Online Suite Prices Drop for EAs

Prices for the Business Productivity Online Suite (BPOS) have been cut as much as 50% for customers with Enterprise Agreements (EAs) that include a suite of Client Access Licenses (CALs). BPOS is a suite of Microsoft-hosted applications that include online versions of Exchange, SharePoint, and Communications Server, as well as the Live Meeting Web conferencing service. The change restores EA customers’ superior discount levels, but could put pressure on BPOS resellers.

Customers with EAs that include a CAL suite, typically midmarket and larger customers, have been at a relative disadvantage when purchasing BPOS since Nov. 2009, when Microsoft cut the price of the service for other customers from US$15 a month to US$10 a month. The company offered a 30% promotional discount for EA customers, but promotions do not last forever, and the regular EA price of US$11.69 per user per month (for the initial EA discount level) remained higher than the US$10 that much smaller customers paid for BPOS.