We opened an Azure Cognitive Services account, but the end user is not us; it is our customer. Will there be a problem?

Question

Our company is a system integrator that sets up a SaaS application for customers. This application requires to integrate with Azure Cognitive Services for performing image AI tagging function in the application.

One of our customers has requested us to open an Azure Cognitive Services account on their behalf. Their intention is for us to be the sole billing party, so they would pay us for both the SaaS application and Azure Cognitive Services usage.

However, I believe this presents a problem as it would make us responsible for complying with the terms of the agreement, which we would prefer to avoid.

Has anyone else faced a similar situation, and if so, how did you overcome this problem?

Answer 1

Ooe eoO Welcome to Microsoft Q&A forum!

One of our customers has requested us to open an Azure Cognitive Services account on their behalf. Their intention is for us to be the sole billing party, so they would pay us for both the SaaS application and Azure Cognitive Services usage.

Please note that, It is important to ensure that you are complying with the terms of the agreement when setting up an Azure Cognitive Services account on behalf of your customer.

However, I believe this presents a problem as it would make us responsible for complying with the terms of the agreement, which we would prefer to avoid.

Your Understanding is correct. Your use of the Azure service is governed by the terms and conditions of the agreement under which you obtained the services.

Has anyone else faced a similar situation, and if so, how did you overcome this problem?

This is a common situation that most of the system integrators face when setting up SaaS applications for their customers.

One way to is to have your customer create their own Azure Cognitive Services account and provide you with the necessary credentials to integrate the service into your SaaS application. This way, your customer is responsible for complying with the terms of the agreement, and you can focus on providing the SaaS application.

Another way is to work with your customer to set up a billing arrangement where they are responsible for paying for the Azure Cognitive Services usage directly. This can be done by having your customer create their own Azure Cognitive Services account and adding you as a co-administrator. This way, you can still manage the service on their behalf, but they are responsible for complying with the terms of the agreement and paying for the usage.

It is important to have a clear understanding of the responsibilities and obligations of each party when setting up an Azure Cognitive Services account on behalf of a customer. You should also consult with a legal professional to ensure that you are complying with all applicable laws and regulations.

Please refer to the following to understand more about about the usage and terms.

Cognitive Services terms

Microsoft Azure Legal Information

Azure Cognitive Services Compliance and Privacy and Microsoft Azure Legal Information

Hope this information helps you. Please let us know if you have any further queries.

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