Microsoft Direct CSP Partner

Microsoft Licensing, Simplified — Your Direct CSP Partner

Expert guidance on Microsoft 365, Azure, Dynamics 365, SQL Server, and NCE licensing. As a Direct Bill CSP partner since 2014, Seepath buys directly from Microsoft — giving you better pricing, faster support, and a single point of accountability.

CSP vs EA Guide Explore Licensing Get a Quote
Since 2014
Direct CSP Partner
$1M+
Annual Cloud Licensing Sales
$250K+
Per SQL Deal
Microsoft Direct CSP Partner - Expert guidance on Microsoft 365, Azure, Dynamics 365, and SQL Server licensing
Quick Answer

What is a Microsoft Direct Bill CSP?

Seepath has been a Microsoft Direct Bill CSP (Cloud Solution Provider) since 2014, meeting Microsoft’s highest requirements across licensing, billing, solution delivery, and support capability maturity. This allows us to serve as a single, accountable partner for licensing, Azure optimization, security, and ongoing managed services.

Compare CSP vs. EA vs. Web Direct →
$22
M365 Business Premium
per user / month
$36
Microsoft 365 E3
per user / month
$57
Microsoft 365 E7
per user / month
$30
Microsoft 365 Copilot
add-on per user / month

Which Microsoft Licensing Path Is Right for You?

From the simplicity of Web Direct to a fully managed CSP partnership — discover the most efficient licensing path for your business.

Pay-As-You-Go / MOSP

Microsoft's direct web storefront — quick to start but no partner benefits and list-price only.

  • No commitment required
  • Full list price — no discounts
  • No partner-managed support
  • No Azure credits or rebates
  • No AHUB / hybrid savings
  • No Microsoft-funded assessments
Best for: personal dev/test only
Enterprise Agreement (EA)

3-year volume commitment for 500+ seat enterprises. Significant discount but low flexibility.

  • Volume pricing discounts
  • Centralised billing & reporting
  • 3-year lock-in — hard to adjust seats
  • 500+ seat minimum
  • No Azure credits for SMBs
  • Limited partner support included
Best for: large enterprises (500+ users)
Recommended
CSP with Seepath

Month-to-month flexibility, Microsoft list pricing, plus every Seepath partner benefit stacked on top.

  • No lock-in — add/remove seats monthly
  • Azure credits via AMMP & MAAP programs
  • Free Microsoft-funded assessments
  • AHUB savings on Windows & SQL Server
  • Full managed support included
  • Single monthly invoice — all Microsoft
Best for: SMBs (10–500 users)
Join Our CSP Program

Seepath CSP Exclusive Benefits

Things you only get through a Direct Bill CSP partner — not from Microsoft direct or PAYG.

Azure credits
Free Azure & AI assessments
FastTrack deployment support
Azure Hybrid Benefit (AHUB)
24/7 managed support
Single consolidated invoice
Authorize Seepath as Your CSP Partner Full CSP vs EA Guide Get My CSP Quote

Microsoft Licensing — Reference Pricing

Common Microsoft plans and their per-user costs. Contact us for your personalized CSP quote.

Microsoft 365 E3
$36
per user / month
Annual commitment (NCE)
  • Office apps + web
  • Exchange, Teams, SharePoint
  • Intune + Entra ID P1
  • Windows 11 Enterprise
  • Advanced compliance tools
Get E3 Quote
Most Complete
Microsoft 365 E5
$57
per user / month
Annual commitment (NCE)
  • Everything in E3
  • Defender for Endpoint P2
  • Entra ID P2 + Intune P2
  • Power BI Pro included
  • Purview + eDiscovery
Get E5 Quote
Microsoft 365 Copilot
$30
per user / month
Annual commitment (NCE)
Requires M365 E3 or E5
  • Copilot in Word, Excel, PPT
  • Copilot in Teams & Outlook
  • Meeting summaries & actions
  • Microsoft 365 Chat
  • Copilot Studio access
About Copilot
Copilot for Business
$21
per user / month
Annual commitment (NCE)
Requires M365 Business Premium
  • Copilot in Office apps
  • Copilot in Teams & Outlook
  • Business Chat (BizChat)
  • Up to 300 users
  • SMB-optimised plan
Get Copilot Quote
Product Edition Reference Price Notes
Windows Server
Software Subscription		 Standard ~$14 / core / month Covers 2 cores. Annual NCE. Includes upgrade rights & Azure Hybrid Benefit eligibility.
Windows Server
Software Subscription		 Datacenter ~$55 / core / month Covers 2 cores. Unlimited VMs on licensed host. Azure Hybrid Benefit eligible.
SQL Server
Software Subscription		 Standard ~$167 / 2-core pack / month Annual NCE. Software Assurance benefits included. Azure Hybrid Benefit reduces Azure SQL cost by up to 55%.
SQL Server
Software Subscription		 Enterprise ~$587 / 2-core pack / month Always On, advanced analytics, in-memory OLTP. Azure Hybrid Benefit eligible — ask us about AHUB savings.
Azure Hybrid Benefit (AHUB)

Active SQL Server or Windows Server software subscriptions make you eligible to reuse those licenses on Azure VMs — saving up to 55% on SQL and 40% on Windows compute costs. Seepath reviews your entitlements as part of every managed services engagement.

