The Microsoft New Commerce Experience (NCE) is on the way • Blisstech Solutions

Microsoft is introducing what it calls a New Commerce Experience (NCE) in 2022, with changes to licensing terms and pricing for Microsoft 365.

This will mean fairly big, and potentially expensive, changes for business customers who have Microsoft 365 licences.

The changes are complex and can be confusing, so let’s break it down:

What is changing with Microsoft New Commerce Experience (NCE)?

A drawing of a contract

Currently, customers using Microsoft 365 can purchase licenses directly from Microsoft or through a Microsoft partner, a company like Blisstech. Businesses can buy a flexible subscription, which means they can cancel at any time, or commit to a 12 contract.

If you buy direct from Microsoft, the flexible monthly price is around 20% more expensive than if you commit to a 12-month contract.

However, Microsoft partners are able to offer the flexible option at the same price as the 12-month contract option, which is exactly what Blisstech does. It’s a bit like getting a mobile phone directly from the network or finding a better deal by going through a third-party phone shop.

Microsoft wanted to level the playing field so that partners have to offer the same pricing structure as Microsoft.

Under the NCE, new licences will be offered at a fixed price, wherever you get them from, and the more popular flexible options will be 20 per cent more expensive.

In addition to this, there will be variable price rises for the following licenses.

	Current ERP until 1st March	RRP from 1st March (12-month contract)	RRP from 1st March (Monthly contract)
Microsoft 365 Business Basic	£3.80	£4.50	£5.40
Microsoft 365 Business Premium	£15.10	£16.60	£19.92
Office 365 E1	£6.00	£7.50	£9.00
Office 365 E3	£17.60	£20.20	£24.24
Office 365 E5	£30.80	£33.40	£40.08
Microsoft 365 E3	£28.10	£31.70	£38.04

EDIT: These are confirmed monthly price increases as confirmed by Microsoft in Feb 2022. Please note that these are costs for the licenses only and do not include any management wraparound.

Who will it affect?

This is only affecting business customers who buy Microsoft 365 licences. This is everyone from sole traders up to companies with thousands of employees.

It won’t affect home users.

Why is it changing?

Microsoft’s 365 pricing has not changed for years despite a huge amount of features being introduced. In that respect the price rise is probably overdue.

In addition to this, Microsoft wants to align the pricing structure and terms between itself and partners. The costs will be the same whether you buy direct from Microsoft or from a partner.

When is it changing?

A photo of an hourglass with red sand

The new structure is being introduced on 1st March when all new subscriptions and renewals will be subject to the license price increases.

From the 10th of March, any new subscriptions must be purchased via NCE and are then subject to the 20% increase for flexible monthly licensing.

Existing subscriptions will remain on the old terms until 1st July or until the renewal date (whichever is later) when they must be moved over to the NCE.

Existing licences expiring between 10th March and 30th June can be renewed on the old terms (legacy) and put off the change for a further 12 months.

There is the opportunity to save money as if you chose to move over to NCE early, between 8th Feb and 1st March 2022, you can get a 5% discount on licenses for 12 months.

To summarise this:

8th Feb – 1st March – Opportunity to move to NCE early and take advantage of a 5% discount.

1st March 2022 – Prices increase.

10th March 2022 – New subscriptions will be subject to NCE pricing and terms from this date

1st July 2022 – All existing subscriptions will be migrated to NCE when the subscription renews.

What should you do next?

People sitting at a computer in discussion

We appreciate this is very confusing; it has been hard for us to understand it so we feel your pain!

Simply put, with NCE there are some decisions for businesses to make and deadlines they need to make them by.

Some companies will be looking for a mix of flexible and fixed-term licences, for example, those with a workforce made up of some short-term or seasonal workers and others on long-term contracts. This is absolutely possible, but to meet your businesses requirements it is important to plan and understand how many fixed-term and how many flexible (but more expensive) licenses you need.

For some companies, these changes may mean a big increase in what they’re paying for Microsoft 365 licences, so it’s important to plan ahead and identify any potential savings.

At Blisstech Solutions, we can help you investigate all the options and plan for the best possible option for your business. We will also be contacting our existing customers to inform them of the renewal dates and the options available to them.

Whether it’s flexible, fixed-term or a mixture of the two, we’ll help you make sure you aren’t spending more than you need to.

Get in touch now to find out more.

