Microsoft Licensing

Yes. You keep ownership of your tenant data under Microsoft's terms, and partner-of-record transfer to another CSP or to direct purchasing is supported. Cancellation rules follow the NCE term you selected.

CSP licensing is designed for your organisation's own use. If you plan to host services for third parties, talk to us first so we can review licensing eligibility.

Yes. Through FirstNet's Microsoft Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) agreement you receive a single consolidated monthly invoice in rand (ZAR) for every Microsoft licence in scope, including Microsoft 365, Azure, Dynamics 365 and security add-ons. FirstNet handles the conversion from US dollars, so your finance team sees one rand-denominated invoice and one renewal cadence instead of several Microsoft contracts, often billed in US dollars.

NCE (New Commerce Experience) is Microsoft's platform for buying through a CSP, offering monthly, annual and three-year terms. Monthly terms suit pilots, contractors and seasonal staff, can only be cancelled within the first seven days, and cost more per seat. Annual terms are the usual choice for steady production use. Three-year terms fix the unit price for stable estates. You can mix terms, for example annual for staff and monthly for contractors.

A right-sizing review checks the Microsoft licences you pay for against what your users actually need and use, so you avoid paying for unused or oversized licences or running short. FirstNet runs one at onboarding and every 90 days after that, and plans renewals 90 days ahead so terms are reviewed against real usage. Licences are assigned to persona-based groups rather than user by user, which keeps the licence mix accurate and makes audits simpler.

No. The unit price for Azure is the same whether you buy directly or through a CSP. What changes your Azure bill is how well consumption is managed: tagging, budgets, right-sizing, and applying Reservations or Savings Plans once your usage pattern is steady, usually 60 to 90 days in. Through FirstNet you get a monthly consumption summary and a quarterly optimisation review. Savings depend on your workloads, so no fixed percentage can be promised.

No, not on its own. Microsoft licences such as Entra ID, Defender and Purview give you strong identity, security and data-governance controls, but compliance depends on how your tenant is configured and operated. Under POPIA, and any sector-specific rules, your organisation remains the responsible party. FirstNet can help design and deploy these controls. For data residency, Microsoft publishes per-service commitments in the Microsoft Trust Center, and residency is documented during your tenant readiness review.

Yes, and starting with a pilot is the recommended approach. A Copilot pilot usually involves a defined group of about 50 to 100 users over six to eight weeks, with measurable adoption and value indicators. It starts by confirming that users have a qualifying licence, and by cleaning up Purview labels and SharePoint permissions so Copilot only surfaces what people are allowed to see. You then decide whether to scale based on the results.

FirstNet is a Microsoft Cloud Solution Provider and Microsoft Solutions Partner and can license Microsoft 365 (Business and Enterprise plans), Azure, Dynamics 365, Power Platform, Defender, Purview and Entra security add-ons, Copilot for Microsoft 365, Windows 365, and Windows and Office volume licensing, including Office LTSC and server CALs. They are all covered by one CSP agreement. Design, migration and managed services can be added where needed. Enterprise Agreements are not transacted, but FirstNet can advise on moving from one at renewal.