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Microsoft has backpedalled on its plan to allow enterprise users to buy Power Platform products following a backlash.
The company had planned to give all end-users within an organisation the ability to bypass Office 365 admins and buy their own licences for Microsoft Power Platform subscription.
However, following outrage from users and a global industry body for IT managers, the vendor will now provide admins with a way to turn off self-service purchasing on a per-product basis via PowerShell.
In a blog update published on 31 October, Microsoft said it will also delay the launch for self-service purchase capabilities for Power Platform products to start with Power BI on 14 January for all commercial cloud customers.
The vendor claimed it had been “listening to customer feedback” after more than 6,800 users voted against the change on UserVoice.
The changes were initially designed to allow any end-user in a business purchase licenses for the applications Power BI, PowerApps and Flow, with Microsoft claiming “traditional roles are changing”.
However, the decision provoked fears that the increase in so-called ‘shadow IT’ would create significant compliance and budget issues for IT managers.
As such, the global International Association of IT Asset Managers (IAITAM) even called the move a “road to chaos” and a “rats nest of confusion”.
This is the second U-turn Microsoft has made in the space of three months, after bowing to partner pressure over proposed changes to internal use rights.
The vendor initially intended to remove internal use rights (IUR) for product licenses for partners and the access of on-premises product support incidents as part of the Microsoft Action Pack and competencies.
However, Microsoft revoked the plan after a partner uproar that saw an online petition registering more than 5000 signatures in protest.
