ABOUT THIS EPISODE
Buying Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, or Azure direct feels like the simpler choice, until you need support or get locked out of your own tenant.
In this Playbook, Max Clark breaks down what a Cloud Solution Provider (a CSP) actually does between you and the platform: faster support and escalation, help recovering a locked tenant, engineering and migration support, and access to vendor funding you can't reach on your own, usually at little or no added cost.
If you're deciding whether to buy direct or through a CSP, or renewing that decision without ever having checked it, this one's for you.
The Playbook
- 00:51 What a CSP actually is
- 01:29 Why Microsoft and Google aren't built for support
- 01:55 Where a CSP sits between you and the platform
- 02:24 The vendor funding most buyers never access
- 03:19 The admin account problem most companies ignore
- 04:17 What happens when you get locked out
- 05:14 How a CSP changes your recovery and escalation path
- 06:11 Engineering, migration, and configuration support
- 06:38 Not all CSPs are the same
- 07:03 Tier zero vs. tier one support, explained
- 08:26 End-user support vs. administrative support in practice
- 09:25 Why a CSP rarely costs you anything extra
- 10:17 The bottom line: direct vs. CSP
About Signed
Signed is the podcast for buyers in a market built for sellers. Playbooks are the solo format, 10 to 15 minutes, one trigger, one specific play. New episodes weekly at itbroker.com/podcast. If the trigger in today's Playbook is one you're facing right now, book an intro call at itbroker.com. We help buyers make the right call the first time. Buy tech without regret. Follow: @itbrokerdotcom
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