​​Table of contents 

 Welcome to Sherweb! 

Welcome to Sherweb and thank you for partnering with us. We truly appreciate your trust and are excited to work alongside you. We’re looking forward to growing and succeeding together.
 

This guide explains important components of a P2P transfer and what to expect during your move to Sherweb. It’s based on questions we’ve often heard from new partners and our accumulated experience in performing hundreds of P2P transfer-ins since Microsoft started allowing mid-term NCE transfers.

While Sherweb’s goal is to make your life as easy as possible, the P2P transfer process still requires some time and effort from the Indirect Reseller (you). Look for the icon for tasks where you may have to perform manual verifications, syncs, exports, or other tasks. 
 

Please remember this guide was designed to cover typical P2P transfers. If your P2P transfer situation includes: 

• Add-ons without the required base license 

• Microsoft SKUs not available in the Sherweb Portal 

• Subscriptions with promotional pricing 

Sherweb can still perform the P2P transfer, but it will require more manual effort and validation, and delays may occur. 

 Preparing and planning for a P2P transfer 

What is a P2P transfer? 

A Partner-to-Partner transfer is the term used to describe the transfer of license-based NCE subscriptions from one transacting CSP partner to another. This allows mid-term transfers to keep the current subscription as-is (term end-date, MSRP, etc.). 
 

This process is applicable for both Direct and Indirect Providers (CSPs). Indirect Resellers purchasing from a CSP will require their CSP's assistance. Azure subscriptions, reservations and Savings Plans can also be moved via the same request process. 
 

Important! Not all CSPs are participating in mid-term P2P transfers. 

It’s important to confirm with your current CSP if they are able (and willing) to accept the transfer. For those that are willing, requests can take 20-30 days to be accepted. You can also reach out to your Sherweb account manager/team to confirm the current list of participating CSPs. 

How to initiate a P2P transfer with your CSPs 

First, reach out to your Sherweb account manager/team to inform them that you want to initiate a P2P transfer. We will provide detailed instructions on what information we need to submit the transfer request on your behalf. 
 

As an example, here are the detailed steps that are required to perform a Pax8 to Sherweb P2P transfer: Pax8-to-Sherweb-NCE-Partner-to-Partner-Transfer-Process.pdf 

You should inform your current CSP that a P2P transfer request will be submitted. We may ask for written acknowledgement from your current CSP that they are aware of and will accept the incoming transfer request, prior to submitting the request on your behalf. 
 

The source CSP is not required to accept the request and Sherweb cannot control which licensing the source CSP approves for the transfer, so we strongly advise that you coordinate and follow up with your current CSP to ensure that they approve the transfer for the licensing you requested.  

How to prepare your organizations and subscriptions for a P2P transfer to Sherweb

You will need to set up your organizations in the Sherweb Portal, including linking the Microsoft 365 tenants and accepting GDAPs. For detailed step-by-step instructions, please see this guide: csp-transfer-guide-english.pdf 
 

We recommend you only proceed with the Sherweb Portal setup after getting written confirmation from your current CSP that they will approve the P2P transfer.

 
We are happy to answer your questions about how to set up your Sherweb Portal. Reach out to your account management team at any time throughout the setup process. 

We may also request an export or screenshot of subscription information from your current CSP’s portal. 

If you are transferring Azure subscriptions: there are important steps you need to take:

Billing and Azure usage information doesn’t transfer from your current CSP to Sherweb. We suggest you download or export Azure cost and billing information prior to the transfer request submission. Please see these Microsoft articles for more information and instructions: 
 

• Transfer details: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cost-management-billing/manage/transfer-subscriptions-subscribers-csp 

• Export ACM data tutorial: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cost-management-billing/costs/tutorial-export-acm-data?tabs=azure-portal 

VERY IMPORTANT: After the transfer has been completed, it is your responsibility to add Sherweb’s Foreign Principal to your Azure subscriptions and remove your previous CSP’s permissions. If you do not add Sherweb's Foreign Principal to your Azure subscriptions, Azure discounts and credits will not be applied to your invoice.
 

