You may have heard Microsoft’s New Commerce Experience (NCE) is replacing their previous subscription license program called CSP. What is it and what does it mean for your business? In this month’s Tech Talk, James Tran - Technical Pre-Sales Specialist, at Area9, unpacks the change and how you can ensure a simple and cost-effective migration to Microsoft NCE.
What is Microsoft NCE?
Microsoft NCE is a simplified subscription pricing model for Microsoft 365 licenses. With 3 subscription options, it’s designed to make the process easier and provide the right fit for different sized businesses.
The main changes include:
- Annual subscriptions for those who want price stability
- Monthly subscription options for those who want the flexibility to change monthly license numbers
- The option to mix annual and monthly subscriptions
- Updated pricing
How will the migration affect my business?
The good news is that making the switch to NCE doesn’t have to be complicated. In fact, you can complete your migration immediately. Talk to your IT partner about your needs so that you can identify whether an annual, monthly, or mixed subscription option is right for your requirements.
As well as some changes to the way subscriptions are charged, there will also be a 20% price increase for monthly billing with no annual commitment. Contact Area9 to see if an annual subscription is right for your business.
What are my options?
Area9 is offering customers all 3 pricing options for their Microsoft NCE licenses. Below is a quick summary so that you know what’s available to your business.
Annual subscriptions
An annual subscription will save your business in the long-term and can have additional licenses added during the year (however the number of licenses cannot be reduced during this time). This option is ideal when it’s likely that your business will have a fixed or increasing number of licenses over the next 12 months. It’s also a great choice if you want to keep it simple and avoid price increases during the year. You’ll receive an invoice from Area9 at the start of each subscription year for the number of licenses you require and whenever new licenses are added.
Monthly subscriptions
We recommend monthly subscriptions when the number of licenses will likely vary from month to month. Your invoice will be sent monthly for the number of licenses required and you can add or reduce the numbers to match evolving needs. Something to keep in mind is that monthly NCE subscriptions are 20% more than the monthly cost of an annual subscription and the price can increase whenever Microsoft raises their license charges.
Combination of annual and monthly subscriptions
Need a mix to meet your business needs? Not a problem. We provide combination options to help you find the most cost-effective licensing for your team. This is suitable if you have a fixed minimum number of licenses over the next 12 months but will need a variable amount of licenses. For example, if an organisation has 20 people and 2 people are taking 6 months long services leave, you can purchase 18 annual subscriptions and 2 monthly subscriptions so that you’re not paying extra for employees who won’t need them for a substantial amount of time.
Make your Microsoft NCE migration simple and cost-effective. Get in touch with our experts to arrange a quote for your NCE subscriptions based on your business’ requirements.