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Intercept
intercept.cloud › en-gb › blogs › microsoft-ea-vs-csp
Microsoft EA vs CSP: Which Licensing Model Fits You?
November 29, 2024 - If you want structure and predictability, EA might be for you. CSP is the way to go if flexibility, agility and partner-driven support sound more like your company’s needs. The CSP Enterprise Programme is for those with high Azure spending. Get a 12% discount, 24/7 support, and better cloud ...
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SoftwareOne
softwareone.com › en › blog › articles › 2025 › 02 › 07 › ea-csp-mca-e-a-comparison
EA vs CSP vs MCA-E a comparison | SoftwareOne blog
February 7, 2025 - CSP stands out as an attractive option compared to EA, offering similar benefits but with more flexibility.
Discussions

EA to CSP transition
Could you assist a customer with an Enterprise Agreement (EA) who currently has an Office 365 E1 SKU with Teams features and wants to shift billing to CSP? Would they retain access to all the features and advantages of Office 365 E1? If there is any… More on learn.microsoft.com
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May 16, 2024
Azure Subscription Migration from CSP to EA.
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cost-management-billing/manage/transfer-subscriptions-subscribers-csp More on reddit.com
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0
April 18, 2021
Moving subscription from CSP to EA

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cloud-solution-provider/migration/migration?branch=master&tabs=ea-to-csp#to-migrate-from-csp-to-eapay-as-you-go

More on reddit.com
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July 17, 2017
Who handles your EA or CSP negotiation?
In my experience, it all depends on the size of the organization. Enterprise grade or big companies have a "Purchaser Manager" dedicated role to handle such negotiation with the support of the IT manager/director. In smaller org, often the IT manager handles that role with support of whoever approve cost so the IT manager knows what budget he has. For EA contract, you can ask a partner to help you in the process and advise on the contract volume. However, I strongly advise to have a legal person from your company to read carefully the contract of Microsoft. Don't sign what they send without proof reading as the Microsoft back office teammates tend to be distracted when releasing a contract. Small typos/errors in the documents are often inadvertently inserted. For CSP, there are tons of partner providing CSP. If you have contacts in other organization IT teams having a CSP partner, ask their experiences. Not all partners provide the same quality. Messy portal for cost management, messy process to order licenses, support with almost 0 technical knowledge of the products, requesting support to the partner is a quest on its own. Those are common complains about CSP I hear every week and about many CSP. As for EA, have a legal person reading the contract of the CSP before signing. Whatever the topic is, never sign a contract without a legal advisor. More on reddit.com
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April 3, 2024
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Reddit
reddit.com › r/azure › azure ea vs csp
r/AZURE on Reddit: Azure EA vs CSP
February 11, 2019 -

Hi All,

Can anyone help me out by sharing some of the pros and cons of the Enterprise Agreement / cloud solutions provider subscription methods?

Everything I’ve found online appears to be for the office 365 world rather than Azure IaaS / PaaS.

For context, we are a >£1billion per year organisation looking to put our key customer facing solutions (apps / e-commerce / in store point of sale) into azure using services like service bus, Kubernetes, cosmos / SQL etc.

I know for example Kubernetes isn’t available in CSP but what are the other reasons to choose one over the other such as support, pricing, manageability etc.

Thanks in advance!

