Microsoft Premier (Unified) Support Questions.

Microsoft Premier (Unified) Support Questions - US CloudAs Microsoft converts its Premier Support customers to Unified Support, more and more people are exploring other options and switching to US Cloud Premier Support – a Microsoft Unified Support alternative. Here are 12 common questions answered about it:

Are Premier Support health checks or RAPs done remotely, or on site?

We have done both. We can establish a remote secure connection into your enterprise environment, or we can send some of our top Premier Support engineers to your site so that they can spend a few days doing assessments on-premises.

However, it’s usually more cost-effective to do health checks or Microsoft RAPs (Risk Assessment Program) via remote access.

Do you have any Premier (Unified) Support testimonials from customers using this service?

We have several testimonials from Premier Support customers on our website, as well as former Microsoft Unified customer case studies.

How are US Cloud Premier Support engineers different from Microsoft Unified Support engineers?

We guarantee that all US Cloud Premier Support engineers are screened US citizens (native English speaking). They are not “US based” H1B visa foreign nationals being co-located on US soil.

US Cloud’s “All-American” support team makes us one of the few support providers with ITAR compliance.

I don’t mind waiting 30 minutes for MS Premier (Unified) Support to return my call, knowing that I have a qualified individual with access to millions of internal KBs, as well as access to several teams who know the product inside and out. I may get a call back in fifteen minutes or less (from US Cloud), but am I getting the same type of knowledgeable support that Microsoft can offer?

The Premier Support engineer who picks up your request ticket at US Cloud will immediately get started on troubleshooting the ticket. They have access to our extensive knowledge base here that has been built up over 20 years of managing Microsoft applications, plus the experience gained from working with so many different kinds of hosted Microsoft environments – 2.1 billion logins managed and counting.

It’s not an auto-reply within fifteen minutes saying that your Premier Support request has been received and then three days go by before anyone actually begins working on it. It’s a live engineer on our staff jumping on it within fifteen minutes.

And if it’s a business critical issue, the difference between 15 minutes and 30 minutes can make a huge impact on your enterprise. Our Premier Support customers typically appreciate the 15 minute head-start over MS Unified.

How many of our Enterprise users can call in for Premier Support?

Customer discretion. Three to seven Enterprise contacts seems to be the norm. Beyond seven has historically caused accountability heartache for Enterprise customers. US Cloud safety protocols require that they must be on the customer’s tech contact or admin list to submit a Premier Support request.

Many customers are now using internal distribution lists to keep stakeholders updated on ticket status. Obviously, “distro” lists can’t open Premier Support tickets, but we can certainly add them to resolution threads.

Does US Cloud Premier Support cover Microsoft Active Directory (AD), Directory File Services (DFS) or Group Policy Object (GPO)?

Yes to all. With more than 20 years of supporting Microsoft technologies, US Cloud Premier Support can look at your Microsoft enterprise support usage report, if you’re a current Microsoft Premier or Unified Support customer, or do a needs analysis with you, and customize a concierge-style support plan to provide your Enterprise support team with the Microsoft support you need for the MS products you rely on. You will only pay for the Premier Support hours you need.

How much experience do you have with Microsoft Premier (Unified) Support, exactly?

We have been supporting Microsoft technologies since 1996 and have resolved more than 100,000 support tickets for clients. US Cloud Premier supports all Microsoft technologies.

We have designed and operated large hosted Microsoft private clouds for enterprise customers such as Coca-Cola, HP, British Petroleum, US Army, Overstock, Intel, Fidelity, Blue Cross, NASA and St. Jude. Managing over 2.1 billions logins and counting.

We have MCSE certifications for Database, Infrastructure, Cloud, and SharePoint; MCSA certifications for Windows Server, Office 365, Exchange, SharePoint, Azure, SQL Server, Visual Studio, and Web Apps; MTA certifications for Windows Server, Office 365, Exchange, SharePoint, Azure, SQL Server, Visual Studio, Web Apps, Skype for Business, Windows 10, Developer, and IT Infrastructure. We also have Amazon AWS, VMware, Cisco CCNA, CCNP, A+, Network+, Security+, Cloud+, and MOS certifications.

