INDE TECH TAKEAWAYS: Microsoft EA Licensing

Wednesday, 11 February 2026
8:00 AM - 9:30 AM
Inde CHC Office: 175 Roydvale Avenue, Burnside, Christchurch 8053
Tech Takeaways are our monthly morning classroom session created for enterprise IT leaders who want insight with impact. Each session dives into a real industry challenge, gets into the technical detail that actually matters, and shows how specific vendor capabilities can help move the needle. Expect sharp conversations, practical takeaways, and great food and coffee.
BREAKFAST SESSION | CHRISTCHURCH

SESSION ONE: MICROSOFT EA LICENSING

Microsoft Enterprise Agreements (EA) are changing, and many organisations are feeling uncertainty about what this means for their next renewal. Discount structures for online services are being removed, pricing is becoming more standardised, and eligibility for EA is tightening in practice.

This breakfast session is designed to provide clarity. It is a chance to step away from the noise, understand what is actually changing, and discuss the options in a practical way.

ABOUT THE SESSION

We will walk through the changes we are seeing across EA licensing, explain how alternative agreement models are being positioned, and discuss where EA still makes sense. The focus is on helping you understand your position before your next renewal, not on pushing a single outcome. We will equip you to engage confidently with the channel, knowing what to have ready, what to ask and how to navigate conversations with clarity.  

You will leave with a clearer view of how EA, CSP, and MCAE differ today, which workloads tend to suit each model, and what questions you should be asking internally and externally ahead of renewal.  

Breakfast is fully catered, and the session is deliberately informal. There is plenty of time for discussion and questions. 

WHAT WE'LL COVER

  • We will talk through how Microsoft’s approach to EA licensing has changed, including the removal of volume discount tiers and the impact this can have at renewal. 
  • We will compare Enterprise Agreements, Cloud Solution Provider, and Microsoft Customer Agreement for Enterprise from both a commercial and operational perspective, using real customer scenarios. 
  • We will discuss Azure considerations, including why cost outcomes differ depending on reservations, dev and test environments, and Marketplace usage, and why moving too quickly can introduce unnecessary risk. We will provide insights into what you should expect from the channel around your Microsoft licensing, and what you need to have ready when engaging with them to ensure a clear and grounded licensing conversation.  
  • We will also share where mixed licensing models often provide the best balance, keeping some workloads on EA while moving others to more flexible arrangements. 

WHO SHOULD ATTEND

This session is relevant for IT leaders, procurement, and finance stakeholders who are involved in Microsoft licensing decisions and budget planning.

It is particularly useful if your organisation is approaching an EA renewal in the next 6–12 months, has recently seen pricing changes, or wants an independent view on whether its current agreement still fits.

Seats for this session are limited. Please register your interest using the form on this page. Once registered, you’ll receive a confirmation email with further event details. If the session has reached capacity, we’ll let you know via email and place you on the waitlist.

MEET THE SPEAKERS

THIS EVENT IS SUPPORTED BY

REGISTER YOUR INTEREST HERE