Update on purchasing Office 365 via the Microsoft Online Portal

On 28 March 2014, we announced a delay to availability of Office 365 via the Microsoft Online Portal. Open Licensing through distribution and Electronic Software Delivery was launched on 02 April 2014 and Office 365 continues to be available from Telstra via T-Suite.

I’m pleased to announce that from the 29th August 2014, we will be launching Office 365 via the Microsoft Online Portal. This portal is available at https://office.microsoft.com . Customers will have an option to purchase on a subscription basis, using either monthly or annual billing. Microsoft resellers will be able to sell via this option by attaching a ‘Partner of Record’ to a customer account.  These partners are called “Advisors” and they earn Partner of Record fees.

With the introduction of these new channels, we are offering our customers and partner’s choice. Each of the channels to market have distinct advantages and disadvantages.  It is important that our partners understand the nuances of the various programs on offer and take advantage of the channel that best suits them.  You can stay up to date by joining the Cloud Champion community.

We also know that you are likely to have a number of questions related to this announcement; to help we have prepared a comprehensive Q&A document for your review.  You can also reach out to the local Australian Office team at officeau@microsoft.com  - make sure you come to the Australian Partner Conference to find out what this means for your business.

I would also like to thank you for your patience as we delivered the best experiences through all of our channels.

Regards,

Steven Miller

Microsoft Office Division