When it comes to resolving issues with Microsoft products, how often does US Cloud Premier Support reach out to Microsoft directly?

US Cloud offers written SLAs for managed Microsoft escalations when they are necessary.

The pricing you have for Microsoft Premier (Unified) Support seems to be different than my contract or Microsoft Enterprise Agreement (EA)?

We find that MS Premier (Unified) Support contracts vary greatly by customer like Enterprise Agreements (EA). In most cases, customers are overpaying either in actual rate or the level of support/responsiveness.

Our recent experience with clients has shown that most customers will see a 30-60% price increase from Microsoft Premier Support to Unified Support. In some cases 300-500%! MS Unified Support covers unlimited hours, but for organizations that don’t need unlimited hours and only want to pay for what they need, US Cloud Premier Support can save them up to 50% compared to Microsoft Unified Support.

Plus, our clients have found that their spend is more efficient with US Cloud Premier Support, due to our ability to have our All-American engineers (literally, all screened US citizens, native English-speaking) jump on tickets and start working the issue within fifteen minutes, instead of working your way through extensive Microsoft Premier (Unified) Support phone trees, overseas call center escalations, and complicated online portals, explaining your issue over and over from the beginning, as you try to reach someone who can actually help.

We are confident we can deliver better service while saving customers Microsoft enterprise support dollars that they can put into more important areas of the company.

Why would I use US Cloud Premier Support Instead of Microsoft Premier (Unified) Support for our Microsoft enterprise support needs?

US Cloud Premier Support engineers are exposed to more diverse environments and problems than most highly-specialized and siloed Microsoft Premier (Unified) engineers. Our guys and gals support 1,500 customized Microsoft server farms. No two are alike. We fix more Microsoft SharePoint problems in the first 30 days after a product release than anyone else on the planet.

100% of our Premier Support engineers are screened US citizens and natural, native English speakers. Nothing against Microsoft Premier (Unified)’s outsourced overseas call centers, but our clients say they truly appreciate the ease and clarity of communication with our teams — as well as the security (ITAR compliant) and peace of mind that comes with all All-American support.

The cost savings is significant. Since we grow all our Premier Support engineers, we can scale and serve you more efficiently. Most customers save anywhere from 30-60% annually or more.

Response times under 15 minutes doesn’t hurt either.

Do you have any leverage with Microsoft to get bugs fixed faster?

It depends. We do have direct access to development teams at Microsoft and if there is a truly urgent matter Microsoft will listen and respond. But Microsoft is also a business. Repairing bugs is about volume and risk. How many people (measured in revenue) are having the issue and how much risk is there to damaging to Microsoft brand by not repairing it sooner than later?

Our promise is that we will truly care about delivering exceptional support to your team and will advocate daily on your behalf with Microsoft.

Do I still get a dedicated Technical Account Manager (TAM) with US Cloud Premier Support?

US Cloud Premier Support provides a dedicated, US citizen technical account manager (TAM) in its Premier Support plans, and a shared TAM delivery service team in its core Premier Support plan.


Do I still need my Enterprise Agreement (EA) with Microsoft if I Choose US Cloud Premier Support instead of Microsoft Premier (Unified) Support?

That is a question for you, your CIO and CFO. Some companies are finding they can drastically reduce their Microsoft bill by dropping their Microsoft Enterprise Agreement (EA) and buying/renting only what they truly consume and outsourcing their Microsoft Premier (Unified) Support services to a reputable third party provider like US Cloud.

I see that your Premier Support initial response time (IRT) is guaranteed at 15 minutes or less but what is your average ticket time to resolution (TTR)?

It depends. In 2018, US Cloud Premier Support resolved an Azure issue within 30 seconds of talking to a former MS Unified enterprise customer. That same year we had a Microsoft Office 365 mailbox issue drag on for 30 days because we had to engage the Microsoft O365 product team.

We have TTR metrics available but most issues are resolved in days, not weeks. And obviously, high severity issues are worked 24/7 until resolution – success measured in minutes rather than hours.

Unified Support for Microsoft CSP’s? You Need a Plan B.

