Gibson335

Other than the whole discounts ending and discounts still being applied confusion - which I think has possibly been clarified with the notion that we're simply being brought into line with the rest of Europe - what is still unclear to me is whether the base rate upon which those discounts are applied will increase between now and July 2018, and if so, to what degree.

As I understand it right now, the discount we will lose is the UK-specific one, so we'll go to prices similar to those other European education currently stand at - albeit with some potential price hikes. What still confuses me is the implication that costs won't change until 2018, yet a number of resellers are saying there will be 3 considerable price hikes.

Yes - that's how I understand it.

Well, the current agreement ends on 30 June 2018, so yes that first line suggests that existing discounts will still apply until that point. The second part suggests that discounts will still apply, but those discounts won't be as good as they are now. What they leave out is exactly what those discounts will be, and discounted from what.

This segment, will be able to continue to take advantage of UK specific pricing and discounts until July 2018 at which point the Education Cloud Transition Agreement expires, seems to suggest full discounts will remain until then. But this does not tally with what some resellers are saying, which is that there will be annual increases of between 14%-19%. I think I'm more confused now than I was before.

Very useful, and very much appreciated, but full of 'no plans to' which is hardly unequivocal. Also, the main thing I guess we all want confirmation of is what those prices will be post July 2018. The response says there will still be a discount, but it would be nice to hear from the horse's mouth, as it were, as to what those discounts are likely to be, and discounted from what exactly? Thanks to EduGeek for doing this, by the way.

This is precisely what I'm finding...

I guess that depends on whether the 2017 and 2018 percentage increases are an increase to today's prices or the then current price...I was basing it on an increase on today's pricing (again, based on 2 resellers' views) but of course that's not correct if the 2017 increase is based on the new 2016 July price...

Thanks - some resellers genuinely appear to still be confused about whether it is cumulative, however.

The problem at my place is if you give them too much time they end up taking it all and usually more... I made my Broadband recommendation in December, telling them it had to be signed up to by the end of February...as yet it has still to go through either SLT or Governors, and we have 12 term days left this month!!!

Had 3 Capris - each of which would regularly try to take me off the road at bends, until I added a metal plate in the boot to provide some stability. Had 2 Cortinas - did the job. Had 2 Sierras - 1 of which was a nice Cossy, but which was wasted on our roads These days I'm perfectly happy with my 5-year-old Mondeo...though I have to say the most comfortable car to drive, by far, was my Rover 600.

+1 for this.

Yes, figures seem to be the ones being touted by some resellers. The issue is, the inclusion of July 2018 in that reads, to me at least, as if they will apply that increase this year, increase again, and then again, leaving the July 2018 price for a new agreement at between 42% and 57% more expensive that the current costs. But do they actually mean that, I wonder. I'm being told not.

I have Plans A, B and C running alongside each other all the time...

Like you, I'm not sure we'd look at changing everything for the sake of a 25% increase - to us that's about 2 grand a year. Provided everything currently available under EES remains available, that is. Just scratching my head as to why the MoU uses the language it does if, in fact, its costs won't drive people into the cloud after all.

Yes...as I wrote earlier, I wonder if the DfE released that document too soon for Microsoft's liking.

Hmm...I was trying to get at what that might mean for pricing post June 30 2018, but I guess that's still uncertain. Hopefully MS themselves will offer some light at the end of the tunnel.

Yet again I'm getting a different story from others - the post with percentage increases suggests it will go up each of the next 3 years, at 14-19% each time...is that confirmed by anyone, or am I reading that wrong and it's just a single 14-19% increase please?

Unfortunately, our existing agreement expires at the end of July 2018 - 1 month too late to take advantage of a new 3 year agreement. By the way - the pricing structure you quote...is that speculation or confirmed, please? So, am I reading that right and it could be as much as 57% more expensive from July 2018?

If you put together the announcement about huge savings for schools, the MoU details and references to local servers and on premises licensing, their stated move towards developing for the cloud, the end of current discounts, then the assumption has to be that pricing will only be favourable if a cloud agreement is part of the deal. I'm just not seeing any other way to read that document.

I do wonder whether it's the DfE who have jumped the gun here. It may be that MS were unaware that this information was going to be released so soon, and before they'd had a chance to provide details to their resellers.

I think all this speculation is why MS have to step up quickly and tell us what is going on.

+ 1 for this: I've had 5 different answers now! None so far expect EES to disappear entirely...but none so far know any details about what's replacing it or at what cost, either. Plus there was one rather bemused reseller who gave me the answers to 2 questions I hadn't asked, and no answers to the 4 questions I did ask?!?!

If you renew prior to 1 July 2018 you are indeed allowed a 3 year agreement - the document states that.

For me it would be: 1. Will EES (or a similar subscription) continue? 2. If so, and it's not as heavily discounted, by what percentage is it likely to increase? 3. Will any items be unavailable under a new subscription which are currently available in EES? 4. Will any further subscriptions be tied in with agreeing to a cloud-based solution? Sorry, adding a 5th: If current 3 year agreement expires in July 2018 or later, will MS allow that agreement to lapse early to allow us to sign up for a new 3 year deal? (Unlikely I know, but may as well ask if there's room).