Check AHUB Savings

Sample prices based on East US region, pay-as-you-go. Reserved instances and AHUB discounts can reduce costs significantly — ask us for a tailored estimate.

Compute — Virtual Machines
VM / Configuration Size Pay-as-you-go With AHUB Notes
Windows Server VM D2s v5 · 2 vCPU / 8 GB ~$174 /mo ~$96 /mo Save ~45% with Azure Hybrid Benefit
Windows Server VM D4s v5 · 4 vCPU / 16 GB ~$349 /mo ~$192 /mo Good for mid-tier application servers
SQL Server VM D4s v5 · SQL Standard ~$1,500 /mo ~$620 /mo AHUB + reserved instance = significant savings
SQL Server VM D8s v5 · SQL Enterprise ~$4,200 /mo ~$1,800 /mo Always On AG, in-memory OLTP. Ask about AHUB.
Platform Services
Service Tier / Configuration Approx. Monthly Notes
App Service Plan Standard S1 · 1 vCore / 1.75 GB ~$69 /mo Auto-scale, custom domains, SSL. Good dev/test entry point.
App Service Plan Premium P2v3 · 2 vCore / 8 GB ~$248 /mo VNet integration, zone redundancy. Recommended for production.
Azure SQL Database General Purpose · 2 vCores ~$185 /mo Serverless option available for variable workloads — pay per use.
Azure SQL Database Business Critical · 4 vCores ~$1,120 /mo Built-in HA, read replicas, in-memory. AHUB eligible.
Application Gateway Standard v2 from ~$182 /mo Auto-scaling, zone redundancy. Price varies by capacity units.
Application Gateway WAF v2 from ~$320 /mo Web Application Firewall included. Recommended for internet-facing apps.
Microsoft Defender for Cloud
Sample — 10 mixed resources
Plan Resources Monthly
Defender for Servers P2 5 servers $75
Defender for SQL 2 SQL instances $30
Defender for Storage 2 accounts $20
Defender for App Service 1 plan $15
Total (10 resources) ~$140/mo

Seepath reviews Defender coverage gaps as part of every Azure managed services engagement. Enhanced Security is included in M365 E5.

Windows 365 Cloud PC
Per user / month · Annual NCE
2 vCPU / 8 GB / 128 GB
Frontline & light users
~$41/user/mo
4 vCPU / 16 GB / 256 GB
Standard knowledge workers
~$83/user/mo
8 vCPU / 32 GB / 512 GB Power Users
Developers, analysts, heavy workloads
~$158/user/mo

Requires M365 E3/E5 or Business Premium. Seepath manages Cloud PC provisioning, Intune policy, and Entra ID join as part of our managed services.

Reference pricing only. Microsoft 365 and server subscription prices are approximate list prices in USD for annual NCE commitments. Azure infrastructure prices are East US region pay-as-you-go rates — reserved instances and Azure Hybrid Benefit can reduce costs by 40–70%. All prices are subject to change and exclude applicable taxes. Contact us for a personalised quote →

Why Choose Seepath for Microsoft Licensing?

More than just a reseller—your strategic licensing partner

Direct CSP Partner

A direct relationship with Microsoft means transparent pricing, faster support, and a single point of accountability.

Cost Optimization

Continuous monitoring and right-sizing ensures you never overpay for unused licenses.

Compliance Expertise

Stay audit-ready with proper licensing documentation and compliance management.

Dedicated Support

24/7 licensing support and guidance from Microsoft-certified professionals.

Microsoft Licensing Programs

Flexible licensing options for businesses of all sizes

Cloud Solution Provider (CSP)

Most Popular

Monthly or annual subscriptions for cloud services with flexible scaling and no long-term commitments.

Ideal For:
  • Growing businesses
  • Seasonal staffing fluctuations
  • Predictable monthly costs
  • Latest features and updates
Available Products:
Microsoft 365
Azure
Dynamics 365
Power Platform
Get CSP Pricing

Open Value Licensing

Enterprise

Perpetual licenses for on-premises server software, available through CSP — with Software Assurance benefits and Azure Hybrid Benefit eligibility.

Ideal For:
  • Organizations running on-premises workloads
  • Hybrid cloud strategies (on-prem + Azure)
  • Leveraging Azure Hybrid Benefit for cost savings
  • Long-term stable server environments
Available Products:
SQL Server
Windows Server
Visual Studio
Office LTSC
Get Perpetual License Pricing
Specialty Expertise

SQL Server Licensing Specialists

Multiple $250K+ SQL Server licensing deals for hedge funds, investment banks, and financial institutions.

