Posted by: Tavis Patterson on March 3, 2022 at 12:41 pm
Microsoft 365 Changes Effective March 1st: Microsoft recently changed its Microsoft 365 plan to the NCE (New Commerce Experience). With this NCE no new products have been released, however, several contract changes have been applied to provide a more streamlined, simplified process. These changes went into effect on March 1st and are currently only for commercial licenses, meaning personal licenses have not been changed. Along with the contract changes, they have increased the price for Enterprise and SMB plans. The price increases are as follows:
Enterprise –
Office 365 E1: $10 (from $8)
Office 365 E3: $23 (from $20)
Office 365 E5: $38 (from $32)
SMB –
Microsoft 365 Business Basic: $6 (from $5)
Microsoft 365 Business Premium: $22 (from $20)
These price changes are directly from Microsoft, not TAZ Networks. Meaning that this price is the new lowest price available. As for the subscription changes, they are as follows:
Monthly –
A true monthly renewal that allows for changes in licenses each month with no annual commitment. This can be canceled at any time; however, a 20% additional cost is added for this service from Microsoft.
Annual –
This is the standard plan. This plan can be billed monthly or annually and requires a 12-month commitment.
36 Month –
This will be offered in the future but is currently not available.
IMPORTANT NOTES On Microsoft 365 Changes
When you purchase a subscription, you are locked in for the allotted amount of time. Meaning that even if you purchase a yearly plan and pay monthly, you are committed to paying for the entire year. These licenses are locked in, meaning that you cannot reduce the number of licenses you have for that year. However, you can add on more. If an acquisition or merger occurs, you must purchase new licenses. Microsoft currently does not have a way to transfer licenses although they are looking into it.
Add-ons
Add-ons are purchased in a separate contract. Each add-on is billed a different way, so not all of them are the same. For example, currently, 61 add-ons are only available if purchased annually (not monthly).
Vendor Notes
Our vendor will automatically renew these contracts unless told otherwise. This is to ensure that there is no interruption in service. If you need to change the number of licenses, please let your account manager know before the renewal date. Your renewal date will be the same as your commitment date, meaning when you committed to your plan. If you have any questions or concerns about these Microsoft 365 changes, please contact us at info@taznetworks.com for more information. We would be happy to help as we know these changes can be confusing.