Zation Blog
Strategic insights, independent perspectives and practical guidance for smarter Microsoft decisions.
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17 posts
Microsoft Currency Mechanism: 2027 Forecast
Microsoft realigns local currency cloud prices with the dollar once a year on 1 January. Our 2027 forecast: CHF +3.1%, EUR +3.2%, NOK −7.0%.
Michael Altenberger 5 Nov 2026 
Software Assurance: what you actually pay for
Software Assurance turns a perpetual Microsoft license into a yearly bill. For Windows Server it pays only if you need per-VM licensing, Azure, DR rights or the next version.
Daniel Georgi 5 Nov 2026 
Microsoft token economics: what AI really costs
Microsoft token economics: Copilot Credits, tokens and compute units bill per action. Without usage per user and agent, nobody can allocate it.
Michael Altenberger 20 Oct 2026 
Microsoft licensing 2027: where costs rise
Copilot Credits, Power Apps prices and the end of reservation exchanges shift Microsoft costs in 2027. One default allows USD 40 per Copilot user a month.
Daniel Georgi 8 Oct 2026 
Amortized costs in CSP: rebuild the view
Amortized cost is missing in CSP: your tenant reports CHF 0 for every covered reservation hour. Eight fields from the cost details rebuild it.
Nicolas Boeglin 8 Sept 2026 
Windows Server: license the VM, not the host
Microsoft lets you license Windows Server per virtual machine instead of per host. In an estate of 1'094 VMs, that cut the three-year bill by 83%.
Stefan Wagemann 7 Sept 2026 Amortized vs actual costs: two views
Azure reports the same reservation two ways. Actual cost matches the invoice, amortized cost explains consumption; only one makes chargeback defensible.
Nicolas Boeglin 24 Aug 2026 
Azure reservation exchanges end 1 Feb 2027
From 1 February 2027, reservation exchanges end for every Azure service covered by savings plans. Six months remain to correct a commitment portfolio.
Christoffer Andenmatten 2 Aug 2026 
Microsoft FY27: CIO and procurement guide
Microsoft FY27 rewards partners for growth and raises reseller switching costs. What CIOs and procurement must ask before renewals and expansions.
Daniel Georgi 17 Jul 2026 
Why renewing Microsoft early is not a strategy
Microsoft is raising prices in 2026, and an early renewal won't protect you. Find out what really matters now.
Yves Maillard 6 Jul 2026 
Switzerland's public sector wake-up call
Microsoft retires the Level D discount for Swiss public bodies on 1 November 2026. Combined with the 2026 price increase, EA costs can rise by up to 25%.
Yves Maillard 27 May 2026 
Microsoft 365 E7 insights
Microsoft 365 E7 bundles features like Copilot to simplify access, while governance and usage get more complex for enterprise IT.
Michael Altenberger 25 Mar 2026 
Microsoft raises M365 prices by up to +43%
Microsoft raises M365 prices by 5 to 43% from 1 July 2026. Check contract dates, analyze licenses, consider bundle moves, early renewal and partners.
Yves Maillard 25 Mar 2026 
The end of the grace period
Microsoft ends the CSP grace period on 4 May 2026: non‑renewed subscriptions default to the costly Extended Service Term (up to +23%).
Christoffer Andenmatten 18 Mar 2026 
EA vs MCA-E vs CSP
2026 changes everything in Microsoft licensing: EA discounts are gone, MCA adds rigidity. Without optimization, renewals now mean 30 to 45% higher costs.
Daniel Georgi 17 Feb 2026 
New features & higher prices
More functionality in the bundles and up to 33% price increases from July 2026. See how to realign your licensing strategy for the new price level.
Stefan Wagemann 17 Feb 2026 
Unlock SQL 2025 savings
Released in November 2025, SQL Server 2025 reshapes Standard vs. Enterprise economics: Power BI Report Server without SA, and the Web edition retired.
Alex Kohler 17 Feb 2026