Overview:
This article explains how to purchase the Azure NCE Reserved Instances & Savings Plan SKU in Xvantage and then purchase the applicable Azure Reserved Instance (RI) in the Azure portal.
A Reserved Instance is a reservation of compute resources that can provide a significant discount compared to On-Demand pricing. Microsoft delivers a discounted hourly rate in exchange for a committed usage level for a 1- or 3-year term. Reserved Instances are beneficial because they enable partners to obtain more cost predictability, help improve budgeting and forecasting, and decrease Customers' total cost of ownership. For more information about RIs, check out this link: Azure Reserved VM Instances (RIs).
Pre-Requisites
The Customer must have an active Azure NCE subscription in Ingram Micro's Xvantage Platform.
The Customer must have signed their Microsoft Cloud Agreement (MCA).
Process:
Note: To buy one or more Reserved Instances in the Azure Portal, you only need to purchase ONE RI SKU within the Xvantage Platform for each End Customer domain.
Log in to Xvantage.
Use the search bar at the top to find Azure NCE Reserved Instances & Savings Plan.
Click Select Options in the Azure NCE Reserved Instances & Savings Plan tile.
Click Add to Cart.
Click the Cart icon in the top right corner of the page.
Click Add your Customer.
Click the +End Customer button to add a new end customer.
Complete the required fields and click Save.
Select the recommended details, click Agree to confirm the information, and then click the Select button.
Click Checkout.
Add the Microsoft Domain affiliated with the end customer and the Azure NCE Subscription, then click Save & Continue.
Review the information in the Customer Options. Once both check marks are green, select Save & Continue.
Enter the PO Number, review that all details are correct, and then place the order. The RI SKU is a zero-dollar SKU billed based on the selected term and type when provisioned in the Customer's Azure Portal.
Subtopic 1: How to Purchase Applicable Reserved Instances
Once this order is complete, go to the Azure Portal (https://portal.azure.com/) and purchase the applicable Reserved Instance(s).
Sign in to the Azure Portal. Ensure you have the necessary permissions (Owner or Reservation Purchaser role) on your Azure subscription.
Go to All Services, then type in the search bar or select the icon for Reservations.
Select Add to start a new reservation purchase.
Select the Resource Type (e.g., Virtual Machines, SQL Databases, etc.).
Specify the scope of the RI (single subscription, single resource group, or shared scope).
Select the Billing Subscription (if multiple).
Note: this cannot be changed after purchase.
Choose the region and quantity of instances you need.
Review the reservation details and pricing.
Confirm the purchase to complete the transaction.
Additional Information
Cancelling the RI SKU within the Xvantage Platform does NOT cancel the actual Reserved Instance(s) within the Azure Portal. If you cancel the RI SKU within the Xvantage Platform and still have active RI's in the Azure Portal, Ingram Micro will invoice for the active RI's in the Azure Portal.
Only the Direct Provider (Ingram Micro) can cancel or exchange Reserved Instances. Indirect Resellers and Customers can't cancel or exchange RI's through the Azure Portal. This is a Microsoft limitation. To exchange or cancel an RI, reach out to Ingram Micro Support.
The RI billing period will be by calendar month. You can access the RI Customer invoices within the Cloud Reports during the second week of each month.
To buy RIs through the Azure Portal, you'll only need 1 RI SKU per Customer tenant active within the Xvantage platform.
The "admin" user ID will automatically be granted access to buy and manage RIs within the Azure Portal. This user ID was created upon your Customer's first Microsoft order with Ingram Micro. This user can extend access to other user IDs. Using the Azure portal, you can add or remove Azure role assignment.
Please also refer to these Microsoft Documents:
For any questions or concerns, contact our infrastructure Support Team at microsoft-azure@ingrammicro.com.