Get the latest Microsoft Premier/Unified Support in-depth research and analysis from Gartner, Forrester and IBRS. Uncover hidden costs, renewal strategies, and save up to 50% with proven alternatives like US Cloud.
MS Unified Support
See how Microsoft’s Unified Support cost is calculated »
MS Premier Support
Support for Products Without Software Assurance (SA)
5 Year Lookback for License Only Purchases
The transition from Premier to Unified will cost somewhere between 25-100% for most Microsoft enterprise customers. As recommended by all 3 analyst groups, ask to spread the transition cost over 2-4 years.
Microsoft claims a cap on year over year (YOY) Unified support cost increase of 10%.
With an average 50% transition cost to Unified cost + 7% YOY Unified cost increases, enterprises can expect a 19% increase per year, over the next 3 years for Microsoft Unified support.
In addition, a sleeping giant is stirring that most organizations are overlooking. Microsoft Cloud consumption. This is the number 1 performance metric at Microsoft. It is also a key variable in your Unified cost metric. As you consume more cloud services from Microsoft, your Unified Support costs increase. With Microsoft’s mantra to increase your cloud consumption year over year, there is high likelihood your Unified Support costs will surpass 57%.
Enterprises earn SAB by purchasing Microsoft licenses.
You get a SAB support incident for every $20k server/CAL purchased and $200k IW/Client purchased.
SAB support incidents are valid for the length of the Premier/Unified support contract.
You can convert SAB support incidents to Premier support hours (PRS or DSE) or Unified support credits.
SAB incident value = $1,383 USD on Unified support
The number of SAB available will vary significantly from year to year.
See all the Microsoft Software Assurance Benefit (SAB) changes for 2020 thru 2022 »
Move your Office 365 licenses to a Microsoft Cloud Service Provider (CSP) to negotiate a reduced cost per seat.
Ask your Microsoft Unified sales rep to spread your 25-100% price increase over multiple years (2-5 years).
Azure support is your biggest lever with Microsoft. Know the marketplace and Azure competitors; Azure support vs Amazon AWS vs Google GCP.
Explore alternatives to MS Unified support including pure plays, VARs, Sis and CSPs.
Microsoft Azure – 10% of any spend. Account management included. 30 min response for critical.
Amazon AWS – 10% of first $150k. 7% of next $350k. 5% of next $500k. 3% over $1M. Account management included. 15 min respones for critical.
Google GCP – 9% of first $150k. 7% of next $350k. 5% of next $500k. 3% over $1M. Account management included. 15 min response for critical.
Pure plays – Offer full replacement of Premier/Unified Support. Example, US Cloud.
Value Added Reseller (VAR) – Software resellers offering helpdesk services.
System Integrators (SI) – Large system integrators offering limited support services.
MSFT Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) – Offering discounted Office 365 and offshore support.