Activating the Azure Reservations

The Azure Reservations are managed by the same service manager we have implemented for the rest Microsoft cloud services. So, you must run the Updating the Microsoft Cloud Services Catalogue process for activating the Azure Reservations in your BSS. This process will create the Reserved Instance product type, a single product that will be used for the ordering process and any other configurations setting necessary for the management of the Azure Reservations.

Updating Azure Reservations Prices

For updating the prices of the Reserved Instances offerings you should run the "Reserved Instances Prices Importer" tool. This tool:

1. Updates all Reserved Instances cost prices from the official Microsoft partner center Excel file.
2. Updates the list of the available Reserved Instances offerings. Our platform will allow your resellers and customers to purchase Reserved Instance offerings that are included in the uploaded excel file.

Billing an Azure Reservation

Azure Reserved Instances are charged once or monthly on purchase date. The pricing information we are collecting from Microsoft from the prices importer process is the cost price (i.e what Microsoft charges you as a CSP). For billing your resellers and your customers, you will need to define the margin you want for your RIs by adding in your price lists the "Microsoft Azure Reserved Instances" product. The system will automatically apply the margin you defined in the customer’s price list every time he purchases a RI.

Ordering an Azure Reservation from Storefront

For a customer or reseller to purchase an Azure Reservation he will need first to have at least one active Azure subscription. The purchase process is initiated from the available action in the Azure subscription details page.

Ordering an Azure Reservation from BSS

For a BSS user to place an order for an Azure Reservation, the customer must have at least one active Azure subscription. The purchase process is initiated from the available action on the Azure subscription details page.

Invoicing an Azure Reservation

With the completion of the order execution, our system will generate an invoice for charging either in advance for one or three years or in monthly payments for twelve or thirty six months (depending which Azure reservation you selected). The reseller / direct customer will know exactly what he pays for his Azure Reservations as there will be separate invoices for his Azure Reservations and his pay-as-you-go Azure subscriptions. In the following two tabs you can find the analysis of both Billing Frequency types (One-Time & Monthly).

Azure Reservations Assets

The Azure Reservation are represented in our system as assets. The assets are part of our Billing module and when your resellers or your customers place an order for an Azure reservation, a new asset record is created in our platform for managing and invoicing purposes. 

In this page, we explain what information we keep in the asset record for each Azure Reservation, what actions you can do for your Azure Reservations and how you or your customers can manage them.

Azure Reservations Reports

A report for your Azure Reservations can be constructed either including in your report the asset records that are created for each Azure Reservation or the invoice items that were used for billing them.