniently managed in one predictable billing cycle - no surprises when the bill comes due.
- Get IT tech support for all licenses.
- Cost-effective pricing packages created specifically for your cloud service needs.
- No extra cost to your business.
Software licenses account for a significant portion of your IT budget. Managing the licenses, ensuring timely renewals, tracking the installation and usage, keeping up with changes in licensing rules and regulations and upgrades across different teams and departments can be a huge headache for your business.
With a CSP, you get the same products and services your business would normally use and purchase, without the stress and drain on IT resources. You get one monthly invoice rather than paying for an entire year at a time. You can move and scale easily at your own pace. Plus, you can reduce costs and quickly adopt the latest technologies without putting excessive stress on your IT management load.
Choosing a Microsoft CSP Partner
When evaluating cloud providers, there are several things to consider. Here are a few factors to keep in mind.
Business health. It’s a basic but important factor. Your CSP should have a track record of stability, business knowledge and technical know-how. It’s not just about choosing a CSP, but finding one that will align your IT and business strategies.
Support. CSP’s should be able to seamlessly help you manage your resources, billing and accounting.
Technical capabilities. Your CSP should have extensive technical capabilities including deploying, managing and upgrading software and the ability to scale and grow with you as your business grows.
Security. CSP security should be proactive in its infrastructure, security policies, data backup and identity management to help identify and stop threats before they affect your business.
The Microsoft CSP program provides deeper engagement with customers. Microsoft CSP partners offer value-added services, provide reliable support, customer management and a single, simplified bill for all their cloud services. Partnering with Microsoft allows you to bundle services and solutions and puts you in a good position to meet the future needs of your customers.
Learn more about Agile IT’s cloud solutions and licensing.
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