Microsoft Announces Massive Changes to the EA - Effective November 1, 2025

If you are a Microsoft EA customer, now is the time to evaluate the future of how you manage your Microsoft Technology investments.

As Microsoft continues to evolve its volume licensing strategy, more and more customers will feel the impact. Effective November 1, 2025 Microsoft has announced they will be taking steps to standardize the pricing approach for online services through volume licensing programs.

What Does This Announcement Mean?

Effective November 1, 2025 Microsoft is retiring the waterfall discounts (price levels A-D) for all Online Services licenses transacted through Enterprise Agreement (EA) and Microsoft Product & Services Agreement (MPSA) programs.

This means all customers will have a consistent and flat starting price point, aligned to the Web Direct (MSRP) price, under all programs regardless of volume.

When Will You Be Impacted?

EA and MPSA customers will see this impact affect their organizations upon their first renewal after the November 2025 effective date for existing Online Services licenses. Additionally, any new Online Services, not previously price locked, will be impacted immediately.

How Should You Prepare?

This shift in pricing strategy is one of the most impactful changes to the Microsoft Licensing landscape in years. It is imperative every customer transacting through the EA and MPSA programs review their investments to understand the timing and financial impact of this change.

How Can Alchemy Help?

Our team is ready to assist you with our Microsoft Licensing Mastermind session. During this session with an expert Alchemist, we’ll cover:

1. Volume Licensing Fundamentals: Explore the concepts of Microsoft Volume Licensing to curate and develop your investment strategy with ease.
2. Program Details: Master the nuances of the current and future procurement options to position your organization to achieve maximum return on investment.
3. Priority Solution Details: Deep dive into the specific licensing models and strategies available for Microsoft Solutions that will have the greatest impact on your technology strategy and roadmap.
4. Microsoft Priorities: Gain intimate insight into the things that are important to your Microsoft team and understand how to leverage those priority solutions to drive value for your organization.
5. Common Challenges: Hear from other organizations to understand common challenges and shared best practices for navigating Microsoft Licensing.
6. What You Should Expect: Gain visibility into the support best practices and determine how your organizations support needs align to support best practices and success stories.
7. Putting It Into Practice: Engage in a collaborative assessment of your Microsoft Licensing posture to determine technology needs, deployment roadmaps, and a comprehensive licensing strategy aligned to your business outcomes and industry best practices.

Learn more about the Microsoft Licensing Mastermind