Unified Support for Microsoft Cloud Solution Provider (CSP)

By the end of this year, over half of IT spending will be cloud-based, reaching up to 60% of entire IT infra, and 60-70% of all applications, technology, and services spending by 2024.* Look no farther than Microsoft’s explosive growth in cloud with its Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) revenue up 234 percent (that’s not a typo) when compared to 2020.

Before Microsoft Inspire, its annual user conference, the company announced that co-selling efforts with partners generated $5 billion in partner sales as of the end of its 2023 fiscal year in July. Microsoft also has over 72,000 cloud partners in total.
With that meteoric expansion showing no signs of slowing down, how is the support organization that services CSP’s, and their clients, going to keep up?

Good question.

Microsoft tells its cloud solution partners that its Microsoft Unified (err…maybe still Premier) Support “offers flexible, end-to-end managed support across all Microsoft technologies and deployments to help you offer the best support available to gain more customers and larger contracts…Additionally, escalation management for your customers’ critical needs ensures issues get the attention they need.”

Unfortunately, the marketing hype doesn’t always match up with reality: In many cases, Microsoft Unified Support is unified in name only.

  • Third-party vendors (v-badges) like India-based Tata or Wipro are actually doing the work.  You can discern this from the email address of the support engineer or when you speak with them on the phone.
  • Unless you have a named secondary (backup) Technical Account Manager (TAM) or Designated System Engineer (DSE) on your contract, you’ll be at the whim of whoever is available to try and assist you if the TAM or DSE is unavailable.
  • The size of Microsoft, which is often a strength, is actually a tremendous weakness when it comes to enterprise support. Regardless of whether you’re a US-based company or not, when you call or email requesting support you may need to wait for someone depending on your tier of Unified Support. This can mean waiting anywhere between 4 and 8 hours for someone to respond if you are paying for the Core or Advanced tier of Microsoft Unified Support. If you’re paying for the top-of-the-line Performance, you may get a response within 30 minutes to 1 hour. If your issue is business critical, is that really fast enough?

Ultimately, many CSPs we speak with are paying a premium for a safety net with gaping holes – and one that often fails in the exact moment when their clients need stability and consistency most. And if Microsoft drops the ball, your client is blaming you – not Microsoft, potentially damaging your business relationship and losing out on additional revenue.

Every issue you have is business critical. You should look for a Microsoft Unified or Premier Support alternative that can work with you the moment you have a problem and find a resolution. The good news is that you can get it at US Cloud.

Unified (Premier) Support for Microsoft Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) Alternative

US Cloud Premier Support gets you comprehensive Microsoft technology support at a 30% cost savings versus Microsoft Unified Support for Partners — without the maddening, frustrating experience that is so often an accepted part of Microsoft Support.

  • 100% USA Citizen-based support: You will never be outsourced to a call center overseas. All certified US Cloud staff are located in St. Louis, Missouri, and we have industry leading processes in place to ensure that you receive a consistent, best-in-class support experience the moment you need it most.
  • 30-60 percent cost savings: Our best-in-class Microsoft enterprise support comes at a fraction of the price you will pay with Microsoft, because we can resolve 99% of tickets without escalation. Only purchase the support you need and don’t pay a Microsoft tax for lower-quality support.
  • 5x faster response: US Cloud will respond to your support ticket within six minutes. That’s 5 times faster than Microsoft’s most aggressive response Service Level Agreement.
  • Two decades of Microsoft experience: US Cloud is a Microsoft Certified Partner and Cloud Solution Provider; we are experts in the ins and outs of Microsoft technologies. We’ve handled more than 61,000 Microsoft support tickets. Only 1 percent of them have gone to Microsoft as third-tier incidents. When you call us, we rapidly respond and mitigate your issues.
  • Dedicated TAM/DSE support: US Cloud prides itself on its consistency. When you sign with us, you’ll have a dedicated Technical Account Manager or Designated Support Engineer. They will become an expert in your company’s needs and software. This way, when an issue occurs there is no delay because we don’t need to ramp up on your specific needs.
  • A white glove customer experience, every time: We won’t make you repeat your issue over and over. We won’t pass you around to different outsourced support professionals around the globe with varying levels of knowledge and expertise. Our only goal is your complete satisfaction.