← Tech Tip: How to managed Focused and Junk email in Outlook Tech Tip: How to use Search Outlook Folders to organise your Inbox →

5 steps to help recover from a cyber attack

Read this BEFORE you get hit with a cyber attack The worst time to decide how to deal with a cyber-attack is when you’re in the middle of one. Unfortunately, you’ll probably need to deal with it eventually—small and medium-sized businesses are prime targets for...

Tech Tip: How to use Microsoft Teams as a phone system

Welcome to a new Tuesday tech tip video. In it, I will demo the Microsoft Teams Phone system. Microsoft Teams has become a cornerstone for collaboration, offering seamless chat and meeting experiences for millions of users worldwide. But did you know that Teams can...

It’s time to say goodbye to traditional passwords

Say goodbye to traditional passwords, say hello to Passkeys

Passwords could soon be a thing of the past, thanks to Passkeys. If you hate passwords, our latest tech update will make your day…

Microsoft: Criminals can access your accounts without your password

Just when you think you’ve got cyber security sorted for your business, a new scam comes along. This time, cyber criminals don’t even need to trick you out of your password to access your accounts… they can fool you with something called a “device code”.

How to create secure passwords

Weak passwords are one of the biggest security risks to your business.
Why?
Because cyber criminals are getting smarter than ever before. If they manage to crack just one password, they could gain access to your sensitive business data, financial information, or even gain control of your entire system.
Cyber criminals use automated tools to guess passwords, allowing them to try out millions of combinations in seconds. So, if you’re using something like “Password123” or “CompanyName2025”, you’re practically handing them the keys to your business.
A compromised password can lead to big issues, such as:
• Data breaches
• Financial losses
• Identity theft
• Reputation damage
But how do you create strong passwords without driving yourself (and your team) mad?
Think of your password like a secret recipe, where only you should know the ingredients. It should:
• Be at least 14 characters long (the longer, the better)
• Include a mix of uppercase and lowercase letters
• Contain a few numbers and symbols (like @, $, %, or &)
• Not contain any common words or easily guessable information (like birthdays, names, or the word “password”)
Instead of using a single word, you could try a passphrase – a short, random sentence that only you would understand. For example, instead of “Sailing2025”, try something like “Coffee&CloudsAreGreat9!”. This is much harder to crack, yet still easy to remember.
You should also steer clear of these common mistakes:
• Using personal info (your name, birthday, business name, etc.)
• Reusing the same passwords across multiple accounts
• Using simple sequences (“123456” or “abcdef”)
• Storing passwords in an easily accessible place (like a sticky note on your desk)
If remembering unique passwords for every account sounds impossible, there is another option: Password managers. These generate strong passwords, store them securely and autofill them for you.
With a password manager, you only need to remember one strong master password for the manager app itself. The rest are encrypted and stored safely, reducing the risk of data breaches.
Even the strongest password isn’t foolproof, which is why multi-factor authentication (MFA) is also important. MFA requires a second form of verification, like a one-time code sent to your phone or generated from an authentication app.
If you have employees accessing your business systems, it’s a good idea to have a password policy in place to explain your rules and why they’re important. This should include:
• Unique passwords for each system and account
• Regular security training on password best practices
• Business-wide use of MFA for critical systems
• Scanning for compromised passwords regularly
By making password security a priority, you can reduce the chances of a cyber attack creating a nightmare for your business.
And if you need help making your business more secure, get in touch.

Why now is a great time to start your own business

"I can accept failure, but I can't accept not trying." - Michael Jordan We are living in unprecedented times. People are being prevented from leaving their homes and the average worker has been sent to work from home, put on reduced hours, or worse. It is...

Charging in public places? Watch out for “juice jacking”

Airports, hotels, cafés, even shopping centres, offer public charging points where you can boost your phone or laptop battery on the go. They’ve been in the news after the FBI recently tweeted advice to stop using them. Crooks have figured out how to hijack USB ports to install malware and monitoring software onto devices as they charge. The security risk …
Read More

Tech Tip: Quickly add lines numbers and bullets in Word

Happy Tuesday everyone! Today's Tech Tip is a tip on how to use some of the formatting shortcuts in Word to add lines, bullets and numbers to organise your documents. If you use Word to write your documents, and 90% of people do, you will love this tip as it will show...

Copilot could soon auto-open in Microsoft Edge

Is Edge your business’s browser of choice? Microsoft’s thinking of automatically opening Copilot when you use it. It could boost productivity, but there are privacy concerns to be aware of…

How to plan a big IT project

We all dream of making changes to our business that will make us more efficient and profitable, but significant changes to the technology you use to run your business should never be rushed.