What's an "Open License"?
Working on the principle that the more you buy, the cheaper it is, Microsoft Open License provides simple and flexible volume-based pricing for any business size. Open License gives your company the right to install Microsoft software products covered under the agreement and distribute them throughout your business (single legal entity).
* It's cheaper than buying retail full packaged product software.
* There's no paperwork and manuals. View your licenses and official information online. Then simply order your software on CD and have it delivered in the post.
What is "Software Assurance"?
Microsoft's Software Assurance gives you automatic access to new technology and provides support, tools, and training to help deploy and use software efficiently.
* Features and Benefits
- Productivity: Acquire the latest software automatically, spread payments annually, and extend the workplace to the home.
- New Version Rights - With Software Assurance, you receive access to new versions of licensed software released during the term of your agreement to deploy at your own pace. New Version Rights simplifies the procurement process and shortens the business process cycle, allowing you to reduce the costs associated with acquiring new version releases and immediately take advantage of the latest technology.
- Home Use Program (Office Systems software only) - The Home Use Program increases employee productivity and maximizes the value of your Microsoft Office investment by enabling your employees to work at home. With Home Use Rights, employees can get a licensed copy of select Microsoft Office desktop programs to install and use on a home computer.
- Employee Purchase Program (EPP) (Desktop software only) - The Microsoft Employee Purchase Program gives your employees significant discounts off of retail pricing on Microsoft's most popular productivity and consumer products.
* Support: Access resources that help keep business systems running smoothly.
- TechNet Online Concierge Chat - TechNet Online Concierge Chat offers one-on-one, Web-based chat sessions with Microsoft online advisors to help you quickly locate information needed to troubleshoot technology issues.
- TechNet Plus (Server software only) - For server licenses with Software Assurance (SA), IT professionals have access to TechNet Plus Subscription content, featuring resources such as the knowledge base, utilities, drivers, and how-to articles to help them succeed. The TechNet Plus Subscription Media also includes access to beta release candidate software and evaluation copies of the latest applications.
- Problem Resolution Support (Server software only) - Software Assurance (SA) provides customers with Standard Editions of servers with access to Web-based support on qualifying servers, while customers with Enterprise Editions of servers can access telephone support on qualifying servers. This support provides assistance for problems with specific symptoms encountered where there is a reasonable expectation that the problems are caused by Microsoft products.
- Extended Lifecycle Hotfix Support (Server software only) - With Software Assurance (SA), customers may request hotfixes for products in the Extended Lifecycle Support without signing up or paying an initial fee prior to determining a need. This means customers do not pay for extended support unless hotfixes are required. Current Software Assurance customers should note that the 90-day time frame to sign up for two years of additional nonsecurity hotfix support beyond the mainstream period of five years has been removed. As always, security fixes are automatically extended to customers.
* Tools: Deploy software efficiently, monitor errors, and access Microsoft Windows source code.
- Corporate Error Reporting (CER) - CER gives IT professionals a clear and easy way to monitor and review error information so they can control deployment of fixes and resolutions. It provides the ability for applications and the operating system to collect and report on crashes in the system, and gives IT staff the ability to control the types of reports sent to Microsoft.
- Enterprise Source Licensing Program (ESLP) (Windows Client only) - With the Enterprise Source Licensing Program (ESLP), eligible customers with 1,500 or more licensed desktops can access Microsoft Windows® source code for internal development and support. IT staff can make adjustments and improvements to systems and related applications, and implement improved debugging to help maintain security and protect against viruses and other computer hazards.
- Microsoft Windows Preinstallation Environment (WinPE) - WinPE is a tool based on Microsoft Windows® XP Professional that allows IT staff to build custom solutions that speed up deployment through automation so they spend less time and effort keeping desktops updated. WinPE can run Windows setup, scripts, and imaging applications. Enterprise Agreement (EA) and Software Assurance Membership (SAM) customers received WinPE in their October 2002 updates, and it will continue to be offered as a benefit of Software Assurance.
* Training: Bring employees up to speed quickly on new products and keep IT staff up-to-date on the latest technical information.
- eLearning - Microsoft's eLearning delivers a comprehensive student experience, using streaming audio and video software demonstrations, hands-on exercises and animations, and courses designed by professional instructors. Employees can take interactive modules and tutorials on various applications at any time at their own computer, even offline.
- Training Vouchers (Desktop software only) - With Software Assurance (SA), your organization can receive training vouchers for select courses from Microsoft Certified Technical Education Centers (CTECs), the premier authorized training channel for delivering learning products and services on Microsoft technology. Over 1,600 Microsoft CTECs worldwide offer Microsoft Official instructor-led and online, self-paced courses and consultative learning services to IT professionals and developers.