Experience US Citizen-based, 15-minute premier Microsoft enterprise support for yourself: Contact us about our risk-free trial today.

*International Data Corporation Report

Government Premier Support – Stay Compliant with US Nationals.

Microsoft Premier Support for Government Alternative - US CloudFederal CIOs are being tasked to move to a National cloud while streamlining operations and working with increasingly shrinking IT budgets. They are mandated to maintain U.S. compliance and security standards while advancing their entity’s mission and better serving its citizens. As part of the mandate for data sovereignty, some CIOs are finding “US Persons” in their Microsoft Premier Support for Government contracts. These are not US citizens servicing US Federal, State and local agencies, but rather H-1B foreign nationals temporarily living on US soil. As a result, some agencies may find themselves out of compliance and operating in a weakened security state.

Premier Support Government from US Cloud is a complete Microsoft support service specifically designed for U.S. Federal, State, and Local Governments, providing cost savings opportunities, rigorous security and compliance – including extensive screening and US citizenship affirmation – and the flexibility to support National on-premises, cloud or hybrid environments – all from one trusted provider.

Premier Support Government

Premier Support for Government from US Cloud is the mission-critical support for US government agencies and their partners, delivering breakthrough savings and compliance.

You need flexible support programs that can help you control budget spending while also giving you guidance on how to best use Microsoft technology to help improve the lives of your citizens. Find the Premier support plan that is right for your government organization.

Cost Savings for U.S. Government
Premier Support for Government from US cloud offers significant cost savings over traditional premium support models for Public Sector. Based on recent discussions with many client companies, it is clear that entities will conservatively save up to 50% while meeting U.S. compliance and security standards.

Trusted Support for Mission-Critical Government Services

US Cloud Premier Support for Government - Department of State (DoS), Department of Defense (DoD)

US Cloud is helping to ensure that government organizations have the trust, security, and compliance they need for their Microsoft technology support. US Cloud Premier Support for Government is never outsourced. All support is delivered by screened US citizens. US Cloud proudly serves Selective Services, Department of State, US Embassies worldwide and other Federal, Local, State, and Tribal entities.

Advance Your Priorities with Premier Support for Government

Government IT leaders are looking for better, more efficient support of their Microsoft technologies, to advance their mission and improve citizen engagement.

Utilizing Premier Support Government gives IT organizations the opportunity to do more with limited budgets, freeing up resources for new initiatives that can move your mission forward.

Provide secure and modern ways for government IT to enga

ge with screened US citizens for support of the Microsoft technologies they need to support the citizens they serve.

Harness the power of US Cloud Premier Support for Government to fix issues faster and prevent outages before they occur.

Deliver change using the government-only support you can trust, with screened US Citizens. Your support sovereignty stays in the US and exceeds the highest compliance requirements.

Why Premier Support for Government

Do more with limited budgets by using the 30-60% cost savings to advance your priorities and better serve citizens.

Enable productivity by leveraging Microsoft best practices and get the most out of your Microsoft technology investments.

Meet critical compliance standards and exceed U.S. Government regulatory requirements with 100% screened US citizen technical support.

Rest assured with trusted expert support exclusive to government, with world-class engineers and experienced technical account managers.

Premier Support for Azure Government

Improve your citizen services, increase efficiency, and get world-class support.

  • Secure and compliant cloud for US government only
  • Supported only by screened US citizens
  • Physically isolated instance of Microsoft Azure
  • Agencies can take advantage of instant scalability
  • Data and support sovereignty stays in the United States
  • Streamline agency authorizations with third party security assessment reports and attestations
  • Support FedRAMP moderate and high-impact federal data
  • Support covered defense information and export-controlled data
  • Support criminal justice and federal tax information
  • Support protected health information with HIPAA business associate agreements
  • Comply with Section 508 via inclusive design for everyone

Azure Government compliance: HIPAA, CJIS, IRS 1075, Section 508, FedRAMP High, ITAR, FIPS 140-2, DoD, NIST 800-171

Premier Support for Azure Government serves: Federal agencies, state and local agencies, US Department of Defense (DoD).

