News in the Channel - issue #34

ARROW – RENEWALS

Turning admin into advantage

Microsoft licence renewals often don’t get the attention they deserve. They can be seen as routine admin rather than a strategic opportunity. Oliver Harvey-Jones, public cloud director for Arrow's enterprise computing solutions business in the UK and Ireland, argues that proactive renewal management has become one of the most effective ways for channel partners to protect revenue and identify new opportunities.

The real cost of reactive licence renewals

a single dashboard with automated alerts. Channel partners gain a clear view of upcoming renewals across their entire end-customer base, with the lead time needed to prepare and engage effectively. ArrowSphere’s usage analytics add depth to those conversations, highlighting actual consumption versus purchased licences and pinpointing optimisation opportunities. Combined with Arrow’s presales workshops, marketing materials, and Microsoft expertise, channel partners are equipped to turn renewals into strategic, insight-driven discussions. Making renewals strategic The difference between treating renewals as admin and treating them as strategy comes down to preparation, timing, and the right tools. Channel partners that make this shift find renewals become valuable customer touchpoints; strengthening relationships and uncovering growth opportunities rather than simply maintaining the status quo. Renewal management becomes part of a broader business strategy supporting recurring revenue, identifying cross- sell potential, and maximising margin opportunities. For channel businesses focused on sustainable growth, this is a competitive necessity. n

When renewal conversations happen at the last minute, or worse, get missed entirely, the consequences extend beyond lost revenue. End-customer trust takes a hit, particularly when service interruptions occur. More subtly, channel partners lose the chance to demonstrate value at a moment when end-customers are naturally reassessing their technology investments. The flip side is far more powerful. Early, well-prepared renewal conversations create space to review actual usage against what they paid for. Channel partners can right-size subscriptions and identify where end-customers could benefit from complementary Microsoft solutions – from Azure services and security capabilities to emerging AI tools. Solving the visibility problem For most channel partners, the challenge isn’t intent – it’s visibility. Tracking renewals manually across multiple end-customers and licence types has become increasingly difficult. Delayed notifications from different sources often leads to reactive renewals rather than proactive planning. ArrowSphere Cloud tackles this by consolidating renewal information into