Microsoft Renews Big Easy, Cloud Easy Rebate Programs

The latest Big Easy and Cloud Easy offers provide "some of the biggest payouts in the history of this promotion," said Eric Martorano, senior director of Microsoft's U.S. SMB Channel Group, speaking at UBM Tech Channel's XChange Solution Provider conference in Orlando.

"We believe that our channel communities are our most strategic assets," Martorano said Sunday. "We spend, on average, probably close to $6 billion a year on the channel alone on a worldwide basis."

[Related: Microsoft Authorizes Office 2013 Transfer To New PCs" ]

Microsoft has periodically offered the Big Easy and Cloud Easy rebates in the past, and Martorano said they are popular among Microsoft's channel partners for boosting sales. The latest offer began March 1 and lasts through May 31.

Under the Big Easy program, customers can receive rebates of 10 percent for purchases of Microsoft Office, Exchange, Windows Client and Windows Server. The rebates rise to 15 percent for purchases of Microsoft SharePoint, SQL Server, Dynamics CRM, the company's developer tools and Project and Visio. And rebates can reach 20 percent for purchases of Microsoft's Systems Center, Windows Server Data Center and Lync

Customers can earn another 5 percent rebate for subscribing to Microsoft's Software Assurance Accelerator.

Under the Cloud Easy program customers can win rebates of 15 percent of the annualized subscription value of Microsoft cloud services including Office 365, Office 365 Open, Office 365 Small Business Premium, Dynamics CRM Online and Windows Intune.

PUBLISHED MARCH 11, 2013