Premier Support for Department of Defense (DoD)
Premier Support for Department of Defense (DoD) includes The Office of the Secretary of Defense, The Joint Chiefs of Staff, The Joint Staff, The Defense Agencies, Department of Defense Field Activities, The Department of the Army, The Department of the Navy (including the United States Marine Corps), The Department of the Air Force, The United States Coast Guard, The unified combatant commands, other offices, agencies, activities, and commands under the control or supervision of any approved entity named above.

Premier Support for Microsoft Office 365 Government

Learn which Microsoft 365 meets your compliance needs

Microsoft 365 GCC

  • Stores content in the continental United States.
  • Employs screened U.S. citizens as Microsoft admins and support staff.
  • Best for FedRAMP moderate impact data.
  • Supports CJIS and IRS 1075 standards.
  • Complies with DISA Level 2 Security Requirements Guidelines.

Microsoft 365 GCC High

  • Stores content in the continental United States.
  • Employs screened U.S. citizens as Microsoft admins and support staff.
  • Best for FedRAMP high impact data.
  • Complies with DISA Level 4 Security Requirements Guidelines.

Microsoft 365 DoD

  • For exclusive use by U.S. Department of Defense.
  • Stores content in the continental United States.
  • Employs screened U.S. citizens as Microsoft admins and support staff.
  • Complies with DISA Level 5 Security Requirements Guidelines.
  • Cloud Access Point connected.

Why would an organization need US Cloud Premier Support for Government rather than Microsoft Premier Support?

Federal, State, and Local U.S. Government agencies, as well as commercial companies, holding controlled unclassified information, criminal justice information, and export-controlled data will find that only US Cloud offers screened US citizens for Premier Support of U.S. Government thereby meeting necessary regulatory controls.

Eligibility requirements for Premier Support Government

Premier Support Government plans are available to (1) qualified government entities, including US federal, state, local, tribal, and territorial government entities, and (2) other entities (subject to validation of eligibility) who handle data subject to government regulations and requirements, where use of Premier Support Government is appropriate to meet these regulations and requirements.

A government organization is typically (a) any government agency, department office, division, unit, or other entity of state or local government or (b) any county, borough, commonwealth, city, municipality, town, township, special purpose district, or similar type of government instrumentality established by laws of customer’s state and located in the customer’s state jurisdiction and geographic boundaries or (c) any other entity in the customer’s state expressly authorized by the laws of the customer’s state to purchase under state contracts.

Premier Support Government Personnel Screening

All US Cloud Premier Support for Government staff must pass the following background checks.

US Cloud Personnel Screening Description
U.S. Citizenship Verification of U.S. citizenship
Employment History Check Verification of seven (7) year employment history
Education Verification Verification of highest degree attained
Social Security Number (SSN) Search Verification that the provided SSN is valid
Criminal History Check A seven (7) year criminal record check for felony and misdemeanor offenses at the state, county, and local level and at the federal level
Office of Foreign Assets Control List (OFAC) Validation against the Department of Treasury list of groups with whom U.S. persons are not allowed to engage in trade or financial transactions
Bureau of Industry and Security List (BIS) Validation against the Department of Commerce list of individuals and entities barred from engaging in export activities
Office of Defense Trade Controls Debarred Persons List (DDTC) Validation against the Department of State list of individuals and entities barred from engaging in export activities related to the defense industry
Fingerprinting Check Fingerprint background check against FBI databases
CJIS Background Screening State-adjudicated review of federal and state criminal history by state CSA appointed authority within each state that has signed up for the Microsoft CJIS IA program

Premier Support for Government

Premier (Unified) Support for Government - US CloudPremier Support for Government provides comprehensive Microsoft support, delivered by screened US citizens, to meet US compliance and security standards for US Federal, State, Local and Tribal entities.

With US Cloud Premier Support for Government, get the National support you need.

Middle East – Avoid 40% Microsoft Premier Support Cost Increase.

Earlier this year, Microsoft announced that it was doubling down on expanding its Microsoft Office 365 and Azure services into the Middle East by opening its first data center in Abu Dhabi. By doubling the number of Azure regions available, in tandem with its goal to be in 50 regions across the globe, Microsoft is expanding data residency options for enterprises to deliver a consistent experience, fortified by robust policies, controls and systems to help keep data safe and help comply with local and regional regulations.

