Microsoft's New Commerce Experience: Cloud resellers concerned

Microsoft has "evolved" its Partner Network, but changing the name to the Microsoft Cloud Partner Program has done little to dispel concerns over the company's New Commerce Experience (NCE). NCE is the latest iteration of the Cloud Solutions Provider (CSP) program, giving resellers new tools to manage subscriptions. It has a …

[Mike 137]

as well as some eye-watering price rises

"as well as some eye-watering price rises for customers, Microsoft's NCE makes cloud solution providers (CSPs) liable for future subscription payments over the lifetime of a contract."

This was in principle utterly predictable ages back. The vendor can turn your business off, so do what you're damn well told, pay up and shut up.

[Updated maxim]: when you've got them by the balls, who gives two hoots about their hearts and minds?

[Neil Barnes]

"It does feel like the benefits are stacked in Microsoft's favour,"

And this is surprising why?

[hoola]

Re: "It does feel like the benefits are stacked in Microsoft's favour,"

This will be the same for every vendor providing cloud services or <insert_favourite_thing>ssS. Techies have always seen this coming but have been ignored.

There is enough migrated to "the cloud" now that companies are pretty much stuffed.

The trouble is that when the cost saving exercises start it is never the decision makers who are at risk. They will be spending lots of time making PowerPoint presentations with all sorts of fancy charts that show how successful the migrations to "the cloud" have been to cover the arses.

As usual, it is the "doers" that will be in the firing line, yet again.

[Throatwarbler Mangrove]

Trevor Pott called it

Specifically, he called it The Empire of Sadness.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Trevor Pott called it

Thanks for the reminder. TP is only a legend these days - a foul mouthed, legendary reminder of what is right and true.

It's said that if you rub a particular (Canadian) canoe, Trev will appear in a puff of smoke and grant you three wishes. All your wishes must involve going off grid or finding swearing perfection.

[Anonymous Coward]

They seem so angry MS said they would be their partner after years of burning them in the past, now they do it again. Is anyone actually surprised by these actions? I'm not and am sure this isn't even the start of where they will take it.

At my last employer, I spent considerable effort avoiding and minimising MS$ and in my last month a new MS$ loving exec forced the move to everything possible that can be moved is to move over to them. I spent the month helping and they had a few more projects to run but by memory, they roll off the 6th year of their EA soon so now rather than dropping to CSP they will go to NCE + years of price hikes and this extra-large one. Bet that exec is going to have a hard time at that meeting with the CEO.

[YetAnotherJoeBlow]

So...

We are on step 3 already. Twist the screws.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: So...

I think we're on step 3a - Ignore the tears, the cries, the pleas for mercy.

Microsoft's licensing strategy continues to sink into the darkness; a black, heartless machine that rips apart all it encounters.

[Anonymous Coward]

What NCE stands for

New Cash Extractor

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: What NCE stands for

could also be New Client Eliminator...

[FrozenShamrock]

Predictable

As hoola noted above this was predictable and predicted by those on the front lines. And, while this article is specifically about Microsoft it applies to all the cloud providers. Once they have you hooked they will extract every penny they can. And, the notion of being able to easily move between cloud providers was always nonsense, the providers knew it and the CIO/CTO/CFO clowns either were too stupid to realize it or figured the crap wouldn't hit the fan until they had cashed their bonus check and moved on.