Sell software subscriptions through the Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) program
Appropriate roles: Admin agent
With Azure Reservations and Server Subscriptions (subscriptions to Windows Server and SQL Server), partners in the CSP program can better address the fast-growing customer demand for more cost-effective solutions to support highly predictable and persistent cloud workloads.
You can acquire, provision, and manage Azure Reservations and Server Subscriptions on behalf of commercial customers through Partner Center and the Azure portal by taking advantage of the Azure Hybrid Benefit.
The Azure Hybrid Benefit helps you get more value from your Windows Server licenses and save up to 40 percent on virtual machines.
You can use the Azure Hybrid Benefit with Windows Server Datacenter and Windows Server Standard licenses with Software Assurance. Depending on the edition, you can convert or reuse your licenses to run Windows Server virtual machines in Azure and pay a lower base compute rate (Linux virtual machine rates, for example).
Markets in which Azure Reservations aren't available
Important
Azure Reservations are not available in the following markets:
| A to Gi | Gr to Pal | Pap to Z |
|---|---|---|
| Aland Islands | Greenland | Papua New Guinea |
| American Samoa | Grenada | Pitcairn Islands |
| Andorra | Guadeloupe | Reunion |
| Anguilla | Guam | Saba |
| Antarctica | Guernsey | Saint Barthélemy |
| Antigua and Barbuda | Guinea | Saint Lucia |
| Aruba | Guinea-Bissau | Saint Martin |
| Azerbaijan | Guyana | Saint Pierre and Miquelon |
| Benin | Haiti | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines |
| Bhutan | Heard Island and McDonald Islands | Samoa |
| Bonaire | Isle of Man | San Marino |
| Bouvet Island | Jan Mayen | São Tomé and Príncipe |
| British Indian Ocean Territory | Jersey | Seychelles |
| British Virgin Islands | Kiribati | Sierra Leone |
| Burkina Faso | Kosovo | Sint Eustatius |
| Burundi | Laos | Sint Maarten |
| Cambodia | Lesotho | Solomon Islands |
| Central African Republic | Liberia | Somalia |
| Chad | Madagascar | South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands |
| China | Malawi | South Sudan |
| Christmas Island | Maldives | St Helena, Ascension, Tristan da Cunha |
| Cocos (Keeling) Islands | Mali | Suriname |
| Comoros | Marshall Islands | Svalbard |
| Congo | Martinique | Swaziland |
| Congo (DRC) | Mauritania | Timor-Leste |
| Cook Islands | Mayotte | Togo |
| Djibouti | Micronesia | Tokelau |
| Dominica | Montserrat | Tonga |
| Equatorial Guinea | Mozambique | Turks and Caicos Islands |
| Eritrea | Myanmar | Tuvalu |
| Falkland Islands | Nauru | U.S. Outlying Islands |
| French Guiana | New Caledonia | Vanuatu |
| French Polynesia | Niger | Vatican City |
| French Southern Territories | Niue | Wallis and Futuna |
| Gabon | Norfolk Island | Yemen |
| Gambia | Northern Mariana Islands | |
| Gibraltar | Palau |
Buy software subscriptions on behalf of customers
To purchase software subscriptions on behalf of a customer, use the following steps:
Sign in to Partner Center and select Customers.
Select a customer from the list.
From the customer's detail page, select Add products, and then follow the on-screen instructions to create and pay for your order.
Commercial pricing excludes tax, except for Australia and Brazil.
View software subscriptions
Software subscriptions purchased on or after October 14, 2021:
- Are returned by the Get Subscriptions API
- Appear on the Subscriptions page for a customer
- Appear on the Software page
Software subscriptions are returned by the Get Orders API, regardless of the date they were purchased.
Software subscriptions purchased before October 14, 2021:
- Aren't* returned by the Get Subscriptions API
- Don't* appear in the Subscriptions page
Activate and manage software subscriptions
After purchase, certain software subscriptions are required to be download by you or your customer.
Customers use the Microsoft 365 Admin Center to see product keys and download information. Information about customer access to software keys can be found in the Microsoft admin portal documentation.
Partners use Partner Center to see product keys and download information. The Admin agent role is required to get a link to keys and downloads.
To download software and get software keys and links:
Sign in to Partner Center and select Customers.
Select a customer from the list.
From your customer's detail page, select Software.
A list of all the software you've purchased on behalf of the customer appears.
Select a product, and then Generate keys and downloads.
Select Version, Language, and File Type and OS, and then select Get keys and downloads. Not all products support Language and File Type and OS selections--in these cases, the options are hidden.
Select Get Key to display the 32-digit product in a pop-up dialog box that you can copy and send to the customer.
Select Download to download the software bits.
Select Copy Link if you want to send the customer a link to the bits download.
Certain product purchases don't require a software download or product keys. These products are sold as licenses that give the user the right to access the services the product provides.
Some products have specific installation instructions (For example, Extended Security Updates (ESUs)). For these products, Installation instructions links are provided:
Select a product, and then Generate keys and downloads.
Select Version, Language, and File Type and OS, and then select Get keys and downloads. Not all products support Language and File Type and OS selections--in these cases, the options are hidden.
Under Software, Installation instructions, select Click here.
For software cancellation policies, refer to the New commerce experience cancellation policy.
Important
Software keys are valuable and highly sought-after intellectual property, so it's important to understand the risks associated with copying links and downloading software.
Note
CSP purchases are activated with a multiple activation key (MAK). Key management service (KMS) keys aren't allowed, even upon request.
