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Transition to CSP in hours, not weeks.

Avoid disruption and risk.

Fast, simple, effective.

Microsoft has changed criteria for Enterprise Agreements.

Microsoft has changed criteria for Enterprise Agreements.

In November 2024, Microsoft confirmed that a number of Enterprise Agreements in direct markets will not be renewable. 

Notifications to affected clients started being issued by Microsoft at the beginning of this year. 

For Crayon’s partners, this may result in some customers transitioning to the Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) program.

This change primarily affects mid-sized organisations. Specifically, customers with fewer than 2,400 users or devices and commercial businesses that previously managed their licenses under EA but fall below the new threshold. 

Those reliant on EA for their Azure and seat-based licensing needs may be concerned about the challenge of a technical migration to CSP and disruption to their business.

 

Done in 24-48 hours

With Crayon as your cloud distributor, you leverage our Azure Expert MSP status.

Enacting the transition from EA to CSP as a billing change means no technical migration, a fast process and no upfront cost to your customer.

This benefits your clients and creates competitive advantage for your business.

Create CSP confidence with Crayon.

Crayon’s EA to CSP Transition capability turns this challenge into an opportunity for partners to grow and deliver benefits to their customers, quickly.

Many companies may be notified of non-renewable status for EAs. Few will want to face weeks or months of disruption because of licensing changes.  

With Crayon as your cloud distributor of choice, they won’t have to.

As the only cloud distributor in the APAC region to hold Azure Expert MSP status, Crayon can execute EA to CSP migrations as a simple billing change.

With no technical migration required, you’ll save weeks of time, have no upfront costs, no disruption to services and no downtime risk.

Just a fast and seamless experience for you and your customers.

 

 

Disruption hurts Customers

Disruption hurts Customers

They need their partners to solve a complex challenge.

When a mid-market transport company in Australia was notified that its EA would not be renewable, they turned to their IT partner for guidance about moving to a CSP agreement.

Their partners’ existing distributor was unable to manage a transition from EA to CSP as a billing change.

This meant a technical migration was unavoidable.

Migrating Azure workloads between EA, MCA and CSP agreements can be resource intensive and complex.

The billing systems for these agreements were entirely separate. It would require meticulous planning and substantial resource to prevent disruption during a change to licensing agreements.

The process was estimated to take 6-8 weeks.

The end-customer was concerned about Azure costs increasing, the loss of direct support from Microsoft and the need to recreate resources during the EA to CSP migration.

 

Crayon meets the Need with Speed

Distribution, done differently delivers rapid results.

With their existing distributor unable to offer a suitable response to satisfy its customer, the partner contacted Crayon.

In a matter of hours, the partner was able to present the customer with an easy EA to CSP transition solution that addressed all their main concerns:

  • Process completion in 48 hours
  • No upfront cost
  • No technical migration
  • No recreation of resources required
  • No downtime
  • Support and Azure cost optimisation, backed by Crayon expertise

The outcome provided by Crayon resulted in the partner moving their CSP and Azure business over from their existing distributor.

Why CSP is a great choice

Why CSP is a great choice

For customers no longer eligible to renew their Enterprise Agreement (EA), it’s critical to guide them on which alternate agreement best suits their business. There are two options available – Microsoft Customer Agreement for Enterprise (MCA-E) or CSP.

Understanding how these licensing models differ is essential for partners advising clients through this shift.

The best fit will depend on each organisation’s size, operational requirements, and cloud strategy.

CSP is becoming the preferred route for many SMB and mid-market customers because it offers enterprise-grade capabilities with significantly more agility—monthly or annual billing, flexible term options, and the ability to scale licenses up or down as needed.

While MCA-E may suit larger customers who still want a direct agreement with Microsoft, CSP allows partners to deliver greater value by combining licensing with tailored services and support.

As a trusted technology advisor, your ability to clearly explain the pros and cons of each path will be key in helping customers navigate their licensing future with confidence.

Compare EA to CSP advantages

For detailed comparisons between EA and CSP agreements, download the full infographic.

 

How CSP benefits Partners

How CSP benefits Partners

Growth beyond software transactions.

Transitioning your customers to CSP is more than a contractual change.

With the right services strategy, you can grow profitably at scale.

Recurring Revenue with Long-Term Value

  • Shift from large, one-off licensing commissions to predictable monthly or annual recurring revenue.
  • Build ongoing customer relationships that drive customer lifetime value (CLV).
  • Easier to forecast and grow revenue with subscription-based billing

Bundle High-Value Services

  • Package licensing with managed services, support, training, and consulting.
  • Create tiered offerings (e.g. “license + helpdesk + security” bundles) that increase margin per customer.

Access New Incentives and Programs

  • Microsoft is shifting incentives toward CSP and the SMB/mid-market space.
  • Partners can earn rebates, growth funds, and co-sell opportunities by driving CSP consumption.
  • New programs like the AI Cloud Partner Program reward partners building solutions around M365, Azure, Security, and Copilot.

