Watch this video to explore what’s new in Microsoft 365 for Enterprise, including EA changes, CSP, funding opportunities and licensing optimisation

Hi everyone, and welcome to AIQ, where we talk about the modern workplace and Microsoft updates. My name is David Campbell, and I’m the Product Manager at Wavenet. Today, we’re going to be discussing updates from Microsoft that affect companies with over 300 users.

We’ll be covering changes to Enterprise Agreements, as well as funding and incentives. I’m joined today by Michael Sittig and Ella Goodhart, and we’re going to start by talking about Enterprise Agreements and volume-based discounts. Michael, can you tell us more about what EA customers need to know?

There have been a lot of changes regarding Microsoft volume-based discount levels A, B, C, and D. Microsoft has removed all discount levels for online services. Larger customers who were used to receiving significant discounts due to their size and volume will now be paying higher prices for online services.

Essentially, Microsoft is aligning A, B, C, and D pricing with what we see through the CSP, or NCE, programme. Organisations are seeing increases of around 12 to 15% across their online services. This was announced last year and impacts customers renewing from November 1, 2025. Microsoft is clearly reinforcing the transition from Enterprise Agreements to the Cloud Solution Provider programme.

So even large enterprise customers will now be paying the same price as traditional CSP customers.

Yes, exactly. All customers will be paying the same price. Because of this, many organisations may want to consider CSP as it could be more cost-effective.

Enterprise Agreements will still exist, but they will mainly apply to much larger organisations with bespoke agreements and larger bulk discounts.

For customers who are used to Enterprise Agreements and are now exploring CSP partners like Wavenet, what advantages can we offer?

First and foremost, we can offer more flexible and customised pricing. The way licensing is procured through CSP differs significantly from Enterprise Agreements, and we can explore the best options for each customer. In addition, partners like Wavenet provide added value by helping customers navigate Microsoft licensing.

We stay on top of all Microsoft licensing changes so that customers don’t have to. Microsoft licensing can be complex, and our role is to simplify that for our customers.

Moving on from EA changes, there have also been updates to E3 and Defender for Office 365 Plan 2. Michael, can you explain those?

Microsoft Intune capabilities have been significantly enhanced within the standard suite. Features that previously required additional licences or add-ons are now being included in base licences.

For example, Remote Help and advanced analytics are now included in Intune for E3. Meanwhile, E5 now includes features such as Endpoint Privilege Management and Cloud Certificate Authority, which were previously separate paid tools.

There are clearly a lot of changes. We’ve discussed EA increases, so let’s now talk about funding and incentives. What options are available?

Microsoft invests heavily in customer funding and promotional programmes. There are many workshops available for organisations that want to explore new technologies.

In simple terms, if you are investing more in the Microsoft technology stack, Microsoft will often invest in supporting you through that journey. This can include funding for pre-sales, proof-of-concept work, and sometimes even aspects of deployment.

It’s important not to focus only on licensing costs without considering available funding and incentives. So, what promotions are available?

There are various promotions depending on the project. For example, funding is often available for security assessments, Copilot readiness assessments, or data modernisation initiatives.

Typically, organisations can receive between £2,500 and £5,000 per assessment or engagement. For larger implementations, funding can go up to around £45,000, depending on the scope of the project.

It’s also very quick and easy for us to check whether a customer is eligible for funded workshops or specific Microsoft funding, including for Azure projects.

So, the key takeaway is to always ask about promotions and funding opportunities.

This highlights the value of working with a CSP partner. Rather than only reviewing your current EA licensing, businesses should also consider CSP to take advantage of incentives, funding, and ensuring they are fully utilising what they are paying for.

It’s worth noting that volume discounts still apply to certain licensing aspects under EA, so it still has its place. However, for cloud and online services, CSP should definitely be considered.

Another important point relates to how we support customers in transitioning from Enterprise Agreements to CSP, as the procurement models are very different. Under EA, customers are used to paying upfront annually and managing true-ups. With CSP, licensing is much more flexible.

We take a data-driven approach during EA renewal discussions. We use a powerful analysis tool that aggregates Microsoft Graph API data into a Power BI dashboard. This allows us to clearly see how customers are using their Microsoft environment.

We can identify underutilised licences and help drive better adoption of tools. We can also identify inactive users who are still assigned licences, meaning organisations could be paying for licences they don’t need.

This approach goes beyond simply reviewing unit prices. It focuses on optimising how customers manage and use their Microsoft estate overall.

The tool, called Streamline, also supports Azure and cloud optimisation. It helps us analyse the structure and architecture of your environment to improve efficiency and reduce costs.

For example, we can assess Azure reservations and hybrid use benefits. This might involve purchasing Windows Server licences separately rather than as part of a pay-as-you-go VM model, which can lead to cost savings.

Alternatively, if customers are already purchasing licences under EA, they may benefit from Software Assurance and hybrid use rights within Azure.

So rather than just focusing on price increases between EA and CSP, organisations should focus on optimising licensing usage, leveraging incentives and funding, and ensuring they are not paying for unused software.

Working with a CSP partner like Wavenet can help manage this transition effectively and maximise value.

Thank you very much for joining us. We hope you found this update useful. We share these updates regularly, so if you’d like to learn more about AIQ and Microsoft updates, please explore our other videos or get in touch with us. Thanks for watching.