Breaking the Microsoft Support Cycle
Why Enterprises Are Moving Beyond Unified Support
For years, Microsoft Unified Support has been the default choice for enterprises running mission-critical workloads across Azure, Microsoft 365, Dynamics 365, and hybrid infrastructures. It promised comprehensive coverage, direct access to engineering, and proactive services. But as cloud environments have grown more complex, and support needs are more urgent. Many organizations are finding that Unified Support no longer delivers the value, responsiveness, or transparency they require.
When downtime can halt revenue, jeopardize compliance, and change customer experience, the stakes couldn’t be higher. And yet, the support model many enterprises rely on is reactive, consumption-priced, and slow to escalate. It’s no surprise that a growing number of IT leaders are rethinking their support strategy.
The Problem with Unified Support
Unified Support is built for scale, but not necessarily for precision. Its pricing model is tied to total Microsoft spend, meaning that as your cloud usage grows, so does your support bill. Even if your support needs don’t. This consumption-based approach has led to year-over-year cost increases for many organizations, with little correlation to actual value received.
Beyond cost, the service experience itself is often frustrating. Escalations can be slow, with multiple layers of triage before reaching someone who understands your environment. Proactive services, while available, are frequently generic and disconnected from your governance or optimization cycles. And support across platforms (Azure, M365, Dynamics) is siloed, leaving customers to bridge gaps between teams and technologies on their own.
In short, Unified Support is functional, but not optimized for the realities of modern enterprise IT.
The Shift Toward Partner-Led Support
As these limitations become more apparent, a strategic shift is underway. Enterprises are moving toward partner-led support models that prioritize engineering depth, accountability, and proactive engagement. These models are built around the needs of the customer, not the consumption metrics of a licensing agreement.
Partner-led support offers:
- Direct access to senior engineers from the first interaction
- Structured escalation paths that avoid tiered bottlenecks
- Embedded proactive services tailored to your environment
- Transparent pricing aligned to actual support needs
- Governance mechanisms that ensure accountability and continuous improvement
This isn’t just about saving money, though many organizations do. It’s about gaining control, predictability, and confidence in your support experience.
DCG’s Enterprise Support Framework
DCG’s Enterprise Support is purpose-built for organizations that run complex, integrated Microsoft workloads. Our model replaces the reactive nature of traditional support with a proactive, engineering-led approach that delivers measurable outcomes.
Here’s how we do it differently:
- Fast, Expert-Led Resolution: Our clients engage directly with senior engineers who understand their environment. No scripts, no hand-offs, and no delays.
- Proactive Architecture Oversight: We conduct regular health checks, security posture assessments, and release planning sessions to prevent issues before they occur.
- Governance and Transparency: Monthly service reviews, performance metrics, and SLA-backed accountability ensure you’re always in control.
- Predictable Cost Modeling: Our pricing is based on your actual support needs, not your cloud consumption, giving you budget stability and clarity.
Real-World Impact
One global healthcare technology company made the switch to DCG after years of frustration with Unified Support. They were facing recurring Severity 1 incidents, slow escalations, and rising costs tied to Azure growth. Within six months of transitioning to DCG:
- Severity 1 resolution times dropped by over 70%
- Overall incident volume decreased due to proactive remediation
- Support costs fell by 40% compared to their projected Unified renewal
The result? A more stable environment, faster recovery from critical issues, and a support partnership that aligned with their business priorities.
Why Now?
Microsoft’s recent changes to Enterprise Agreement eligibility, including raising the minimum seat threshold to 2400, mean that many mid-market organizations will be moved to CSP licensing. This shift decouples licensing from support, giving enterprises the freedom to choose a support model that better fits their needs.
If your organization is approaching a renewal window, now is the time to evaluate alternatives. Starting the process six to twelve months in advance gives you time to assess your support volume, define your SLA requirements, engage stakeholders, and avoid the pressure of auto-renewal cycles.
Ready to Break the Cycle?
DCG’s Enterprise Support offers a modern, accountable, and engineering-led alternative to Microsoft Unified Support. Whether you’re facing rising costs, slow escalations, or a lack of proactive guidance, we’re here to help you transition smoothly and start seeing results.
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