Sage is ending the sale of premier plans for MAS 90 and 200 that offer unlimited support cases as the company raises both the cost and performance bar for these support provided by its channel. Resellers whose renewals fall between September 1 and October 31 can renew Master, Standard or Basic plans and receive benefits at the current levels until those subscriptions expire. This looks very much like the move by Intuit to end unlimited telephone support for all ProAdvisors.  Under changes to that program, those members who are not certified can receive unlimited telephone support for a year after their next renewal.

Microsoft's desire to seriously trim its channel was outlined at Convergence 2010 by Jeff Edwards, director of channel strategy. The plan has not died, although Microsoft is looking for a home for smaller resellers via a Master VAR program that kicks off September 1. Edwards gave out more specifics last month at the Worldwide Partner Conference and said 650 may lose authorization over the next 14 months. Since Microsoft has only confirmed the Master VAR plan exists, but not specifics, the details are still officially not for the press.