Microsoft solutions partner Modern Work

CSP Partner Continuity Program

Your Clients. Your Relationships. Uninterrupted.

Recent changes to the Microsoft Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) program requirements are changing the landscape for some smaller partners. If your firm is being moved to Indirect Reseller status, we can help reduce any possible disruption to services your business is built around.

The Lai and Associates CSP Collaboration Program gives Microsoft partners a structured, compliant path to keep serving clients — while Lai and Associates handles the Direct Bill transacting infrastructure behind the scenes.

Based in Pickering, Ontario, Lai and Associates supports Canadian Microsoft partners that need a structured way to preserve client continuity as CSP program requirements change.

This program is offered by Lai and Associates and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Microsoft.
Ready To Get Started?

✓ Direct Bill transacting infrastructure
✓ 30-day structured onboarding
✓ Collaboration model, in place of distributor handoff

The CSP Market Has Changed

Microsoft raised the minimum revenue threshold for Direct Bill CSP status effective December 2025. For partners below the new bar, it affects how licensing is transacted, how billing works, how renewals are managed, and whether existing clients continue to be served without disruption.

Many Microsoft partners are now facing the same question: how do you adapt your operating model without disruption to the business you already built?

Standard distributor arrangements can create distance between you and your customers. Delayed action creates billing friction, ordering problems, and unnecessary disruption.

We offer a clear path forward.

Contact Customer Success

What You Don’t Have to Lose

Losing Direct Bill status doesn’t mean losing your clients, your role, or your value in the relationship.

With the right structure in place, you can still:

  • Retain full ownership of your client relationships — no middleman in front of your customers
  • Continue delivering day-to-day service and support — you and your team stay the trusted front end
  • Protect the continuity of the customer experience — no disruption to how clients work with you
  • Maintain control over how your business is positioned and priced — your terms, your packaging

That’s the core idea behind the Lai and Associates Partner Continuity Program (CSP)

How the Collaboration Model Works

Stay client-facing. We handle the transacting layer.

This program is structured for Microsoft partners who want a compliant transition without a distributor-style arrangement that pushes them out of the client relationship.

It’s Collaborative. It’s a structured approach designed to keep your business intact while adapting to Microsoft’s evolving model.

Your role stays the same where it matters most:

  • You own the client relationship
  • You deliver services and day-to-day support (L1)
  • You set your own pricing and service packaging
  • You grow your business on your terms

Lai & Associates provides the operational backbone:

  • Microsoft licensing transacted through our Direct Bill CSP infrastructure
  • Billing operations and renewal management
  • Order lifecycle coordination
  • Tier 2+ escalation coordination
  • Compliance and security onboarding aligned to Partner Center requirements
  • Operational tools: quoting workflows, renewal playbooks, escalation SOPs

Two Billing Options

Choose the model that fits how you want to operate.

Option A:

Partner-Billed (Recommended for continuity)

Lai and Associates invoices you. You invoice your customer at your rates.

This model is the best fit for partners who want to preserve existing billing relationships, maintain pricing control, and keep the client experience as consistent as possible.

Option B:

Lai and Associates -Billed (Referral model)

Lai and Associates invoices the customer directly. You receive a competitive margin-based referral share.

This model is a better fit for partners looking to reduce administrative load and simplify the back-office side of the relationship.

Program incentives are tied to licensing volume and billing model. Details are part of the program addendum.

What the Onboarding Looks Like

30 days from application to go-live.

The program is structured as a proven onboarding process, with a continuous service delivery, not a handoff.

Week 1: Intake and readiness review
Confirm fit, identify key contacts, and review your current operating model.

Weeks 1–2: Authorization and compliance review
Validate Partner Center readiness, security requirements, and ordering continuity.

Weeks 2–3: Commercial setup
Choose your billing model, finalize program terms, and align on workflows.

Weeks 3–4: Tools enablement and go-live
Provision accounts, complete the first live order, and reconcile the initial billing cycle.

The goal: A transition that feels structured, supportable, and predictable.

Who This Program Is For

This program is designed for:

  • Microsoft CSP partners transitioning from Direct Bill to Indirect Reseller status
  • Partners who want to maintain client ownership and operational continuity
  • Organizations looking for a compliant, structured alternative to a generic distributor arrangement

Minimum requirements:

  • Operating within / below the CSP transactional revenue cutoff
  • MFA enabled for all administrative users
  • Designated security contact in Partner Center
  • Current Partner Center agreements

If you’ve been growing your CSP practice and need a clean transition path that maintains what you’ve built, this program is built for you.

Why Lai and Associates

Lai and Associates has the Direct Bill transacting infrastructure, operating maturity, and support model needed to help partners make this transition cleanly. But infrastructure is only the starting point.

What makes this program different is the structure of the relationship.

→ Built around partner continuity. Participating partners preserve client ownership and don’t become referral sources or get distanced from the customer relationship.

→ Built around compliance. The onboarding process is aligned to Microsoft’s current expectations around authorization, security, and operational readiness — not a workaround.

→ Built around operational reality. Real workflows, real support paths, and clear accountability. Not just billing pass-through access.

→ Built to move quickly. Structured to get qualified partners from intake to go-live in approximately 30 days.

→ Aligned with Microsoft’s FY26 direction. This program supports — not circumvents — Microsoft’s goals: stronger authorization integrity, better security posture, POR compliance, and annual partner validation.

For broader Microsoft 365 and IT consulting support for Ontario organizations, visit our Microsoft 365 Consulting and IT Support for Ontario Organizations page.

Frequently Asked Questions

No. You retain full ownership of every client relationship. Lai and Associates does not contact your clients directly unless you request it.

No. The program is structured as a peer collaboration designed to preserve your client-facing role. That’s the core difference between this and a standard distributor arrangement.

Yes. You continue handling day-to-day front-line support. Lai and Associates supports the transacting, billing, and escalation infrastructure behind the scenes.

This program doesn’t prevent that. If your firm re-qualifies for Direct Bill status in the future, you can transition back.

Yes. The program operates within the Indirect Reseller model and is designed around Microsoft’s current CSP direction and FY26 goals.

The target is approximately 30 days from application to first live order.

There is no program fee. Commercial terms are based on the billing model you choose. Details are in the program addendum.

Ready to explore your path forward?

A readiness review is the first step. We’ll confirm fit, identify the cleanest operating path, and clarify what the transition would look like for your firm — no obligation until you sign the program addendum.

Apply for a Readiness Review