Microsoft CSP stands for Cloud Solution Provider. Through this program, partners sell Microsoft cloud subscriptions, for example Microsoft 365, licenses for Microsoft Entra ID or consumption in Microsoft Azure. The company buys from and pays the partner. The partner is also the first point of contact for licensing and support.
How does buying through CSP work?
The company accepts the Microsoft Customer Agreement and chooses a CSP partner. The partner orders subscriptions in Partner Center, assigns them to the customer's Microsoft 365 tenant and issues the invoice. Licenses can be bought from a single user. There is no minimum quantity as with volume agreements.
Since the move to the New Commerce Experience, most subscriptions have fixed terms: one month, one year or three years. An annual term is cheaper than a monthly one. The number of licenses can only be reduced within seven days after purchase or at renewal. Increasing is possible at any time.
Prices in CSP
Microsoft sets list prices, and partners calculate their prices on that basis. Since 1 July 2026, the following list prices in euros apply, among others, per user and month with an annual term paid annually:
- Microsoft 365 Business Basic: €6.07
- Microsoft 365 Business Standard: €12.13
- Microsoft 365 Business Premium: €19.06
- Microsoft 365 E3: €37.78
- Microsoft 365 E5: €58.13
These amounts apply to the variants with Teams. Variants without Teams are cheaper, and Teams Enterprise then costs an additional €7.41 if it is needed.
CSP, Enterprise Agreement and MPSA
Besides CSP, there are volume agreements directly with Microsoft. The Enterprise Agreement is aimed at organizations with 500 or more users or devices and runs for at least three years. The MPSA is a framework agreement without a fixed term.
Since 1 November 2025, online services in both agreements have a single price across all price levels for new purchases and renewals. This removes a major price advantage of volume agreements for cloud subscriptions. Since then, the choice depends more on contract length, flexibility and support than on discounts.
What companies should keep in mind
- Choose the term for each product deliberately: an annual term for the steady demand, a monthly term only for fluctuating quantities.
- Keep renewal dates in the calendar, because quantities can only go down at those points.
- Limit the partner's access to the tenant to what is needed and review it regularly, following the principle of least privilege.
- Compare the license inventory with the accounts that are actually active and reduce unused licenses at renewal.
CSP with TOMORIS
How TOMORIS provides and manages licenses through CSP is described under Microsoft licensing. The guide CSP or Enterprise Agreement compares the two routes.