{"id":8250,"date":"2026-05-14T09:48:36","date_gmt":"2026-05-14T09:48:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.version1.com\/en-us\/?p=8250"},"modified":"2026-07-23T08:24:02","modified_gmt":"2026-07-23T08:24:02","slug":"switching-microsoft-csp-partners-how-to-reduce-risk-cost-and-complexity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.version1.com\/en-us\/switching-microsoft-csp-partners-how-to-reduce-risk-cost-and-complexity\/","title":{"rendered":"Switching Microsoft CSP partners: how to reduce risk, cost\u00a0and complexity\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"

Thinking about moving your organisation to a different Microsoft Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) partner, or perhaps starting a fresh partnership? You\u2019re certainly not alone.<\/h3>\n

If your Microsoft Cloud Solution Provider is slow to respond, reactive by default, or driving cost without clear value, it\u2019s natural to start considering a change.For many organisations, switching CSP partners feels like a risk. In reality, Microsoft\u2019s CSP framework is designed to allow change without disruption when the process is handled correctly.<\/p>\n

In this third instalment of our CSP series, building on 5 things your Microsoft CSP should be doing quarterly<\/em><\/a> and The hidden cost of reactive CSPs<\/em><\/a>, we focus on what actually happens when you decide to switch and how to do it without disrupting your existing services.<\/p>\n

First of all, what is a\u00a0Microsoft CSP Partner?\u00a0<\/h2>\n

A Microsoft CSP partner is a reseller authorised to sell Microsoft cloud services,\u00a0such as Azure,\u00a0Microsoft 365 and Dynamics 365 and provide ongoing management and support.\u00a0The\u00a0CSP partner handles billing, licensing and\u00a0first line support on\u00a0your behalf, with escalation paths into Microsoft with guaranteed SLAs.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Choosing the right partner can make a significant difference to leveraging maximum return on your Microsoft investment by looking beyond a transactional relationship to\u00a0a supported partnership.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Direct<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 the Partner owns the relationship with\u00a0you, has more flexibility on pricing and the internal infrastructure and operational capability to manage the end-to-end customer relationship for provisioning, invoicing and supporting customers. Version 1 is a Direct CSP Partner.\u00a0
\nIndirect<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0essentially Partners\u00a0that resell through a distribution layer and not directly with Microsoft.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Why\u00a0transfer to a\u00a0new CSP Partner?\u00a0<\/h2>\n

Organisations transfer CSP partners for a variety of reasons:<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n