MS CSP Program - Office 365

[BlackLabTechs]

Just wondering if anyone out there has run into this and how you resolved it.

I just signed up first purchase through IM CSP Program for 1 year license of Office 365 Business (sort of a test case) but was for an actual customer. The customer is able to login, downloaded local install, etc and use the whole admin page. No issues.

Where I'm hitting a wall is I can't seem to add myself as the POR to the customer side. I'm reading I have to be accepted as MS Adviser but can't seem to find that either. I have no way to create the POR request email. I do see IM listed under Partner Relationships.

When logging into my own Office 365 (through Action Pack) I don't have the Partner button at the top either.

So, any ideas what needs to be done here? I'd really like to be able to assign myself as POR and Delegated Admin if possible.

 

[Frick]

You need to register with Microsoft to be a Cloud Partner. Since you have an ActionPack subscription, it makes it easy. Goto: https://mspartner.microsoft.com/en/us/pages/solutions/microsoft-cloud-solutions.aspx

scroll down to the bottom and click the "enroll" link. There is more to it, but that is where you will have to follow their instructions.

 

[BlackLabTechs]

Thanks, I'll check that out. I also surprisingly got a helpful reply from MS about this as well. I'll post my findings to help any others having this issue their first time through.

 

[YeOldeStonecat]

Also make sure you add yourself as "Delegated Admin" for each tenant you add. This allows you to have a back door admin account to their account through yours (you'll have a Partner button in the upper left corner of your main O365 login). From that partner button....you can get to all of your clients.

 

[BlackLabTechs]

Finally - got it using the info in the link below.... The reply from MS says I can't assign myself as the por since the license came from IM. But I do have delegation admin now so that's a plus. Hoping I still get "credit" with MS this way. Not for $ kickbacks but for "points" or however they keep track.

http://partnersupport.microsoft.com...stration/adbc679d-bd2d-47f1-92c4-90cf4faf583e

 

[BlackLabTechs]

So last question (for now - lol).... Is it best practice to remove IM from delegated admins since I'm in there now? Don't need the customer finding that in the admin panel and giving IM a call.

 

[Frick]

Don't do that or you will break the subscription with IM

 

[BlackLabTechs]

lol - ok. Thanks! I'll get the hang of this eventually.

 

[YeOldeStonecat]

So last question (for now - lol).... Is it best practice to remove IM from delegated admins since I'm in there now? Don't need the customer finding that in the admin panel and giving IM a call.

A tenant can have multiple delegated admins. Just means several people have backdoor admin access to the account.

 

[YeOldeStonecat]

Finally - got it using the info in the link below.... The reply from MS says I can't assign myself as the por since the license came from IM.

We still add ourselves as POR too. Thus we still get the credits to grow our MS status.

 

[BlackLabTechs]

We still add ourselves as POR too. Thus we still get the credits to grow our MS status.

I wasn't able to on this one for some reason. Doesn't show in the subscriptions section. I did the Office 365 Business (no online services) for 1 yr. Paid for the year up front so don't have to worry about monthly billing. Maybe since there's no "online" service with this, that's why I can't attach POR.

Next week I'll be doing 3 seats of actual online exchange so I'm guessing that will show a little different.

 

[YeOldeStonecat]

It should already be there for you though....on the new ones originally created through the CSP. I know earlier we still added ourselves...but I just checked a new one we added last week..and we're already in there.
Go and "pretend to add a subscription"....you should see a yellow box up top trying to get you to go to the Partners...and it will have the wholesaler name..and your biz name.

 

[BlackLabTechs]

Yes, new subscriptions show what you are referring to. The purchase I just did though only shows under license so those don't have a por. Just the subscriptions do. That's what I've been told by MS and found out through some searching online.

 

[BlackLabTechs]

Explanation from MS - so I wonder how MS "tracks" your sales when going through distributor for CSP or if they even do. I would think they would have to if you are supposed to get better margin with more business you do.



The CSP Licenses (Cloud Solutions Provider) are a special type of license were you have an agreement with the Cloud Solutions Provider Partner (in this case Ingram Micro). Because of that, these licenses do not allow having a Partner of Record, do not generate any revenue for you on the Incentives Program, and do not count as a sale on your Online Services Dashboard.


The licenses that count towards these benefits:

-Direct subscriptions, purchases by your client on their Office 365 Admin Center, or by sending them a purchase offer from your Partner Admin Center

oThese ones allow Partner of Record, generate revenue for the Incentives Program, and count towards your sales on you Online Services Dashboard.

oThese will always be for the retail price.

-Prepaid subscription (Open Licensing Agreement), also purchased by a distributor, which might be at a reduced price.

oThese ones allow Partner of Record, but do not generate revenue for the Incentives Program, and do not count towards your sales on your Online Services Dashboard.

 

[TechSource]

Explanation from MS - so I wonder how MS "tracks" your sales when going through distributor for CSP or if they even do. I would think they would have to if you are supposed to get better margin with more business you do.



The CSP Licenses (Cloud Solutions Provider) are a special type of license were you have an agreement with the Cloud Solutions Provider Partner (in this case Ingram Micro). Because of that, these licenses do not allow having a Partner of Record, do not generate any revenue for you on the Incentives Program, and do not count as a sale on your Online Services Dashboard.


The licenses that count towards these benefits:

-Direct subscriptions, purchases by your client on their Office 365 Admin Center, or by sending them a purchase offer from your Partner Admin Center

oThese ones allow Partner of Record, generate revenue for the Incentives Program, and count towards your sales on you Online Services Dashboard.

oThese will always be for the retail price.

-Prepaid subscription (Open Licensing Agreement), also purchased by a distributor, which might be at a reduced price.

oThese ones allow Partner of Record, but do not generate revenue for the Incentives Program, and do not count towards your sales on your Online Services Dashboard.

With CSP you set the price with Microsoft Partner they set the price. With CSP, your return is the markup from what you paid Ingram Micro and what you are charging the customer.

 

[YeOldeStonecat]

Explanation from MS - so I wonder how MS "tracks" your sales when going through distributor for CSP or if they even do. I would think they would have to if you are supposed to get better margin with more business you do..

You're making me want to call our reps and find out again. Because that goes against everything that the New England Microsoft reps told us when we went to a 1 on 1 meeting with them a year or so ago up in Microsofts Hartford CT office.

About 4 months ago we got bumped up another level by Microsoft. Makes me think that it is working....because we've been selling the O365 through the CSP.

 

[BlackLabTechs]

If I had a rep I'd call him. I'm just curious to know if and how MS has record of IM accounts selling through their CSP. Since the incentives (margin) is earned up front, everything I'm finding points to no, MS doesn't know how much volume we push. Could be behind the scenes but a definitive answer would from MS would be nice. I'll email the CSP team and see what they say.

 

[YeOldeStonecat]

If I had a rep I'd call him. I'm just curious to know if and how MS has record of IM accounts selling through their CSP. .

The wholesalers track that. All of our Lenovo sales through Ingram are funneled to Lenovo via the Lenovo reps at Ingram and Tech Data....so Lenovo HQ keeps track of our sales (purchases) through either. Same with HP. Same with Linksys. Same with Cisco. Same with Microsoft volume licensing.

 

[BlackLabTechs]

That leads me to the question of how? I never gave IM my MS Partner ID.

 

[BlackLabTechs]

Ok, I really need to get more sleep at night. So when ordering subs/licenses through the CSP program, there's a box right in the ordering process for your MSP number. I even filled it in first time through but just forgot about that part.

Problem solved. That's how it's linked back to MS Corporate bean counters.