Microsoft stops 24×7 Support Vouchers in February, 2023! Which options are available?

A brief update on 24×7 Support Vouchers is provided below. Much has been said and written about this recently and we thought it would be good to repeat it again. In April of last year (2022), Microsoft announced the end of those 24×7 Support Vouchers per February, 2023. To learn more about the impact on your organization, read this brief update from Patrick van der Meer, one of our experienced Dealmakers.

24×7 Support Vouchers – update 2023

Relevant information is shared with our clients and now available as a blog by Patrick van der Meer, our experienced Dealmaker with more than 15 years of Licensing Optimization experience and supporting more than 150 contract negotiations.

Microsoft will quit offering 24-7 Support Vouchers in February 2023. Patrick van der Meer explains what the vouchers are and what you may still use them for in the coming weeks, among other things. More importantly, what are the alternatives after February?

We would like to make sure there are no unpleasant surprises for you. Read on to get further details.

Microsoft changes regarding Support Vouchers

When you signed a Volume License Agreement, such as an Enterprise Agreement (EA), you receive vouchers as a Microsoft customer.

You could use these vouchers for support incidents. This is particularly intended for on-premises products. This news won’t impact cloud services like Microsoft 365 or Azure, because those Support Vouchers can still be reported through the relevant portals.

Well, the support incidents for on-premises products are the actual focus of this update. Microsoft has already announced last year that it is going to stop with the 24×7 Support Vouchers. As of February 1, 2023, these vouchers are no longer valid and current tickets will no longer be accepted. So that’s a really hard date/moment.

Therefore, if your company still has vouchers, you can still use them in January, 2023. Of course, the question of “and then what” is far more crucial.

Woman laptop blog Support Vouchers - Ms update Blackbelt XP

What will happen from February 2023?

Software Assurance (SA) Vouchers cannot be used for support incidents any longer. We have received many questions from customers about Microsoft & Support in recent weeks, like: is there an alternative?

Options provided by Microsoft

The alternatives available now, such as Unified Support, also known as Premier Support, were also previously confirmed by Microsoft in announcements. Unified Support is an alternative model where you, as a customer, actually pay a percentage of the revenue from your software contract in exchange for support. Well that support consists of proactive and reactive services.

What many customers and organizations do not know is that in addition to Premier and Unified Support, there is also such a thing as Professional Support. Professional Support is really just paying per incident. In America, I believe you can also order strip cards for this. Well those are not available here in our region. But you can pay per incident. Well an incident like that costs a few hundred euros. It depends on the level of service you need for your incident.

Feel free to get in touch and consult Blackbelt XP to strengthen your negotiating position.

Do you wish to learn more about the implications for your organization? Get in touch with Blackbelt XP or Patrick van der Meer directly. Then we can walk you through every support option that Microsoft or its partners provide.

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