Microsoft's New Commerce Experience

Find out how your organization’s Microsoft 365 licensing will be affected by New Commerce Experience.

Pricing Overhaul: NCE Made Easy

By now, you’ve likely heard that Microsoft is implementing some significant changes to their licensing and subscription options for commercial licenses, referred to as the New Commerce Experience (NCE). These changes will affect all customers purchasing Microsoft 365 and/or Office 365 subscriptions.

Do you have all the information you need to make the best licensing decisions under Microsoft's New Commerce Experience?

All Microsoft 365 Products Are Affected By NCE

If your organization uses any of the Microsoft Products below, you’re currently using a subscription plan and will have to transition to the NCE Pricing Model.

  • Access

  • Azure

  • Delve

  • Dynamics

  • Excel

  • Exchange

  • Forms

  • InfoPath

  • OneDrive

  • OneNote

  • Outlook

  • Planner

  • Power Apps

  • Power Automate

  • Power BI

  • PowerPoint

  • Publisher

  • SharePoint

  • Stream

  • Teams

  • Visio

  • Whiteboard

  • Word

  • Yammer

Microsoft 365 and Office 365 Subscription Price Changes

Separate from NCE—but happening simultaneously—Microsoft is raising the cost of individual licenses for six of its popular subscriptions beginning March 1, 2022.

Demystifying the 2022 Microsoft New Commerce Experience

Choosing the Best NCE Commitment for Your Organization

With NCE, you have three options to pay for your Microsoft licenses.

    1. Month-to-Month (which is what most of our customers do today)
    2. Annual Commit
    3. Multi-Year Commit

Here’s a breakdown of a Month-To-Month Commitment vs Annual Commitment vs Multi-Year Commitment*.

While some organizations may prefer to remain with the Month-To-Month Commitment, an Annual or Multi-Year commitment will save much more money in the long run, while still allowing for licensing flexibility throughout the Commitment’s term.

Month-to-Month

20% increase per month
  • Currently the most common billing model among customers
  • Will now incur a 20% PREMIUM on each license
  • PAY MONTHLY based on the tools and number of licenses you need
  • INCREASE, DECREASE, or REASSIGN licenses at any time
  • Prices subject to future increases at any time during the term

Annual Commitment

Lock
pricing for 1 year
  • PAY MONTHLY or ONE-TIME for set number of licenses (12-month term)
  • INCREASE license counts at any time during the term
  • DECREASE license counts ONCE per year (at time of renewal)
  • REASSIGN existing licenses at any time during the term
  • Prices NOT subject to future increases during the term

Multi-Year Commitment

Lock
pricing for 3 years
  • PAY MONTHLY or ONE-TIME for set number of licenses (36-month term)
  • INCREASE license counts at any time during the term
  • DECREASE license counts ONCE per 3-years (at time of renewal)
  • REASSIGN existing licenses at any time during the term
  • Prices NOT subject to future inreases during the term

*Alternative pricing is available where you can license permanent employees under an Annual Commitment and seasonal/periodic employees under a Month-To-Month Commitment, allowing you to minimize the number of licenses affected by the 20% month-to-month premium.

Timing matters. Don't wait!

There's still time to avoid the scheduled and future price increases!

March 1, 2022 Deadline To Move To New Commerce Experience

While Month-to-Month offers the most flexibility, an Annual or Multi-Year Commitment will be the most cost-effective option. 

If you are considering an Annual or Multi-Year Commitment, it’s best to make this decision prior to March 1, 2022, to avoid the above-listed price increases and lock in your prices—protecting your organization against future price increases. 

  • You will AVOID the March 1st price increases (on the six products detailed above)
  • You will LOCK IN current pricing (without the above-listed increases) for the full term of your agreement
  • You will be PROTECTED if Microsoft decides to announce further future price increases during the term of your agreement (which is likely)
  • You will INCUR the March 1st price increases (on the six products detailed above)
  • You will LOCK IN pricing (including the above-listed increases) for the full term of your agreement
  • You will be PROTECTED if Microsoft decides to announce further future price increases during the term of your agreement (which is likely)

If you still need to flexibility of the Month-to-Month commitment, it’s important to understand the impact.

  • You will INCUR an additional 20% premium cost per month
  • You will INCUR the March 1st price increases (on the six products detailed above)
  • You will LOCK IN pricing (including the above-listed increases), but only for each one-month term
  • You will NOT BE PROTECTED if Microsoft decides to announce further future price increases (which is likely) – i.e., each month, you will be subject to the most recent pricing (including any increases)

Our Licensing Calculator speeds up the process and gives you the answers you need to make the best decision for your organization.

We'll Help You Transition To YOUR New Commerce Experience

March 1 will be here before we know it, so it’s imperative that your organization begin your Microsoft 365 licensing audit now.

Abel Solutions has built a Licensing Calculator to help our customers quickly and definitely identify how the NCE Pricing Model will affect their annual budget.

We’ll help you:

    • Analyze your current Microsoft 365 subscription usage to ensure you have the right tools in place to meet your business needs

    • Calculate your current Microsoft 365 subscription costs and expected future costs within the NCE Pricing Model

    • Compare expected NCE Annual or Multi-Year Commitment costs vs. NCE Month-to-Month Commitment costs

    • Determine which approach makes the most sense for your business 

    • Migrate your Microsoft 365 subscriptions to NCE

Fill out the form below to reach out to one of our Microsoft 365 Licensing Experts today!

Reach Out To A Microsoft NCE Licensing Expert Now

We’ll help you transition to Microsoft NCE while saving your organization as much money and time as possible.