Microsoft has recently released Microsoft 365 Lighthouse, a unified portal to help IT partners (Managed Service Providers) manage multiple Microsoft 365 customer tenants from a single interface. It provides multi-tenant views across all customer environments and proposes customer-specific security configuration baselines to simplify the onboarding of customer tenants. It also allows MSPs to identify and rectify vulnerabilities and proactively manage risks by combining security alerts into a single portal.
Microsoft 365 Lighthouse is available to MSPs enrolled in the Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) program. In this post, we will take a look at Microsoft 365 Lighthouse pricing, requirements, and sign-up process.
Microsoft 365 Lighthouse Login, Pricing, Requirements
Lighthouse helps MSPs grow their business by offering personalized and proactive recommendations based on AI-driven insights. Here’s everything you need to know before signing up for Microsoft 365 Lighthouse:
Requirements for Microsoft 365 Lighthouse
To use Lighthouse, MSPs must meet the following requirements:
- Only MSPs must enroll in the CSP program; the clients they manage are not obligated to do so.
To use Lighthouse, each customer tenant must meet the following requirements:
- Must have delegated access set up for the MSP – either DAP (delegated admin privileges) or GDAP (granular delegated admin privileges).
- Must have at least one license of Microsoft 365 Business Premium, Windows 365 Business, Microsoft 365 E5, Microsoft 365 E3, or Microsoft Defender for Business.
- Must have a maximum of 2500 licensed users.
- Must reside in the same geographic region as the partner organization that manages them.
Note: Customer tenants that don’t meet the above requirements will have restricted access to Lighthouse features such as GDAP setup and maintenance, user search, tenant tagging, etc.
Devices must be enrolled in Microsoft Intune to monitor device compliance and threat management. For detailed information on requirements for enabling device management, user management, threat management, and Sales Advisor, please refer to the Microsoft documentation here.
Microsoft 365 Lighthouse Pricing
There are no additional costs associated with using Microsoft 365 Lighthouse to manage Microsoft 365 services and linked devices. Lighthouse is free for MSPs registered in the CSP program who serve SMB (small to medium-sized business) clients. This comprises both CSP partners who do business directly with Microsoft (Direct-Bill) and those who do business through an indirect distributor (Indirect Resellers).
Sign up for Microsoft 365 Lighthouse
Microsoft 365 Lighthouse is deployed in the partner tenant. Although it is not deployed in the customer tenants, they must meet the abovementioned requirements.
Following are the steps to sign up for Microsoft 365 Lighthouse:
Open your browser and visit the Microsoft 365 Admin center. Sign in using your partner tenant credentials.
Note: In order to sign in, you must be a global administrator in the partner tenant.
Once you’re logged in, click on the Billing option in the left panel. The section will expand. Click on the Purchase services option. In the right panel, select Other services and type ‘lighthouse’ in the search bar in the top-right corner.
Microsoft 365 Lighthouse for Partners Public Preview will appear in search results. Click on the Details button. Check the ‘$0’ line item and select Buy (as a partner tenant, you only require one license and that is free).
Next, wait for about 2-3 minutes and go to Billing > Your products to verify that Lighthouse was successfully added to your tenant.
Now visit the Lighthouse portal here at microsoft.com and select Agree & Continue to accept the partner agreement. Immediately after entering the portal, you may see a restricted access message. This is because the portal may take up to 48 hours to gather customer information. Once the data is propagated, you will be able to see the dashboard and start using Lighthouse.
I hope you find this useful.
Read: Windows Enterprise E3 vs E5 comparison and differences explained.
What license is required for Azure Lighthouse?
Azure Lighthouse is a free service to help manage Azure resources across multiple Azure tenants or subscriptions. Partners who use Lighthouse capabilities on Azure services such as Security Center and Log Analytics can continue to pay for the underlying services. If an underlying service is free, there’s no additional cost for using Azure Lighthouse.
How do I access m365 lighthouse?
Only MSPs enrolled in the CSP program serving SMB customers can access Microsoft 365 Lighthouse. In order to be eligible, enroll in the Cloud Solution Provider program, establish delegated administration privileges with customers, and enroll with Microsoft Intune for device compliance capabilities. You can buy a Lighthouse license worth $0 from the Microsoft 365 admin center. After accepting the partner agreement, you may access your dashboard and start using the Lighthouse portal.
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