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HBS -
hbs.net › microsoft ea vs csp: which licensing model is best for you?
Microsoft EA vs CSP: A Comparison
May 14, 2025 - EA is best suited for large enterprises with stable IT needs, predictable license counts, and organizations that prefer long-term cost predictability. The Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) program is a more flexible Microsoft licensing model, designed ...
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Avantiico
avantiico.com › home › microsoft enterprise agreement vs csp: a strategic licensing guide
Microsoft Enterprise Agreement vs CSP: A Strategic Licensing Guide - Avantiico
August 7, 2025 - EA offers a stable, long-term solution for large enterprises, while CSP brings flexibility that is particularly suitable for dynamic and growing businesses that don’t want to commit to three- or five-year licenses.
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MCPC
mcpc.com › microsoft ea vs csp: should your organization make the switch?
Microsoft EA vs CSP: Should Your Organization Make the Switch? | MCPC
July 1, 2025 - Full access to Microsoft 365, Azure, ... simplicity. Unlike EA’s fixed annual true-up process, CSP allows you to adjust license counts each month as headcount changes....
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Samexpert
samexpert.com › ea-vs-csp
Microsoft Enterprise Agreement vs Cloud Solution Provider program
October 1, 2025 - EA requires you to commit to "standardising" all users and computers, demanding that you stick to one set of products for every user or device, regardless of alternatives. The CSP program does not require that; it's flexible.
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LicenseQ
licenseq.com › home › ea vs csp – how do you choose?
EA vs CSP - How do you choose? - LicenseQ
November 28, 2024 - The EA also offers flexible licensing options to allow organizations to customize their licensing solutions based on their specific needs. We have published an entire blog series on the Enterprise Agreement, which you can read on our website. The Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) model is a licensing program that allows Microsoft partners to sell and manage Microsoft cloud services such as Azure, Microsoft 365, and Dynamics 365.
Find elsewhere
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Infinity Group
infinitygroup.co.uk › blog › microsoft-enterprise-agreement-vs-csp
Microsoft Enterprise Agreement vs CSP_ - Infinity
August 19, 2025 - With Microsoft’s recent move ... all EA levels removing the volume-based discounts, the CSP programme is even more valuable for organisations. The CSP programme is Microsoft’s modern, flexible licensing model that allows organisations to purchase and manage Microsoft cloud services, such as Microsoft 365, Azure, Dynamics ...
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SoftwareOne
softwareone.com › en-gb › blog › articles › 2025 › 01 › 27 › microsoft-csp-ea
Microsoft CSP vs. EA agreements: 5 Reasons to Switch to CSP | SoftwareOne blog
January 29, 2025 - This makes CSP an attractive alternative to a traditional EA, with similar benefits and more flexibility. SoftwareOne has years of experience in Microsoft licence management and has helped countless clients innovate while achieving significant cost savings. We’ll work with you to review your EA and help you bring down costs, enjoy greater flexibility, receive better support, and more easily manage your licences. *Source: How Azure ...
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Dynamics Community
community.dynamics.com › blogs › post
Microsoft Enterprise Agreement vs CSP: A Strategic Licensing ...
Introduction Navigating the complexities of Microsoft licensing is a crucial task for modern businesses. This guide offers a comprehensive comparison between Microsoft’s EA or Enterprise Agreement vs CSP (Cloud Solution Provider) aimed at helping IT professionals and business leaders navigate ...
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Medium
medium.com › version-1 › mca-vs-ea-vs-csp-key-evaluation-considerations-36d1e67c06df
MCA vs EA vs CSP: Key Evaluation Considerations | by Karl O’ Doherty | Version 1 | Medium
August 19, 2024 - This transition, often proposed by Microsoft or its reseller channels, offers a different approach to licensing that aims to simplify the purchasing process for Microsoft cloud products and services. But before making the shift, it’s critical to weigh the risks and benefits of the MCA versus the traditional EA. When comparing MCA vs EA vs CSP, it’s essential to understand the implications each option carries for your organisation’s specific needs.
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SoftwareOne
softwareone.com › en-us › blog › articles › 2021 › 05 › 25 › microsoft-ea-vs-csp
Microsoft EA v. CSP – Which is right for you? | SoftwareOne blog
October 1, 2025 - While you’ll have access to the ... an EA, the experience is different. With a CSP, you'll look at a month-to-month subscription with a one-year agreement rather than a three-year contract....
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US Cloud
uscloud.com › home › microsoft enterprise agreement vs csp
Microsoft Enterprise Agreement vs CSP
November 13, 2024 - However, at EA renewal they can true-up and right-size the merged organization’s Microsoft software. ... With the CSP, you pay only for what you need and only for as long as you need it.
Top answer
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An EA (Enterprise Agreement) is always signed with a Microsoft LSP (Licensing Solution Partner). Exceptions exist where a customer transacts an EA directly with Microsoft but these will be VVIP customers well taken care of by Microsoft. In such a case, I am almost 100% certain your customer has a LSP that he transacts his licenses with.

A EA relationship is considered a premium relationship with a customer, and I have never known Microsoft to want to downgrade a EA customer to CSP. They get better pricing on top of additional benefits from Microsoft.

An EA relationship is typically signed at CIO level, with the licensing agreement covering the entire Microsoft solution stack that the enterprise customer has with Microsoft, from desktop licensing to servers to cloud. The EA is not just a licensing agreement, but is the start of a premium relationship an enterprise customer has with Microsoft. If this query is originating at a departmental level, then perhaps also find out if at the top management level they are aware of the discussion of downgrading/dismantling the EA relationship to CSP.

