Articles

Microsoft 365 prices rise on 1 July 2026. Daryl Ullman reads the published numbers, shows why the headline per-SKU figures understate the real renewal hit, and sets out the steps to take before your renewal date.

Microsoft hasn’t stopped negotiating — the rules just changed. EA tier discounts have flattened, account teams have lost deal authority, and direct competes with CSP on the same renewal. Daryl Ullman maps where 2026 buyers can still push.

For two decades, the Microsoft EA renewal was a known quantity. Not anymore. Four overlapping changes — discount removal, July’s list-price hike, M365 E7, MCA-E migration — push effective costs up 20% against last cycle’s baseline, and modest Copilot adoption takes the figure past 23%. Microsoft hasn’t framed it as a 23% increase. Your CFO will.

Microsoft has more practice at large Azure negotiations than most buyers. This guide explains how to estimate consumption accurately, structure the MACC, stack Hybrid Benefit, RIs and ACDs, and factor in Unified Support over a 3-5 year planning horizon.

Moving to Azure doesn’t eliminate Microsoft licensing. It often increases it. vCPU inflation, limited BYOL scenarios, and Azure-specific restrictions mean you may need more licences in the cloud than on-premises. Where costs hide and how to reduce them.

A year of settlements, investigations, and unfinished business. Regulators on three continents took aim at Microsoft’s licensing practices. By December, most had missed.

A nine-month Enterprise Agreement renewal exposed what truly drives outcomes: early alignment, structured governance, timing discipline, flexible strategy, and stronger executive and negotiation capabilities.

AI processing doesn’t automatically require consent. What matters is the purpose, context, and whether decisions are made without human involvement.

When salespeople negotiate through intermediaries instead of decision-makers, deals stall and margins shrink. A six-step framework for reaching the people who hold budget authority and closing faster.

Every business needs to make money. And in the SPLA business, a few obstacles are in the way of making a profit.

Is it still a good idea to switch some or all of your Microsoft licensing to CSP in 2062? Here’s a story you may relate to.

Agent 365 introduces licensed AI ‘users’ inside Microsoft 365, with no clear definition, unpredictable pricing, and blurred lines between bots, copilots, and agents.