Middle East - Microsoft Premier (Unified) Support Cost Increase

This move is prompting many enterprises in the Middle East – including Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Israel – to more seriously consider incorporating Microsoft products and services into their IT portfolios.

Alongside this expansion into the Middle East, Microsoft also changed the way it delivers support services for those using their software, transitioning from a Premier to a Unified support model. Even if you’re just interested in online Microsoft applications and services, you’ll still be on the hook to pay for support across any Microsoft technologies – even on-premises ones you may not even use.

This change will make the cost of Microsoft support even more expensive. Enterprises in Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Israel can expect to pay up to 40% more for Microsoft Unified Support than they would have under the old model. This means you’ll pay anywhere from 33% to 39% of your Microsoft licensing costs for maintenance, 56% higher than the industry average. The bigger issue is that the support you receive isn’t worth the price increase. Here are a few reasons why that’s the case:

  1. Microsoft support representatives in name only.

    Who is actually troubleshooting and working your support tickets?  You would assume it is Microsoft employees, but that’s usually not the case. Third-party vendors (v-badges) like India-based Tata or Wipro are actually doing the work.  You can discern this from the email address of the support engineer. If you are paying for premium support, you should get premium support. US Cloud will never outsource its support services.  In fact, all TAM/DSE are USA-based, making us GDPR/ITAR compliant.

  2. No flexibility in payment terms.

    At all levels (core, advanced, performance) of Unified Support, your cost is a percentage of your Office 365 and client software annual costs, as well as a cut of your other software and online services annual spend. US Cloud only bills you for the services you consume, in the manner that works best for you.

  3. Low chance of having a dedicated account management team.

    Depending on the tier of Unified Support you purchase – in other words, how much you’re willing to pay – you will have a dedicated team or share with other Microsoft customers. Are you a public sector entity? Make sure that a vendor offering a Microsoft Unified Support alternative can assure you only US citizens are handling your support cases so you don’t run afoul of GDPR or ITAR.

  4. Extra cost for live proactive support.

    Microsoft Unified (Premier) Support - Outsourced Third Party ContractorsIn the Unified world, non-human proactive support is unlimited. However, you will pay extra for an engineer. Or, if you are a Performance or Advanced tier Unified support customers, you will have a certain number of days built into your contract. If having an experienced Microsoft engineer on call to help is important to you, be prepared to pay an additional Microsoft tax for the service. Given that many times third-party contractors are handling your support, look for an alternative like US Cloud, which has more than 20 years of experience across all Microsoft technologies as part of the support hours for which you’ve already paid.

  5. Extra cost for online problem resolution support (PRS).

    In the Unified model, you will have unlimited hours … as long as you’re OK with picking up the phone. However, maybe you don’t have to call. Online services will cost you extra in the Unified Support model.

  6. No improvement in initial response time.

    In the Unified model, the one-hour critical/catastrophic SLA holds except for Advanced tier Unified Support customers. They’ll have a 30-minute SLA for critical issues. For standard problems, expect to wait anywhere between 4 and 8 hours. US Cloud responds within 6 minutes to all calls regardless of how critical they may be.

  7. Lack of third-tier Microsoft support resources.

    Those paying for the lowest tier of the Unified model will have no way of getting to third tier support. For all others, it’s included but at varying levels of criticality. US Cloud has handled more than 61,000 support tickets, and have escalated less than 1 percent to Microsoft. However, in the case you do need to get escalated to that level, it’s included in your hours. We will work with you every step of the way to navigate the Microsoft support system and get you the resolution you need as soon as possible.

  8. Failure to scale and meet support Service Level Agreements (SLAs) during major upgrades and patches.

    Despite Microsoft’s size, you cannot realistically expect to enjoy the same SLAs if the company is rolling out a new version of Office 365 or patches for its on-premises software. There seems to be little communication between Microsoft’s engineering and services groups. So, when demand increases for support, SLA response times slip and fail. The Microsoft Technical Account Manager is then forced to triage unhappy Unified customers paying 30% more for less support.