• Instructions: Provide or reinstate admin privileges on Azure CSP subscriptions – Sherweb 

Note that at this time, Microsoft does not allow the mid-term transfer of all Azure marketplace products. For full details from Microsoft on the transfer process for Azure, including which products are permissible to transfer, please see this article: Transfer Azure subscriptions, reservations, or savings plans (under an Azure plan) to another CSP partner - Partner Center | Microsoft Learn 
 

Can P2P transfer dates be pre-scheduled? 

It is currently not possible to pre-schedule this date. P2P transfer completions depend on the source CSP’s approval and Microsoft’s acceptance and reconciliation of the transfer request, neither of which come with guaranteed timing.   

 Billing and invoices post-P2P transfer 

Sherweb uses a post-bill model, while some other CSPs use a pre-bill model. The difference lies in when you are invoiced relative to service consumption.  
 

In a pre-bill model, customers are invoiced before the service is delivered. Billing is based on anticipated usage or subscriptions.  
 

In a post-bill model, partners are invoiced after the service has been consumed. Billing is based on actual usage, which is ideal for variable services like cloud consumption. This model allows for more accurate invoicing, especially when usage fluctuates. It can also more easily accommodate proration, so that charges are only for the portion of the service used.   

 What credits to expect if you’re transferring from a pre-bill CSP   

The shift from a pre-bill to post-bill model could have an impact on your invoice reconciliation in the few months around the transition. Most importantly, there may be a short-term impact on your cash flow during the transition month. 
 

Let’s say you’re moving ahead with a P2P transfer during the month of June, and your selected billing date is on the 1st of the month. Your previous CSP pre-bills and they send you an invoice on June 1 for your June license charges. The P2P transfer is then completed in the Microsoft Partner Center and the Sherweb Portal on June 20.   
 

You will receive an invoice from Sherweb on July 1 for your previous month's usage. Sherweb will pro-rate the Microsoft licenses starting from June 20, so you will be post-billed a pro-rated amount for the period of June 20-July 1. 

It is your responsibility to check your invoices from your previous CSP to ensure the proper pro-rated credits are issued to you.
 

We strongly recommend you manually inspect your first one to two Sherweb invoices and your “last” invoices from your previous CSP to ensure all pro-rating and credits are reconciled properly. Your Sherweb invoices typically normalize with a full month’s charges by the second billing cycle after the P2P transfer is complete. 

For Azure Reserved Instances (RI) transfers:

Microsoft does not support pro-rating for Azure RI transfers. If you are transferring your Azure subscriptions in June and they include RIs, the full-month’s June RI charges will be charged by your previous CSP while the full-month’s July RI charges will be charged by Sherweb. No pro-rating or pro-rated credits apply for RI transfers. 

What transfer date to use to calculate pro-rated credits

Sherweb invoices contain pro-rated licenses based on the date that those licenses are successfully added to the Sherweb Portal. There may be a several day delay between when your previous CSP approves the transfer and releases the licenses in the Microsoft Partner Center, and when the licenses appear in the Sherweb Portal. This delay is purely administrative and does not cause an interruption in service. 

Your previous CSP is responsible for providing pro-rated credits starting from the date that they approve the transfer in the Microsoft Partner Center. If you’re not sure of the exact approval date, please ask the Sherweb Technical Onboarding Specialist that assisted with your P2P transfer. 

For Azure subscriptions, your previous CSP will bill you for your daily usage until the date of the approved P2P transfer in the Microsoft Partner Center. Starting on this date (or in some cases one day after the approval date), Sherweb will begin billing you for your Azure daily usage. If your previous CSP pre-billed you based on an estimated or averaged monthly Azure usage rather than actual daily usage, they may owe you pro-rated credits based on your actual usage in the month up until the transfer date. 

