Two Microsoft Licensing Paths

Ron Kane

August 3, 2026

minutes read

One Partner Accountable for the Outcome.

Take Control of Your Microsoft Environment.

	Microsoft EA Off-Ramp Licensing-Only CSP	Microsoft EA Replacement CSP + Microsoft Enterprise Support
What it is	A licensing-only CSP agreement. Pricing transparency, right-sizing guidance, and structured commercial terms. Support sits outside this relationship.	CSP licensing with Microsoft Enterprise Support. One partner owns the licensing and the support outcome.
Best for	Teams leaving the EA that want EA-like pricing structure and manage support internally.	Organizations replacing EA and Unified Support together, where senior-engineer access and escalation ownership are requirements.
Replaces	Enterprise Agreement	Enterprise Agreement + Unified Support
Term	3-year with a stepped discount.	Annual. No multi-year commitment.
Discount	15% year one, 10% year two, 5% year three. EA-like structure without a support purchase.	15 to 20%, maintained through an active support relationship.
Support	Not included. Microsoft Enterprise Support is available separately if needed.	Senior engineer-led Microsoft Enterprise Support: direct access, escalation ownership, 93% in-house resolution, pay-for-what-you-use structure.
Governance	Commercial governance and pricing transparency.	Full operational governance. Licensing optimization plus proactive management of your entire Microsoft environment.
What you control	Your contract, your terms, and transparent pricing.	A governed, supported Microsoft environment. One partner is accountable for the outcome.

What the Numbers Show

1,000-seat example, EA Replacement + Microsoft Enterprise Support

Post-2025 EA discounts have flattened across all tiers. This comparison reflects current market conditions. Your team manages support and escalation internally.A 3-year EA-like pricing structure suits your planning cycle.

Cost Component	Annual
EA License (~5% disc.)	$638,400
Unified Support (~10%)	$63,840
Internal escalation (est.)	$25,000
EA + Unified Total	$727,240
DCG CSP License (15% disc.)	$571,200
Microsoft Enterprise Support (240 hrs)	$56,400
DCG CSP + Support Total	$627,600
Annual Saving	$99,640 (13.7%)
3-Year Saving	$298,920

EA Off-Ramp pricing anchor

Structured 15 / 10 / 5% stepped discounts against Level A list pricing on EA renewals. Organizations that previously held 6 to 12% volume discounts are losing them entirely under the new EA structure. The EA Off-Ramp restores that structure without requiring a support purchase.

Why DCG over a large LSP or distributor

LSPs and distributors sell licenses. They do not own what happens after. When an escalation stalls, a support case sits open, or Azure spend drifts, they refer you back to Microsoft. DCG is built differently. Senior engineers handle 93% of cases in-house. One parter is accountable for your licensing outcome and your support outcome. That level of accountability is not something large-scale providers can profitably sustain. It is the only model DCG runs.

Not ready to commit? Start with the License Optimization Accelerator. A diagnostic that maps your current licensing position against your actual deployment. The full fee applies toward whichever path you go down.

Why This Decision Matters Now

Microsoft eliminated EA volume discount tiers (Levels B/C/D) in November 2025. All EA renewals now default to Level A list pricing, a 50 to 70% compression of discounts organizations previously relied on. MCA-E migration began March 2026, and organizations under 2,400 seats may no longer be offered an EA renewal. CSP is now the primary licensing path for most of DCG's target market.

50 to 70%

Compression in EA volume discounts post-November 2025 across all organization sizes.

8 to 12%

Of total Microsoft spend consumed by Unified Support, compounding with every license added.

~60%

Of enterprises are dissatisfied with Microsoft Unified Support quality, speed, or cost (industry research).

Get the Microsoft EA Off-Ramp vs. Microsoft EA Replacement

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Start Your Transition. Lock In Your Pricing

Ron Kane

Most support conversations start at renewal time. Ron thinks that it is already too late. Support should make enterprise technology feel safer, not harder to defend. That is the lens Ron brings to his work as Chief Marketing Officer at Dynamic Consultants Group. With more than 25 years of hands-on experience helping organizations simplify complex decisions, improve sales effectiveness, and take the mystery out of digital strategy.

Ron’s background spans Health and Life Sciences, Software, Marketing Platforms, Specialty Retail, Outdoor Power, Pharmaceutical Marketing, Animal Science, and other industries. He has worked as a Principal Consultant and Senior Marketing Strategist, helping organizations develop practical programs, communicate value clearly, and drive measurable business outcomes.

At DCG, Ron’s work is closely tied to one of the biggest conversations enterprise leaders are having right now: whether their Microsoft support model is delivering the speed, accountability, and transparency their environments require. His perspective is practical and commercial. He helps leaders solve the questions that often get skipped: What are we actually paying for? Who owns escalation when something breaks? How fast can we reach the right expertise? Is the current model reducing risk or simply adding another expensive layer?

He is also a speaker and boardroom facilitator who helps executive audiences examine support models without the noise, helping CIOs evaluate where alternative support models improve outcomes, where they introduce risk, and what separates high-performing partner-led support from fragmented arrangements.

Ron Kane

In his role as Vice President of Digital Experience, Ron brings over 25 years of hands-on experience helping companies of every size drive success through common sense marketing strategy, sales effectiveness and helping organizations take the mystery out of digital marketing. Ron has worked as a Principal Consultant and Senior Marketing Strategist to some of America’s best companies in Specialty Retail, Outdoor Power, Pharmaceutical Marketing, Animal Science and other industries.

Two Microsoft Licensing Paths

One Partner Accountable for the Outcome.

What the Numbers Show

1,000-seat example, EA Replacement + Microsoft Enterprise Support

EA Off-Ramp pricing anchor

Why DCG over a large LSP or distributor

Why This Decision Matters Now

Start Your Transition. Lock In Your Pricing

Ron Kane

Ron Kane

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