Business productivity software supplier comparison: direct, reseller or partner

A business productivity software supplier comparison should examine responsibility, not merely the logo on a proposal. The software publisher, contracting seller, implementation team and support desk may be different organisations. A low headline charge says little if ownership disappears between them.

This comparison covers four supplier routes available for investigation by buyers in England. Research was completed on 5 September 2026 from official guidance and records. No provider was contacted, tested or scored. The routes are not ranked. Actual terms, prices and competence require evidence from the specific organisations involved.

What to take away

The common comparison frame

Apply the same questions and units to each route:

Leave cells blank where there is no dated evidence. Do not replace an unknown with an estimate from another supplier.

| Named supplier | Contract and defects | Configuration and training | Support and escalation | Data and exit | | Microsoft 365 direct | Microsoft contracts and owns platform defects. | Customer or a named partner configures. | Microsoft supports the platform; customer handles first line. | Microsoft hosts data; customer exports through Microsoft tools. | | Google Workspace direct | Google contracts and owns platform defects. | Customer or a Google Cloud partner configures. | Google supports the service; customer handles users. | Google hosts data; export through Google Takeout or APIs. | | Softcat reseller | Softcat contracts for licences; publisher terms govern defects. | Softcat can quote services; customer or partner delivers. | Softcat may provide first line if bought; publisher handles platform. | Publisher hosts data; Softcat can advise on export. | | Version 1 partner | Customer contracts with publisher or Version 1; responsibility depends on the statement of work. | Version 1 delivers discovery, configuration, migration and training. | Version 1 can run support and escalation under contract. | Customer or publisher holds data; Version 1 can document exit. |

Direct vendors: Microsoft 365, Google Workspace and Atlassian

A direct agreement can make the product owner and seller easier to identify. It may also place configuration, process design and user support largely on the customer. Ask whether implementation is included, separately contracted or referred to a partner.

Microsoft 365 direct is sold by Microsoft. Business Basic includes web and mobile Office apps, 1 TB OneDrive per user, Teams and Exchange. Business Standard adds desktop apps. Business Premium adds Intune and Defender. UK list prices are typically £5 to £17 per user/month ex VAT, depending on tier and commitment.

Google Workspace direct is sold by Google. Business Starter includes 30 GB pooled storage per user, Standard includes 2 TB and Plus includes 5 TB. UK list prices are typically £4.60 to £16 per user/month ex VAT.

Atlassian sells Jira and Confluence cloud direct. The cloud plans are free for up to 10 users. Standard plans are typically £5 to £8 per user/month. Atlassian hosts the service and provides product support; the customer administers users and projects.

For security, inspect evidence that applies to the chosen service, region and configuration. The NCSC cautions that provider assertions vary in strength and that underlying cloud dependencies also matter in its guidance on choosing a cloud provider.

Resellers: Softcat, Computacenter, Insight, Bytes and CDW UK

A reseller may combine licences with local billing or support. The comparison must show which promises come from the reseller and which remain in the publisher's terms. Trace a hypothetical access failure through both organisations, naming the party allowed to make a product-level change.

Softcat plc is a UK-listed IT reseller based in Marlow. It sells Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace licences. Computacenter plc is UK-listed and based in Hatfield. It resells Microsoft and Google licences and offers integration work.

Insight Enterprises is a global reseller with a UK operation and Microsoft partner status. It offers licence optimisation. Bytes is a UK software reseller and Microsoft partner. CDW UK resells Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace and provides managed services.

Worked example, with the seat price labelled as an assumption: 100 Microsoft 365 Business Standard seats at about £10 per user/month gives roughly £12,000 a year ex VAT at list.

Resellers do not publish tiered per-seat prices, so the only comparable figure is the quote a buyer obtains for its own seat count, term and service bundle. Ask Softcat, Computacenter, Insight, Bytes and CDW UK for the same 100-seat assumption in writing.

Verify the legal entity rather than relying on a trading name. The Companies House information service offers registered details, officers, filing images, charges and insolvency information. These records establish neither service quality nor financial fitness, so further professional checks may be appropriate.

Partners: Version 1, KPMG UK, Deloitte and Accenture

A partner can contribute discovery, configuration, migration and adoption work. Compare the deliverables themselves: mapped processes, configured roles, reconciled records, training materials and handover evidence. Record whether continuing administration is necessary after launch and what happens to custom work when the relationship ends.

Version 1 is a UK and Ireland digital services firm and a Microsoft Gold partner. It implements Microsoft 365 and Dynamics. KPMG UK is a professional services firm that advises on Microsoft 365 adoption and migration. Deloitte and Accenture run large Microsoft-focused consulting practices.

Partner work is quoted per deliverable or per consultant day, not per seat. The rate depends on grade, sector experience and whether the price is fixed, so ask for the day rate, the grade mix and the deliverable list in one document.

The NCSC's shared-responsibility explanation notes that responsibility can shift when a managed service provider joins the chain. Contractual labels should match operational access, including privileged support and incident cooperation.

Managed providers: Node4, ANS and Littlefish

A managed provider takes operational responsibility for running the service, not just for supplying the licence. The overlay can sit on any of the four routes in this comparison, including a public-sector call-off.

Named UK examples include Node4, ANS and Littlefish, which market managed cloud and Microsoft 365 services to business customers. The managed-services arms of Softcat, Computacenter and Bytes offer a similar overlay on licences they already supply.

Ask which of the checklist items the managed provider owns in writing: first-line support hours, patching windows, privileged access, incident cooperation and exit export. Request the service description that lists them and the exit plan before signing. A managed label alone does not assign responsibility.

Route four: a public-sector framework

Eligible public organisations may use an established commercial arrangement. The G-Cloud 15 agreement page describes a framework for cloud hosting, software and support, with detailed tender and call-off documents. Its timetable was still changing at the research date, so a buyer must verify which framework is live and follow the applicable award procedure.

G-Cloud 15 is a public-sector route. Call-off is open to eligible UK public bodies and not to ordinary private-sector firms, so a private buyer cannot use it as a purchasing route.

Framework rates and call-off terms are published in each service definition on the Digital Marketplace, so eligible buyers can read the per-unit price, the term and the exit terms before any competition.

Framework availability is not a shortcut around requirements, data review or implementation planning.

Comparing the shortlist on cost, control and exit

First remove routes that cannot meet a hard requirement. Then compare the same contract period, user assumption and service boundary. Put buyer staff time beside supplier fees, while labelling both as estimates until confirmed.

If personal data is involved, the ICO says a controller must choose a processor with sufficient guarantees and keep compliance under review in its controller due-diligence guidance.

The route that fits depends on the buyer as much as the product:

Qualified commercial, legal, privacy and security reviewers should examine the chosen chain. Finish the comparison with a responsibility diagram, not a winning badge.

Before you act

Common questions

What should a buyer compare instead of just the logo on a proposal?

A buyer should compare responsibility. The software publisher, contracting seller, implementation team and support desk may be different organisations. Apply the same questions and units to each route.

How can a buyer verify a reseller's legal entity?

Verify the legal entity rather than relying on a trading name. The Companies House information service offers registered details, officers, filing images, charges and insolvency information. These records establish neither service quality nor financial fitness, so further professional checks may be appropriate.

What does the NCSC say about responsibility in cloud services?

The NCSC's shared-responsibility explanation notes that responsibility can shift when a managed service provider joins the chain. Contractual labels should match operational access, including privileged support and incident cooperation. The article also cites NCSC guidance that provider assertions vary and cloud dependencies matter.