CDW’s CSP Program Adds Value to Upcoming Microsoft 365 Enhancements

With Microsoft 365 pricing changes and feature enhancements on the horizon, CDW’s Cloud Solutions Provider program can help customers maximize their investment through 24/7/365 support and tools such as Inscape, CDW’s cloud management platform.

On July 1, Microsoft will raise prices for most Microsoft 365 suites, including Microsoft 365 E3 and E5, Office 365 E1 and E3, and Business. Price increases of 5% to 35% will affect commercial, business, government and nonprofit customers.

The increases will align with customers’ renewal dates: Renewals before July will continue at the current price, while those on or after July 1 will be subject to the increase. Enterprise Agreement customers may not see those increases for a year or longer, depending on their renewal schedules. The change complements Microsoft’s elimination of tiered pricing for EAs in 2025, which also was a move toward a simpler, standard price list.

The good news is that customers will see notable feature enhancements bundled into their solutions, particularly in security, artificial intelligence and IT management capabilities. Let’s look at some improvements that we believe will deliver the most value.

To start, customers will see Microsoft’s AI tools integrated into all suites, making AI standard. Business, Office and Enterprise suites will feature expanded Copilot Chat, including advances in security, management and analytics.

Microsoft 365 Business users will see an additional 50 gigabytes of mailbox space, nearly double the previous capacity.

For Office 365 E3 and Microsoft 365 E3 users, one major update is the inclusion of Microsoft’s email security solution, Defender for Office 365 Plan 1, which offers stronger protection against phishing and malicious links. As most organizations manage dozens of security tools, this change is an opportunity to streamline defenses while leveraging tools designed to work together.

Microsoft 365 E3 and E5 users will get new Intune features, including Remote Help, Intune Plan 2 and advanced analytics. Intune Plan 2’s robust configuration capabilities and expanded analytics help IT teams manage and secure devices. Remote Help lets IT staffers troubleshoot devices remotely, a feature now sold separately.

Microsoft 365 E5 users will also receive a usage credit to try Security Copilot. This AI solution uses automation and natural language processing to help IT teams manage issues quickly. For example, staffers can use it to troubleshoot IT issues, set workflows to reduce vulnerabilities or get step-by-step guidance to remediate threats.

Organizations facing a price increase want to maximize that investment, and that’s where CDW’s CSP program can help. By purchasing Microsoft solutions through CDW, customers receive dedicated support, complimentary cloud management tools and access to value-added services.

All Microsoft 365 customers in CDW’s CSP program get 24/7/365 U.S.-based troubleshooting support. Organizations with 30 or more users also have access to Inscape, CDW’s cloud management platform. Inscape provides organizations with greater visibility into licensing costs and usage so they can manage these resources more efficiently.

Inscape also has built-in end-user training on Microsoft 365, including Copilot, that admins can push out to employees. With expanded access to Copilot Chat, this training can help employees across the organization become comfortable with AI and use it effectively in daily workflows.

CSP customers with an Azure tenant can use Inscape to track spending and monitor for anomalies that could lead to surprise costs. Azure CSP customers get a dedicated technical account manager with CDW’s Essential tier, plus the standard 24/7/365 support. They can also use Copilot Chat on a pay-per-use model, increasing flexibility and potentially lowering costs.

Microsoft 365’s upcoming enhancements offer users stronger security, deeper insights and efficient IT administration. CDW’s CSP program amplifies this value by providing dedicated support, Inscape’s cloud management tools and other benefits.