Microsoft Update January 2019

Some of the principle product and licensing updates for January 2019

  • MyAnalytics now more broadly available to Office365 and M365 Users, and the standalone SKU is retired. Initially as an Outlook Add-In but features will improve until there is parity with the standalone offering.
  • Office365 Cloud App Security will be wrapped into Microsoft 365 Cloud App Security from February 2019. The standalone SKU is retired from the February 1st price file.
  • Microsoft finally acknowledge PowerBI, Phone System and Audio Conferencing as potential E5 blockers, offering incremental access to advanced Compliance and Security services across the expansive E5 stack.
  • The Add On ‘mini bundles’ are targeted at Microsoft365 E3 customers, offering a ‘scale up’ model programmatically as a bundle, a new option in addition to standalone SKUs. A welcome addition in my opinion, even if the price point and product balancing is off.
  • Advanced Threat Intelligence (ATI) finds it’s home in in Advanced Threat Protection P2 within the new Identity & Threat Protection (ITP) bundle.
  • New Identity & Threat Protection (ITP) bundle is a new  ‘Add On’ for M365 E3 users – later renamed to a simpler ‘ E5 Security‘.
  • New Information Protection & Compliance (IPC) bundles is a new ‘Add On’ for M365 E3 users – later renamed to a simpler ‘E5 Compliance‘.
  • The new E5 Security ‘mini bundle’ SKU now includes:
    • O365 ATP P2 (Price decrease for existing Threat Intelligence at anniversary)
    • MCAS
    • Azure ATP
    • AADP2
    • Windows Defender ATP
  • The new E5 Compliance ‘mini bundle’ SKU now includes:
    • O365 Advanced Compliance
    • AIPP2
  • The Office365 Cloud App Security SKU will be discontinued.
  • The standalone MyAnalytics SKU will be discontinued.
  • Microsoft accelerated their strategy to  service customers directly as part of their wider ‘Modern Commerce’ strategy, with a  direct-to-customer move to target Azure customers and syphon relationships away from their channel. Initially targeting direct Azure-Only SCE’s to be replaced by a new Microsoft Customer Agreement (MCA). One stated objective was to reduce cost of sale via the current partner-enabled SCE model. The important dates you should know –
    • 1st March 2019 – Sales Motion for SMC/Unmanaged Accounts to MCA
    • 1st April 2019 – Extended out to Enterprise/Managed Accounts
    • 1st August 2019 – No New or Renewed Azure-Only SCE’s
    • FY20+ – Expand to Hybrid SCE, Indirect EA and Public Sector
    • Extended Term Still Available
  • Microsoft expand Azure Reserved Instance (RI) reservations, with RDS to be released, 1 or 3 years upfront, akin to server subscriptions and can be tied to RI instances

Thanks All

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Tony Mackelworth is Head of Microsoft Advisory Services at SoftwareONE

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