This is a special type of subscription intended for big players. In general, when your monthly bill is more than only a few hundred dollars, a PAYG subscription does not offer anything more than simplicity. When this is the case, you can get an Azure subscription by signing an Enterprise Agreement. The way this particular option works is that you have to make an upfront monetary commitment. The specific use case of an EA is the possibility to create multiple subscriptions on your own—something PAYG does not offer. The benefits of this offering are really rich—you will be able to find more details in the Further reading section of this chapter.
The process of getting an EA is much more complicated than the other ones—you need to contact Microsoft directly to come to an understanding of aspects of the agreement such as monetary commitment, your company's requirements, and enrollments. The basic process is as follows:
- Prepare your company's requirements regarding infrastructure and services needed.
- Simulate the monetary commitment and how you can leverage the assigned resources.
- Contact Microsoft to negotiate terms and sign the agreement.
Next, let's get a deeper understanding of the subscription models.