When Microsoft makes a change to its commercial programs, it rarely reverses course. NCE. GDAP. Monthly billing enforcement. Auto-renewal defaults. License-based services. Usage-driven pricing.
For Microsoft partners, these changes aren’t isolated updates, they fundamentally reshape how CSP businesses must operate. Billing, provisioning, renewals, support entitlements, and customer experience are now tightly coupled to Microsoft’s evolving platform rules.
For Infinity Group, this reality triggered a critical decision: should they build a custom CSP billing platform or buy a purpose-built CSP billing and automation solution aligned to Microsoft’s roadmap?
They chose to buy. Specifically, they chose Work 365. This is the story of why.
On paper, building sounds attractive, especially for partners with strong Dynamics 365 skills.
Infinity Group had that capability. They run a leading Business Central and Dynamics 365 practice. They build complex platforms for customers every day. Technically, they could build a CSP billing system. But the real question wasn’t 'Can we build it?'
It was:
That’s where the build narrative broke down. The Temptation to Build and Why It Was a Trap. Infinity Group explored the build path seriously. As Tristan Shortland, CIO at Infinity Group, put it:
Infinity Group assessed the option of building a custom CSP billing platform internally. While the team had the technical capability, leadership determined that the long‑term costs of maintaining, securing, and continuously updating a bespoke solution especially as Microsoft’s CSP programs evolve would outweigh the benefits.
The hidden cost of building wasn’t development time; it was permanent operational drag:
In a world where Microsoft’s commercial model evolves every year, a custom-built billing platform becomes technical debt almost immediately.
Infinity Group didn’t just want a billing tool. They wanted a platform decision. Work 365 aligned with their strategy on three critical dimensions:
Work 365 is Dataverse-native, built on Dynamics 365 and the Power Platform.
That meant:
For a partner pursuing Frontier Partner status, this platform alignment was non-negotiable.
Infinity needed more than license billing.
They needed:
Work 365 delivered this without custom code or fragile integrations.
As the Infinity team described it:
“We weren’t just buying software, we were buying a strategy.”
Microsoft’s CSP model isn’t stabilizing, it’s accelerating. From NCE to GDAP to auto-renewals and pricing APIs, the rules continue to evolve. Work 365 is built specifically to absorb that change, so Infinity Group doesn’t have to rebuild every time Microsoft adjusts the goalposts.
That futureproofing was the deciding factor.
The Results: From Reactive Operations to Scalable Growth
Operational Transformation
Business Impact
Strategic Impact
This wasn’t just an efficiency gain; it was a strategic unlock.
Infinity Group’s decision reflects a broader truth for Microsoft partners:
Building CSP billing systems is no longer a competitive advantage. Platform alignment is. Frontier Partners are defined by:
Work 365 Isn’t Complex. It’s Purpose-Built. Some may describe Work 365 as complex. Infinity Group sees it differently.
They configured Work 365 to automate:
That’s not complexity. That’s operational leverage. Work 365 isn’t a quick-fix tool. It’s a platform designed for partners who plan to scale their CSP Business beyond just billing.
Watch the on-demand podcast by Infinity Group's CEO Rob Young, Work 365's CEO Ismail Nalwala and 10x MVP Rick McCutcheon discussing the future of Microsoft Partners and the era of Frontier Partner here.
What’s already here and what’s coming:
Partners who build custom systems will chase these changes forever. Partners who adopt Work 365 are already ready.
Infinity Group didn’t choose Work 365 because they couldn’t build. They chose Work 365 because building would have slowed them down. In the Frontier Partner era, the smartest partners don’t build billing platforms.
They build business outcomes, on top of platforms designed to evolve with Microsoft.
Ready to leave behind manual billing and disconnected tools?
Book a demo and see how Work 365 helps Microsoft partners scale without rebuilding their business every time Microsoft changes the rules.