It does not say how many businesses like yours are served
The status is earned on volume and certifications, not on experience with organisations your size or in your industry.
Licensing and partnership
Microsoft 365 partner and reseller in Quebec
Handing your Microsoft licences to someone is not buying software. It is giving a company delegated access to your environment, your accounts and your data. This page explains what a Microsoft partner actually does, what the badge does not prove, what the licences cost at the published price, and the six questions to ask before signing. It is useful to you even if you choose someone else.
A Microsoft partner is a company enrolled in Microsoft's partner program. It can sell your licences, obtain delegated access to your tenant, and open support cases with Microsoft on your behalf. The status is verifiable online. Your global administrator accounts and your data stay yours.
Definition
What a Microsoft partner can do that you cannot do alone
Microsoft's partner program gives three concrete things. Nothing magical, but they change the week of a small business with nobody in house.
Sell and manage your licences. The partner buys the subscriptions for you, adjusts them when someone joins or leaves, and puts the lot on one invoice. You do not track renewals or Microsoft's changes to its lineup.
Get delegated access to your tenant. That is what lets them work in your settings without you sharing a password. The access is revocable, and you can see who holds it.
Open a case with Microsoft on your behalf. When a problem outgrows the provider, it goes up a partner channel rather than consumer support. That is often the difference between two days and two weeks.
OKTO Solutions is a Microsoft Partner, and our applications are signed with an Azure Trusted Signing certificate under the verified publisher identity OKTO Solutions. Both are verifiable online, which is the point.
- Licences bought, adjusted and gathered on one invoice
- Delegated access to your tenant, revocable, never a shared password
- Your global administrator accounts stay in your name
- A Microsoft support channel opened on your behalf
- The status verifiable online, under the company's legal name
Straight talk
What the Microsoft Partner badge does not prove
We write this because nobody does. The status is real and useful, but it answers none of the questions that actually decide service quality.
It guarantees no response time
Response time comes from the service agreement you sign with the provider, not from Microsoft. Get it in writing, with a definition of what counts as an emergency.
It says nothing about who holds your accounts
A partner can be in good standing with Microsoft and still hold your global accounts in your place. Two unrelated things, and the second matters more.
Comparison
Buying licences from Microsoft or through a partner
Both hold up. Here is what actually changes, without the marketing.
Straight from Microsoft
You pay the published price by card and manage everything yourself in the admin centre.
What it gives. No middleman, no possible margin, full control.
What it really costs. Tracking renewals, adjusting licences at every arrival and departure, watching Microsoft's lineup changes, and consumer support on the day of an incident.
Who it suits. A team with someone in house who knows Microsoft 365 and has the time.
Through a partner
The partner buys for you, adjusts, consolidates the invoice and carries your cases to Microsoft.
What it gives. Licences that follow your headcount without you thinking about it, and a support channel that escalates faster.
What it really costs. A dependency on a third party, and a possible margin on the licence if it is not itemised. Which is why you ask.
Who it suits. Most small businesses with nobody full time on IT.
The published prices
What Microsoft asks, in Canadian dollars
These prices are set by Microsoft and published. We show them because a buyer is entitled to know before the meeting. Taken from Microsoft's Canadian site on 8 September 2026, per user per month, annual commitment, taxes extra.
- Microsoft 365 Copilot Business, added to your subscription: 24.43 CAD on promotion until 31 December 2026, down from 28.50 CAD
- Microsoft 365 Business Standard with Copilot Business: 31.90 CAD
- Microsoft 365 Business Premium with Copilot Business: 43.40 CAD
The confusion that costs money. The Copilot add-on often quoted at 30 USD is the enterprise plan. Under 300 users, the Business plan exists and costs less. A provider quoting Copilot above 40 dollars per person without mentioning the Business plan is charging you for a tier you do not need.
And our own rates? Not here, on purpose. The price of a plan depends on your actual fleet, and a published average would match nobody. Here is what makes up the price and how we build a quote. Microsoft licences are public, so we publish them.
Before you sign
Six questions to ask a Microsoft partner
Ask all six, the same way, of every provider you meet. The red flag matters as much as the answer.
Under what exact name are you registered with Microsoft?
The legal name in the partner directory is not always the trading name. You should be able to check it yourself, online, without going through the provider.
Red flag. A logo on a website, with no registration name to give you.
Who holds our global administrator accounts?
Your global accounts must belong to you. The partner gets delegated access that you can revoke, not ownership of your tenant.
Red flag. “We handle that for you, do not worry about it.”
What happens to our licences if we leave?
A subscription bought through a partner transfers to another partner or reverts to Microsoft. The process exists, and it should be written down.
Red flag. Vagueness about the transfer, or fees that appear only on the way out.
Do you recommend the Business plan or the enterprise plan?
Under 300 users, the Business plans exist and cost less. A partner who does not mention them costs you money every month.
Red flag. A quote that starts from the enterprise plan without explaining why.
Do you add a margin on the licences?
It is a fair question and the answer should be simple. Some resell at Microsoft's price and earn on the service, others take a margin on the licence.
Red flag. Reluctance to answer, or an invoice that does not itemise the licence line.
Who reviews permissions before a rollout?
Turning on Copilot or broad sharing without a permissions review exposes files nobody would have thought to look for. That is the partner's job, before go-live.
Red flag. A rollout promised in a few days, with no review step.
Going further. The 12 criteria for comparing providers cover the rest of the relationship, and the 90 day plan explains what to recover if you are leaving someone.
Questions and answers
Frequently asked questions about Microsoft partners and licensing
What exactly is a Microsoft partner?
A company enrolled in Microsoft's partner program. It can sell your licences, obtain delegated access to its clients' tenants, and open support cases with Microsoft on your behalf. The status is verifiable online, under the registered legal name of the company.
Is it more expensive to buy licences through a partner?
Not necessarily. Licence prices are set by Microsoft and published. What changes from one partner to the next is what comes with the licence, and whether a margin is added. Ask for the licence line to be itemised on the invoice.
Who owns our Microsoft 365 subscription?
You do. The tenant, the data and the global administrator accounts are in your name. The partner receives delegated access that you can revoke. If a provider holds the global account in your place, that is the first thing to fix.
Can we change partner without changing licences?
Yes. A subscription transfers from one partner to another, or reverts to buying directly from Microsoft. It takes a few days and is planned at renewal. No data moves.
How much does Microsoft 365 Copilot cost for a small business in Quebec?
An organisation under 300 users pays 24.43 CAD per person per month for Microsoft 365 Copilot Business added to its subscription, on promotion until 31 December 2026, down from 28.50 CAD. Bundles that include Microsoft 365 run from 31.90 CAD with Business Standard to 43.40 CAD with Business Premium. Prices taken from Microsoft's Canadian site on 8 September 2026, annual commitment, taxes extra.
Do we need a local partner?
For the licence itself, no, it is the same everywhere. For everything else, the question is not distance but who answers when you call, in what language, and at what hour. The day someone has to be on site, distance is paid.
Have your Microsoft invoice checked
Send us your current licence statement. We tell you what you are overpaying, which plan would suit you, and whether your current provider has you on the right tier. No commitment, and we say so even when the answer is that everything is fine.