To give some comments from my personal experience (I am not a licensing advisor so take these comments as perhaps 80% correct)

  1. An E1 license is an E1 license. Whether purchased online with credit card, via CSP or via EA
  2. A customer with a EA relationship can also have CSP licenses in his tenant mix.
  3. The additional benefits a customer gets is via his EA entitlements. This can be in terms of discounts, training, support, funding and others.
  4. The EA entitlements are tied to his EA license commitments he has made to Microsoft. Eg 500 xE1 +1000 xE3 for 3 years
  5. These EA commitments may or may not require the customer to retain a minimum number of licenses via EA
  6. Not meeting certain EA license commitments may entail the customer being downgraded in his EA status, losing certain EA benefits including pricing discount, or even breaching agreements signed across products covered by his entire EA agreement.

So in summary, in terms of E1, the customer retains functionality whatever the license provides.

However, the customer may lose benefits and entitlements he may be enjoying in his EA agreement should his license consumption fall below certain levels because he has purchased or renewed his licenses via CSP instead of EA.

Most LSP are also able to transact CSP licenses. The best course of action is for the customer to have this conversation with their LSP. The LSP will know the customer benefit entitlements and what is the impact if he decides to move his licensing scheme to CSP.

Regards

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Dear Ankush Gaur,

Good day! Thank you for posting to Microsoft Community.

If you transition from an EA to CSP, you will retain access to all the features and advantages of Office 365 E1. However, it is important to note that the billing and management of your subscription will be handled by your CSP partner instead of Microsoft.

To make the transition, you will need to work with your CSP partner to move subscription and migrate your existing data and users to their environment. Your CSP partner will also be responsible for managing your subscription going forward. Moreover, it's always best to confirm with your Direct Partner to ensure a smooth transition.

For the supporting document, I have shared some related document via Private message.

Below are the steps to open private message:

To View private messages option > click on Profile Picture at top of the right side > Select My Profile option.

If you have other questions or I have got you wrong, please feel free to let me know.

Thank you for your precious time. Have a nice day.

Sincerely,

Libeamlak | Microsoft Community Moderator

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LinkedIn
linkedin.com › pulse › which-solution-right-you-susanth-sutheesh
EA VS. CSP! Which solution is right for you?
March 25, 2019 - For many years, the best choice ... However, now there is a new option called Cloud Service Provider (CSP), a contract you can purchase from a certified Microsoft partner....
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360 Visibility
360visibility.com › home › blog › microsoft azure cloud › is a microsoft cloud solution provider better than an enterprise agreement?
Is a Microsoft Cloud Solution Provider Better Than an EA
December 12, 2024 - As Microsoft transitions its licensing models, businesses must decide whether the Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) program or an Enterprise Agreement (EA) is the best fit.
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Simform
simform.com › home › the simform blog › why and how to transition from microsoft enterprise agreements to csp billing
Why and How to Transition from Microsoft Enterprise Agreements to CSP Billing
March 4, 2025 - Comprehensive product access – Get 99% of Microsoft’s offerings on demand, including Azure, Microsoft 365, and Dynamics 365, through a transactional model. Partner-managed services – Certified Microsoft partners provide cost optimization, managed services, and proactive spend management. Note: CSP licensing is only available through authorized partners like Simform. Business agility and cost benefits: Unlike EA’s rigid structure, CSP doesn’t need upfront commitments or true-up billing.
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Microsoft Community Hub
techcommunity.microsoft.com › microsoft community hub › communities › products › azure › azure infrastructure blog
CSP to EA Migration - Azure
October 31, 2023 - In this plan its recommended to setup an environment in parallel while source is up and running in the CSP. This migration strategy can be called like setting up DR Environment (replica environment in same region) in parallel in the target subscription and once the same has been done plan the downtime, DNS switch and actual failover and cutover from source to the target. RBAC check (To be done right after the destination subscription creation) While doing EA enrollment in major scenarios organizations will keep the same Azure AD tenant.
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Medium
vunvulear.medium.com › different-ways-of-buying-azure-services-pay-as-you-go-ea-direct-csp-indirect-csp-a563aa8cd89d
Different ways of buying Azure Services (Pay-As-You-Go, EA, Direct CSP, Indirect CSP) | by Radu Vunvulea | Medium
April 3, 2019 - Still, if the customer needs a new Azure Subscription, he needs to contact the Direct CSP to fulfil the request. Pros ... You need to take into account all the pros and cons. It is important to know that going with a CSP can have big advantages especially because you don’t need to manage by yourself the subscriptions in comparison with EA and you also get more personalized support from a consultancy team that knows your business and needs.