Faster Sales Cycles & Easier Upsell

  • No long EA negotiation cycles. CSP simplifies buying, so deals close faster.
  • Monthly and annual billing terms reduce friction for clients.
  • Easier to upsell services like Microsoft 365 E5, Copilot, Azure, Security, and Power Platform as needs evolve.

 

How CSP benefits Customers

More control over an optimised cloud environment.

Customers gain cost control, license flexibility and services that are focused on their strategic objectives.

CSP enables customers to try services for shorter terms or start small without long-term commitment.

Flexibility and Agility

  • Scale licenses up or down monthly (vs. locked 3-year EA terms).
  • Choose monthly or annual billing, helping customers align spend to usage.
  • Add or remove services easily as needs evolve to support growth, expansion or seasonality.

Simplified Licensing and More Visibility

  • No complex EA tracking or annual audits—CSP makes it easier to manage and adjust licenses.
  • Partners often provide usage reporting and optimisation, helping customers avoid waste and stay compliant.

Improved Cash Flow and Cost Control

  • No large upfront commitments—customers pay for what they use.
  • Subscription model supports OPEX budgeting and improves cash flow predictability.
  • Reduces over-licensing and avoids “true-up” surprises at the end of the year

Access to Partner Expertise and Support

  • Customers get local, dedicated support from a trusted partner instead of navigating Microsoft’s direct support structure.
  • Faster issue resolution, hands-on assistance, and tailored guidance aligned with business goals.
  • Partners are backed by Crayon as a single point of contact for assistance on technical incidents and trouble-shooting billing issues.
FAQs

FAQs

Mid-Market: Companies with 300/500 to 2,400 users.

Commercial Businesses: Those that previously managed their licenses under EA but fall below the new threshold

EA requires upfront commitments, while CSP offers flexible monthly billing and enhanced partner support.

The Microsoft Customer Agreement for Enterprise (MCA-E) is a digital contract designed to streamline the process of purchasing and managing Microsoft Cloud solutions like Azure, Dynamics 365, and Microsoft 365. Microsoft began transitioning certain cloud-only Enterprise Agreements (EA) to the MCA-E starting January 1, 2025.  It is an alternative to EAs for customers that want the benefits of a CSP agreement but prefer to maintain a direct relationship with Microsoft.

Access to the tools and resources to effect this change require distributors to hold Azure Expert MSP Gold status with Microsoft. Currently, Crayon is the only cloud distributor in the ANZ region to have this in place.

No. Crayon ensures a seamless migration without technical changes or resource recreation.

Competitive Pricing: Compared to the web (PAYG/credit card procurement) and Enterprise Agreement. CSP route opens up opportunities to gain discounts from RRP. A big win against pay-as-you-go.

Monthly Consolidated Billing: Consolidated billing (in arrears) and summary invoice of all your spending, including Azure. Access to Azure resource-level detail billing through our Partner control portals (PRISM in ANZ or CloudiQ in SEA.)

Ongoing Cloud Cost Optimisation: Under CSP, you have the flexibility to continuously optimise the cloud environment and leverage tools like Cost Management within Azure.  You also have the option of working with Crayon to deliver Cloud Cost Optimisation as a service to assess the customers current environment and identify areas for ongoing improvement.

24X7 Local Support with Escalation Path to Microsoft: Crayon will be your single point of contact for both technical and billing. In some circumstances, we need to escalate the support case to Microsoft. Crayon has a Microsoft support agreement with better response times and priority, and we can prioritise tickets via our Microsoft PDM and dedicated escalation manager.

Crayon’s Support as a Service offering could be an ideal option for you.

You can find out more about it on our Service page, which includes webinar resources to explain the advantages of working with us to ramp up your internal capabilities, along with a great partner case study on the results.

DURING: As an Azure Expert MSP, Crayon provides dedicated guidance, ensuring no downtime or disruption during the transition from EA to CSP as a billing change. For our partners, no technical migration requirement relieves you of the burden of risk for managing a complex project.

AFTER: Crayon will be your single point of contact for both technical and billing. In some circumstances, we need to escalate the support case to Microsoft. Crayon has a Microsoft support agreement with better response times and priority, and we can prioritise tickets via our Microsoft PDM and dedicated escalation manager. You’ll leverage our global scale and status as one of Microsoft’s largest global distribution partners.

 

No. Customers can have workloads on both Microsoft Customer Agreement for Enterprise (MCA-E) and Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) agreements, and they can even have subscriptions under both, though they will be separate billing accounts.

It’s possible to transfer Azure subscriptions between MCA-E and CSP, but it requires a request and approval process.

Customers can choose to move workloads between MCA-E and CSP, or have them running concurrently, depending on their needs and preferences.

No matter what your customer’s choice, MCA-E, CSP or a combination of both, Crayon is on our partners’ side. Always.  We are here to advise you on all the changes, and ensure you have the information needed to guide customers to the best decision for their business.

Let's get you started

Let's get you started

Ready to get ahead and stay ahead in the ever evolving Microsoft licensing landscape? Get in touch and one of our EA to CSP Transition experts will be in touch!

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