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In an effort to simplify the license-buying process for SMB customers, Microsoft will be discontinuing the Open License Program for SMB customers at the end of 2021 and move all perpetual license purchases to the Cloud Solution Provider Program.

Previous Program

The Open License Program has been around for 20 years and was the only way for SMB customers to purchase perpetual versions of Microsoft licenses like Windows Server and SQL Server. The program had a few quirks, like a five-license minimum purchase and a slow turnaround time between PO and provisioning of licenses, that do not fit in with Microsoft's more modern and flexible license-purchasing programs.

Moving to the CSP Program

The CSP program is what most SMB customers already use for their monthly recurring licenses like Office 365 and Microsoft 365. The transition to the CSP program will allow customers to work closely with their current Microsoft licensing partners for holistic management of their license needs.

For example, many businesses are moving their on-premise workloads to cloud-based hosting platforms like Microsoft Azure and would like to continue to use perpetual licenses. Moving these licenses from on premise to the cloud requires that businesses add Software Assurance to these perpetual licenses. Software Assurance must be renewed every two or three years, and companies will be able to leverage the expertise of their CSP partners to manage these renewals alongside the rest of their recurring licenses.

If you have any questions about Microsoft licensing, please feel free to reach out to sales@dmcinfo.com and learn more about DMC's Microsoft licensing expertise.