Our SQL Server Expertise:
  • Core vs. Server+CAL: Expert guidance on the most cost-effective licensing model
  • Always On Availability: Licensing for high-availability configurations
  • Virtualization: Optimize licensing for VMware, Hyper-V, and Azure
  • Audit Defense: Ensure compliance and audit readiness
  • Migration Planning: Azure SQL or SQL Managed Instance cost comparisons
Pro Tip: SQL Server licensing can be complex. We've saved clients 30-40% by right-sizing their licensing model.

SQL Server Editions

Enterprise
High-End

Unlimited virtualization, Always On, advanced analytics

Standard
Most Popular

Core features, 2-VM limit, basic Always On

Web Edition
Web Hosting

Low-cost option for web applications

Developer / Express
Free

Development and small-scale production

Get SQL Server Quote

Ongoing License Management

Proactive management to optimize costs and ensure compliance

Usage Monitoring

Monthly reports showing license utilization, unused licenses, and optimization opportunities.

Renewal Management

Proactive renewal reminders, pricing reviews, and recommendations before expiration.

Audit Support

Maintain audit-ready documentation and expert support during Microsoft audits.

License Optimization

Quarterly reviews to right-size licensing and identify cost-saving opportunities.

Consolidated Billing

Single invoice for all Microsoft products with detailed usage breakdowns.

Training & Support

Help your team understand licensing terms and make informed decisions.

Client Success Stories

Real results from our licensing expertise

Leading Wall Street Hedge Fund

$250K+ Deal

Investment advisory firm and broker-dealer focusing on discretionary growth investing for individual and institutional clients.

Solution Delivered:

  • 2x 24-Core SQL Server Enterprise licenses under Open Value
  • Deployed for SQL VMs in AWS environment
  • SQL Always On Availability Groups for high availability and DR
  • Automated deployment using Seepath's Azure Marketplace solution
  • Secured Microsoft rebates and deployment funds
Deal Value: Over $250,000
Impact: Mission-critical database infrastructure with 99.99% uptime

Fortune 100 FinTech Provider

$350K+ Annual Azure

Commercial loan management application provider serving Fortune 100 investment banks, managed under Microsoft CSP Direct for comprehensive licensing and cloud optimization.

Solution Delivered:

  • Microsoft CSP Direct partnership for unified billing and management
  • SQL Server & Windows Server licensing with Azure Hybrid Benefit
  • Full on-premises to Azure migration strategy
  • Azure Hybrid Use Benefit (AHUB) implementation saving 40%+
  • Microsoft Copilot for ongoing cloud spend optimization
  • Enhanced security posture with Zero Trust architecture
Annual Azure Consumption: Over $350,000
CSP Direct Benefits: Unified billing, proactive optimization, 24/7 support
Impact: 40% cost savings through AHUB + ongoing optimization with Copilot
Discuss Your Licensing Needs

Industry-Specific Licensing Expertise

Deep experience in regulated industries

Financial Services

Specialized licensing for hedge funds, asset managers, and trading firms with strict compliance requirements.

  • High-performance SQL Server configurations
  • Azure compliance (FINRA, SEC)
  • Trading platform licensing
  • Data residency requirements

Healthcare

HIPAA-compliant licensing solutions for healthcare providers, payers, and health tech companies.

  • Microsoft Cloud for Healthcare
  • HIPAA Business Associate Agreements
  • Azure Health Data Services
  • EMR/EHR system integration

Ready to Optimize Your Microsoft Licensing?

Get a free licensing assessment and cost comparison. We'll review your current setup and identify savings opportunities.

Schedule Assessment Call (646) 259-3565

Average Client Savings:

20-35%

on annual licensing costs through optimization

Licensing FAQs

Direct Bill CSPs purchase Microsoft licenses directly from Microsoft and bill customers themselves — no distributor in between. This means faster support escalations, better pricing, and a single point of accountability. Indirect CSPs go through a distributor (like Ingram Micro or TD Synnex), which can add delays and markup. Seepath is a Direct Bill CSP, which means you're always working with someone who has a direct line to Microsoft.

Most organizations save 20-35% annually through optimization. Common savings areas include removing unused licenses, right-sizing plans (E3 vs E5), choosing the correct SQL Server edition, and leveraging Azure Hybrid Benefit. We provide a free audit to identify your specific savings opportunities.

Yes! We provide audit defense support including documentation preparation, license reconciliation, and expert representation during Microsoft audits. We also offer proactive compliance reviews to ensure you're audit-ready before Microsoft comes knocking.

Our License Management service includes: monthly usage reports, renewal management, optimization recommendations, audit support, consolidated billing, compliance monitoring, and 24/7 support. Think of us as your outsourced licensing team—we handle everything so you can focus on your business.

Yes. We handle the entire transfer process for CSP subscriptions at no cost. For perpetual licenses and Enterprise Agreements, we can take over management at renewal time. The process is smooth with zero downtime — your users won't notice any disruption.
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