I'm currently working with a cloud service provider (CSP) called Interlink, where we have a significant stack of Microsoft licenses: over 600 E3 licenses, 200 Premium Business licenses, and 200 F3 licenses, along with other products like Copilot and Power BI. While I appreciate their support—which we use sparingly; we filed about four tickets in all of last year—I'm starting to wonder if we're missing out on better deals. Right now, the best savings we see are around 3-5% off. They say they're not the cheapest, primarily because of the support they provide. However, every time we need to adjust our licenses, we have to call them, as there's no self-service portal. I'm not saying they're bad, but I'm curious if there are better options out there. Who do you all recommend for Microsoft licensing?
3 Answers
You should expect at least 5-7% off MSRP if you're ordering that many licenses. Most reputable CSPs offer a ticket submission system as standard—they're required to provide support. You should also have access to a portal for adding licenses instead of calling every time. If you're stuck at 3-5% discount, it might be time to look elsewhere. CDW and Insight start their discounts at 5%. If you need competitive quotes to challenge your current provider, let me know! I'm happy to help without any pressure to buy.
Do you let people go up and down? We adjust our licensing weekly due to staffing changes. Anyone we talked to only wants to add licenses but never seems to accommodate removals.
I work at a CSP, and from what I see, clients are getting discounts between 10-15%, depending on promotions and products. If you're only seeing 5% with your ticket volume, something doesn't seem right. All CSPs need to provide support, although the quality may vary. Most have self-service portals that make management easy, though some specific arrangements could complicate things with migrations.
Are you looking for a provider in the US or EMEA? We've been exploring new options and found some that are around 10-15% cheaper than what we're currently paying.
Yeah, that might be helpful if I provided that info from the get go. 😀 USA.
Thanks, I've sent you a chat message.