Consolidation among Microsoft partners is nothing new, but it rarely feels routine when it is your partner. If your Business Central partner has recently been acquired, you will probably have had a reassuring email by now. The sensible next step is to look past the reassurance and work out what, if anything, changes for you.
This article is not an argument that acquisitions are bad. Many deliver real benefits: more consultants, broader skills and a partner with the resources to invest. But they also change the shape of the business you signed up with, and the best time to understand that is before your next renewal, not after it.
How to read an acquisition announcement
Announcements are written to reassure, and most are sincere. They are also carefully worded, so it pays to read them closely. Three things are worth looking for.
Check whether commitments apply to everyone. When a group buys more than one business at once, the announcement may promise unchanged contracts and support for one and not repeat that promise for the other. A general aim of continuity is encouraging, but it is not the same as a specific commitment about your contract.
Look at who is leading the integration. Appointing an integration lead, often a senior figure from one of the acquired businesses, is sensible. It also tells you that teams, systems and processes will be brought together over the coming months.
Notice where the growth story points. If the enlarged group is positioned around a broad range of services and markets, ask where your partner's specialism fits. Will it stay at the centre, or become one segment among several?
What typically changes after a partner acquisition
Every deal is different, and none of the following is a prediction about this one. These are the areas that most often shift when a Microsoft partner is absorbed into a larger group, and so the areas worth checking.
- People. The consultants who know your chart of accounts, your reporting quirks and your month-end process are your biggest asset. Integration often brings restructuring, new reporting lines and, sometimes, departures.
- Support. Separate helpdesks tend to be merged into one. That can mean a new ticketing portal, new triage rules and response times measured against a different service level.
- Commercials. Contracts usually carry over, but renewals are where terms get aligned with the acquirer's standard pricing and service tiers.
- Methodology. Larger groups standardise how they scope, deliver and charge for projects. That brings consistency, and it can also reduce flexibility for smaller customers.
- Priorities. A group built for breadth will want to introduce you to its other services. Some of that will be genuinely useful. Some of it will be a sales conversation you did not ask for.
Seven questions to ask your account manager
If your partner has changed hands, these questions will tell you a lot. Ask for the answers in writing.
- Do my current contract terms, pricing and service levels remain unchanged until my renewal date, and what happens at renewal?
- Will my named consultants and account manager stay on my account for the next 12 months?
- Will support move to a different helpdesk, portal or set of response times, and when?
- Will the specialist team I work with remain a dedicated practice for my sector?
- Who is accountable for my Business Central roadmap, including upgrades, extensions and ISV apps?
- What is the integration timeline, and how will I be told about changes before they happen?
- If I decide to move partner, how will my data, documentation and customisations be handed over?
Clear, confident answers are a good sign. Vague ones are worth noting.
Your options
For many customers the right answer will be to stay put, watch how the integration goes and review at renewal. That is a perfectly reasonable position, especially if the answers above are satisfactory.
For others, an acquisition is a natural moment to reassess. Moving Business Central partner is far simpler than most people expect. Your licences, data and system stay where they are; what changes is who supports and develops it. A well-run transfer involves a technical review of your environment, documentation of customisations and extensions, a planned handover of open tickets, and a clear support start date.
How Advantage can help
Advantage is a Microsoft Solutions Partner supporting UK SMEs on Dynamics 365 Business Central. Through EdgeAdvisory we work closely with accountancy, advisory and professional services firms, so we understand the reporting and month-end demands those firms face.
If your partner has recently changed hands, we offer a free, no-obligation Business Central partnership health check. In around an hour we will review your environment, your support arrangements and your roadmap, and give you an independent view of where you stand. If you stay with your current partner, you will do so with a clearer picture. If you decide to move, you will know exactly what it involves.
Book your Business Central health check
