How to buy and manage your Microsoft Customer Agreement

March 22, 2024

If you are looking for a faster and simpler way to purchase cloud services from Microsoft, you should consider the Microsoft Customer Agreement (MCA). This is a streamlined and flexible agreement that lets you buy directly from a Microsoft sales team, buy through a partner, or buy online through Microsoft’s websites and portal experiences like the Azure portal or Microsoft 365 admin center, without the need for complex contract negotiations or upfront commitments.

To determine which purchasing option best suits your business’s needs, you will first want to evaluate how your technical infrastructure will be set up. For example, if you want a fully managed environment or tailored solutions from experts with technical, billing, and licensing support then an expert partner from Microsoft’s partner network could be a great solution. Alternatively, if you’d prefer managing your own IT services in-house you could work with your Microsoft sales team or purchase directly online to have control over the products and services that your business procures – with the added ability of purchasing support either directly with Microsoft or through a partner for added pre- and post-sales support. Understanding these options can help you make the best choice for your business.

To better understand which purchasing option works best for your business needs, review this resource that provides further details and the necessary steps to proceed with your purchase journey.

If you decide to purchase through a Microsoft sales representative, we have created a step-by-step guide, Onboarding to the Microsoft Customer Agreement Playbook, that includes best practices for new and migrating customers to successfully set up their MCA.

To help you get started with the MCA, we have created a series of short how-to videos that walk you through some of the most common tasks and scenarios that you might face along the way. Whether you want to find a copy of your agreement, organize your billing account, create an Azure subscription, or reduce your costs - we have a video to guide you. You can view the videos at your own pace as you learn how to manage your MCA using the Microsoft Azure portal and the Microsoft 365 administration center.

Here are the nine video topics and what you can expect to learn from them:

1. Faster, simpler purchasing with the Microsoft Customer Agreement
2. How to find a copy of your MCA within the Azure portal
3. How to organize your MCA billing account within the Azure portal
4. How to manage access to your MCA within the Azure Portal
5. How to create an Azure Subscription under your MCA
6. How to optimize your workloads and reduce costs under your MCA
7. How to find and read your MCA invoices within the Azure Portal
8. How to manage your subscriptions and organize your account within the Microsoft 365 admin center
9. How to find a copy of your MCA within the Microsoft 365 admin center

You can access all of these MCA video tutorials on the landing page here.

We hope that these resources will help you get the most out of your Microsoft Customer Agreement and empower you to continue your learning journey with ease and confidence.