    Microsoft Unified Support - Paying more for less support

  9. Inconsistent TAM and DSE support.

    Unless you have a named secondary (backup) Technical Account Manager (TAM) or Designated System Engineer (DSE) on your contract, you’ll be at the whim of whoever is available to try and assist you. Or worse, your needs may go unheard for a week or two. You’ll have to plan ahead for when these key Microsoft roles are unavailable to assist you in time of crisis. That’s more work that you’re expected to do, even though you’re paying almost a third more for enterprise support services.

  10. No accountability for missing support SLAs.

    Many companies we speak with are having to push their Microsoft account representative hard to hold their company accountable if it misses a SLA. The SLA should be financially backed to incentivize the provider. Aggressive SLAs are common in cloud service provider agreements – your Microsoft Unified Support contract should be no different.

For those who are new to the Microsoft world, there are a lot of unknowns – and you trust a Microsoft Account Manager to guide you along the right path to implement your software the best way possible.

We’ve had many enterprises in the Middle East tell us they balk at the high price of support but feel they are stuck. They’ve been told that when you buy Office 365, the support is included in the cost of those seats. When they say they want to go with a third-party Unified Support alternative, Microsoft Account Managers tell them that they will lose their Office 365 support when they do this. However, Office 365 and its support stand on their own. Don’t fall for this trap.

There Is an Alternative

Middle East enterprises looking to take advantage of the expansion of Office 365 and Azure services in their region have a viable alternative to Microsoft Unified Support with US Cloud. With us, you can expect:

  • A white glove customer experience, every time. We respond to your inquiries in six minutes, five times faster than Microsoft. And, we won’t make you repeat yourself when we transfer you to the right experts to solve your issue. All our support staff is located in the US, fortified by strong infrastructure, high reliability, robust processes, and 20+ years of Microsoft expertise.
  • 35-40 percent cost savings. Only purchase the support you need and don’t pay extra for support on products you don’t use. Your hours never expire, and we offer multiple payment options to meet your specific needs.
  • General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) compliant. Even though we’re a US-based company, many of our clients do business in the Middle East … and many Middle East enterprises do business with citizens in the European Union. We take pride in keeping your data and intellectual property safe, satisfying multiple compliance regulations in effect around the world including GDPR.

Tired of paying an additional Microsoft tax for a lackluster support experience? Get the right level of support with US Cloud, the industry’s first true alternative to Microsoft Unified Support now available in the Middle East as well as many other countries worldwide. Contact us today for more information and a free trial.

 

 

10 Ways to Avoid Paying a 30% Microsoft Tax on Unified Support.

10 Ways to Avoid Paying a 30% Tax on Unified Support

On July 1, 2022, Microsoft transitioned all its existing technical support plans to what it calls Unified Support, although it often uses the Premier Support title as well. They are essentially the same thing. The company says this will streamline how you engage it for support without having to tally up your available problem resolution or reactive support hours.

The marketing message from Microsoft is clear: Don’t worry about whether you’re running out of hours, even if you’re encountering a serious issue with your Microsoft software and services, just focus on running your business.

While that may sound nice on paper, with that security blanket comes an increase in cost. According to some industry experts, enterprises in the US will pay up to 30% more for Microsoft Unified Support. When you combine that with your Software Assurance payments, you will pay up to 39% for your maintenance and support, which is 56% higher than the industry average. Some client companies are reporting increases even higher, with these prices only continuing to climb over time.

Essentially, you’ll be paying a Microsoft tax for the pleasure of working directly with the vendor’s enterprise support team to keep your systems up and running. Many enterprises are asking us if they even have a choice – since they are committed to using Microsoft software and services, will they also need to pay for Microsoft enterprise support?