Move a customer's on-premises license from VL to CSP with no downtime
Even though KMS keys aren't available in CSP, you can still move your customer's on-premises licenses from volume licensing (VL) to CSP and prevent downtime caused by a purchasing channel switch.
KMS distributes licenses to clients, and those licenses usually remain active for 180 days before a device tries to renew the activation. That means a device will be activated and will run for some time before any issues arise.
If a customer deploys a new multiple activation key (MAK) during the 180 day period, either manually or with a script (using
slmgr.vbs), there will be no downtime.If a customer doesn't deploy the new MAK during the 180-day period and tries to renew the license later, the device could become limited or blocked for some functionality until it's reactivated.
For more information, see Activate clients running Windows 10 (Windows 10) - Windows Deployment.
For assistance with this type of deployment, you can submit a Technical Presales and Deployment services request.
Server subscription downloads and license keys are available for customers through Microsoft 365 Admin Center
Your customers can get CSP server subscription license keys and downloads from Microsoft 365 Admin Center.
To see their CSP server subscription license keys and downloads, customers must go to Microsoft 365 Admin Center > Billing > Your products > Software tab.
View software key access and software download activity
For auditing or compliance purposes, you might need to check a list of users who have either accessed server subscription software keys or downloaded server subscription software.
Note
You must be an Account admin, Referral admin, or Marketing content admin to see these activity logs.
To check users who have accessed server subscription software keys or downloaded server subscription software, use the following steps:
Sign in to Partner Center and select the Settings (gear) icon.
Select Account settings, and then select Activity log.
Enter the date range for the activity you want to see.
The activity log displays a list of users who have accessed software keys or downloaded software during the time you specified.
Software subscriptions autorenew by default
Autorenewal is intended to simplify software renewal for partners and their customers.
Software subscriptions:
- Autorenew by default if they were purchased on or after October 14, 2021.
- Expire on the date that was indicated at time of purchase if they were purchased before October 14, 2021 (that is, they don't autorenew).
To switch autorenewal on or off, use the following steps:
Sign in to Partner Center and select Customers.
Select a customer from the list.
Select a subscription and then switch Auto-renew on or off.
Select Submit.
Manage billing frequency
Along with specifying the duration of a software subscription, partners can also specify the billing frequency of some software subscriptions, splitting large payments into several smaller charges paid over the term of the subscription. Doing so puts more expensive services within the reach of smaller businesses by reducing cash-flow pressure.
As of October 22, 2021:
- Three-year product SKUs are available with annual or triennial (every three years) billing.
- Windows Remote Desktop Server CAL 2022 is available with monthly billing.
You can see the billing plans that are available on the review screen at Partner Center before purchasing.
To set billing frequency, select a billing cycle of Monthly, Annual, or Triennial, depending on customer needs and the billing plans that are available for the software subscriptions you're buying.
Canceling a software subscription
Seven-day subscription cancellation window
You can cancel a software subscription within the first seven days of any term and receive a prorated refund (except where otherwise required by law).
Cancellation isn't available after seven days. If you don't cancel a subscription, you're billed for the full term even if the customer stops paying for or using the subscription (applicable to any billing plan).
Considerations when canceling a software subscription
- You must be an Admin agent to cancel a purchase.
- RedHat and SUSE software plans can't be canceled or exchanged. To learn more, see Prepay for Azure software plans.
- You might be notified of the following information when you attempt to cancel a subscription:
- The cancellation window end date and time
- Whether you've already passed the cancellation window and can no longer cancel the subscription
- Before you start the cancellation process, make sure you have the following information:
- The customer's name, tenant GUID, or domain name
- The friendly name or ID of the software subscription that you want to cancel
- For information about canceling a software subscription using the Partner Center API, see Cancel software purchases.
To cancel a software subscription, use the following steps:
Sign in to Partner Center and select Customers.
Select a customer from the list.
Select the subscription that you want to cancel.
In the Status section, select Cancel Subscription.
A dialog box appears.
Select Yes, cancel to acknowledge that you've read the message in the dialog box and to confirm your intent to cancel the software subscription.
Select Submit.
Canceling perpetual software
30-day perpetual software cancellation window
You can cancel a perpetual software purchase within 30 days of the purchase date and not be charged an early termination fee. You can't cancel a perpetual software purchase after 30 days.
Considerations when canceling perpetual software
Before you start the cancellation process, make sure you have the following information:
- The customer's name, tenant GUID, or domain name
- The name of the product you want to cancel
- The order ID
The following information might appear when you attempt to cancel a subscription:
- How many days remain for you to cancel the order
- Whether you've already passed the cancellation window and can no longer cancel the order
Important
A message confirming your cancellation appears when you cancel an order. However, there might be a delay of up to 15 minutes before the cancellation appears on the Partner Center.
To cancel perpetual software, use the following steps:
Sign in to Partner Center and select Customers.
Select a customer from the list, then select Software to see a list of software purchased for the customer.
Locate the software purchase that you want to cancel and select Cancel.
A dialog box appears.
Review the important message regarding cancellation.
Select Confirm to cancel your purchase.
Post-cancellation details
After you cancel a purchase:
All related software keys and download links are revoked. This revocation means you and your customer can no longer use the software keys and download links for the canceled purchase.
You and your customer are responsible for discontinuing the use of all canceled software. You're also responsible for uninstalling the canceled software and removing any related software downloads and links.
The canceled item will still appear on the customer's software details page, but the activation key won't be available.
A 100% credit for the canceled order will appear on your next monthly invoice.