When to expect to see your first Azure charges on a Sherweb invoice 

While the exact date of your P2P transfer does not affect when you will see your first Azure consumption on a Sherweb invoice, your chosen invoice/billing date does affect the delay between your Azure consumption and when you will be billed for it. 
 

To align with Microsoft’s best practices, monthly invoices from Sherweb include Azure meter usage billed in the last full calendar month. Microsoft provides this final monthly consumption data and then invoices Sherweb for our partners’ usage mid-calendar month for the previous calendar month. 

 

If your Sherweb invoice date is between the 15th until the end of every month, your invoice will reflect Azure usage incurred during the last full calendar month period (from the 1st to the end of the previous month). If your Sherweb invoice date is between the 1st and 14th of the month, your invoice will reflect Azure usage incurred for the full calendar month’s usage two months prior, because Sherweb will not have received your previous months’ consumption data from Microsoft yet. 

 

Taking our example from above of a P2P transfer that was completed on June 20: 

• If your first Sherweb invoice date is July 1, you will NOT see any Azure usage on this invoice. Your first Sherweb invoice with Azure usage will be on August 1, which will contain charges for your usage from June 20-30.

• If your first Sherweb invoice date is July 15, you will see Azure charges on this invoice for your usage from June 20-30. 

For a more thorough explanation of Sherweb’s Azure billing practices, please see these FAQs: Azure_Billing_FAQs_EN.pdf 

PSA Integration 

Since Sherweb post-bills, do you need to change your PSA tool to post-bill? 

No, you do not need to change your PSA tool to the post-bill setting. The pre-bill vs. post-bill setting reflects how you choose to bill your clients, not how you are billed by Sherweb or other distributors. Sherweb’s PSA integrations support pre-bill. 

If you choose the pre-bill option when you set up your PSA integration with Sherweb, it is like taking a snapshot at the beginning of the billing month of all the quantities that your client has, and you bill them for the month to come. If some proration entries appear during the month, they will be charged on the next invoice so that you won't lose (or win) revenue. 

When to configure the initial sync for your PSA integration 

Different products are available for the initial PSA sync at different times. Microsoft 365 licenses are available for configuration immediately after they appear in the Sherweb Portal (within a few days of the P2P transfer being accepted). 

However, some consumption-based products like Azure are currently not available for initial configuration until they first appear on your Sherweb invoice. As noted above for Azure, if your billing date is in the first half of the month, your first invoice with Azure usage may be delayed by over a month after your P2P transfer date. 

 

When you decide to set up your PSA sync with the Sherweb Portal is entirely up to you. Setting up your PSA sync as soon as possible generally reduces efforts related to manual reconciliation and the possible accompanying errors. 

 

However, if your transfer involves Microsoft 365 products, Azure products, and other third-party products, these products will be available for the initial PSA configuration at different times. Some partners prefer to wait until all products are available for sync to set up their PSA integration all at once. Others prefer to do a rolling setup as products become available. Still others prefer to wait until all pro-rating and credits are processed and full-month charges are available before syncing.

 

Regardless of our timing choice, the PSA configuration step will require you to map organizations and offers in the Sherweb Portal to agreements/additions in your tool. 
 

Once you are ready to configure your PSA integration, please refer to the following guides for each tool we support. We also have a technical support team that specializes in PSA troubleshooting. Don’t be shy to open a support ticket with support@sherweb.com to get assistance. 

Autotask: 

Configuration and synchronization procedures 

Synchronization scenarios 

ConnectWise: 

Configuration and synchronization procedures 

Synchronization scenarios 

Yearly Paid Subscriptions Setup 

QuickBooks Desktop: 

Configuration and synchronization procedures document 

QuickBooks Online: 

Configuration and synchronization procedures 

Kaseya: 

Configuration and synchronization procedures 

Synchronization scenarios  

 Have more questions about the P2P transfer process?