The good news is that you do have Microsoft enterprise support alternatives. These are the 10 most important reasons why you should switch to a Microsoft Unified Support alternative to avoid this 30% Microsoft tax:

  1. Microsoft support representatives in name only.
    Do you know who troubleshoots and works on your support tickets? You may think that its done by Microsoft employees, but that’s usually not the case. Third-party vendors (v-badges) like India-based Tata or Wipro are actually doing the work. You can spot them based on the email address of the support engineer. You’re paying for premium support, so you should get premium support. US Cloud will never outsource its support services. In fact, all TAM/DSE are USA-based, making us ITAR compliant.
  2. No flexibility in payment terms.
    At all levels (core, advanced, performance) of Unified Support, your cost is a percentage of your Office 365 and client software annual costs, as well as a cut of your other software and online services annual spend. US Cloud only bills you for the services you use, in a way that works best for you.
  3. Low chance of having a dedicated account management team.
    Depending on the tier of Premier/Unified Support you purchase – in other words, how much you’re willing to pay – you will have a dedicated team or share with other Microsoft customers. Are you a public sector entity? Make sure that a vendor offering a Microsoft Premier/Unified Support alternative can assure you only US citizens are handling your support cases so you don’t run afoul of ITAR.
  4. Extra cost for live proactive support.
    Unified world, non-human proactive support is unlimited. However, you will pay extra for an engineer. Or, if you are a Performance or Advanced tier Premier/Unified support customers, you will have a certain number of days built into your contract. If having an experienced Microsoft engineer on call to help is important to you, be prepared to pay an additional Microsoft tax for the service. Given that many times third-party contractors are handling your support, look for an alternative like US Cloud, which has more than 20 years of experience across all Microsoft technologies as part of the support hours for which you’ve already paid.
  5. Extra cost for online problem resolution support (PRS).
    In the Premier/Unified model, you will have unlimited hours if you’re willing to pick up the phone. However, maybe you don’t have to call. Online services will cost you extra in the Premier/Unified Support model.
  6. No improvement in initial response time.
    In the Premier/Unified model, the one-hour critical/catastrophic SLA holds except for Advanced tier Unified Support customers. They’ll have a 30-minute SLA for critical issues. For standard problems, expect to wait anywhere between 4 and 8 hours. US Cloud responds within 15 minutes to all calls regardless of how critical they may be.
  7. Lack of third-tier Microsoft support resources.
    Those paying for the lowest tier of the Premier/Unified model will have no way of getting to third tier support. For all others, it’s included but at varying levels of criticality. US Cloud has handled more than 61,000 support tickets, and have escalated less than 1 percent to Microsoft. However, in the case you do need to get escalated to that level, it’s included in your hours. We will work with you every step of the way to navigate the Microsoft support system and get you the resolution you need as soon as possible.
  8. Failure to scale and meet support Service Level Agreements (SLAs) during major upgrades and patches.
    Despite Microsoft’s size, you cannot realistically expect to enjoy the same SLAs if the company is rolling out a new version of Office 365 or patches for its on-premises software. There seems to be little communication between Microsoft’s engineering and services groups. So, when demand increases for support, SLA response times slip and fail. The Microsoft Technical Account Manager is then forced to triage unhappy Unified customers paying 30% more for less support.Calling for urgent question
  9. Inconsistent TAM and DSE support.
    Unless you have a named secondary (backup) Technical Account Manager (TAM) or Designated System Engineer (DSE) on your contract, you’ll be at the whim of whoever is available to try and assist you. Or worse, your needs may go unheard for a week or more. Playing email round robin to get the support you deserve doesn’t seem like a fair use of your time or money. You’ll have to plan for when these key Microsoft roles are unavailable to assist you in time of crisis. That’s more work that you’re expected to do, even though you’re paying almost a third more for enterprise support services.
  10. No accountability for missing support SLAs.
    Many companies we speak with are having to push their Microsoft account representative hard to hold their company accountable if it misses an SLA. The SLA should be financially backed to incentivize the provider. Aggressive SLAs are common in cloud service provider agreements – your Microsoft Unified Support contract should be no different.

Are you tired of paying an additional Microsoft tax for a lackluster support experience? Get the right level of support with US Cloud, the industry’s first true alternative to Microsoft Unified Support. Saving you 30-50% on your Microsoft Support costs and rapid, 15-minute response times are only a few of the benefits we provide. Contact us today for more information and a free trial.

Negotiating Microsoft Unified Support? Ask These 10 Questions.

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