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geekceo's avatar
geekceo
Copper Contributor
May 08, 2025

CSP relationship scenarios

In the Partner Center documentation at https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/partner-center/enroll/csp-supported-partner-relationships, I find sample scenario 4b and sample scenario 5, which contradicts each other.

Sample scenario 4b appears to say that we can buy four ourselves if our production environment is separate from the one used for CSP business, while scenario 5 appears to say that we cannot. Which one is it?

CSP
Indirect
Indirect reseller
Partner question

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  • Nick_Beacroft's avatar
    Nick_Beacroft
    Steel Contributor
    May 14, 2025

    Microsoft recommendation is that a partner's CSP business is set up using a separate tenant than their primary/corporate tenant.  This being that you can then be a CSP customer for your corporate tenant and buy licenses from another Direct/Indirect partner.

    The Microsoft Partner Agreement still applies in that you cannot (or rather should not) for compliance and T&C purposes sell licenses to your corporate tenant from your CSP partner business tenant.

    • RobertHemsley's avatar
      RobertHemsley
      Copper Contributor
      May 12, 2025

      Hi geekceo​,

      Looking at option 4b,

      • Option B: A CSP partner can set up another Microsoft Entra tenant that is a separate customer environment, and then establish a CSP relationship with an indirect reseller or direct bill partner.

      It is not clear if this means establishing a CSP relationship with yourself or with another indirect reseller or direct bill partner, however as the scenario outlines " Can the partner buy such offers from another CSP program partner?" I would assume it is referring to another partner.

      • MartijnElfers's avatar
        MartijnElfers
        Bronze Contributor
        May 13, 2025

        You are correct RobertHemsley​. This means you should setup a CSP relationship with another reseller/direct partner. 

        Technically you can also establish the CSP relationship with your own CSP enrollment and transact CSP licenses to your own separate customer environment/tenant. But as point 5 states, you are not allowed: "By contract, partners in the CSP program aren't allowed to sell Microsoft or third-party offers to themselves (as end-customers) or to their affiliate organizations (as end-customers)." 

        So point 4B and 5 are not contradicting. They're just stating the difference between what you're 'able to' do and 'allowed to' do. 

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