Microsoft Introduces New Volume Licensing Option

In a bid to attract more diversified businesses, Microsoft this morning introduced a new volume-licensing option called Select Plus, which streamlines license management and removes the requirements that license renewal occur at a certain time. Select Plus will debut in late 2008 and be offered to customers with existing Enterprise Agreements.

"Select Plus is a tailored response to customer feedback for greater flexibility and enhanced manageability in purchasing," says Microsoft Corporate Vice President for Worldwide Licensing and Pricing Joe Matz. "We depend greatly on our customers' input to gain a deep understanding of the features and benefits they're looking for. We want to enable an optimal purchasing experience, not to mention simplify the ongoing management of their software licenses so they get the most value out of their investment."

Select Plus is an additional offering that augments rather than replaces Microsoft's existing software licensing options. Before this announcement, Microsoft had been working to simplify and reduce the number of licensing options it offered. But customers with diversified businesses--that is, those customers with multiple offices, often in geographically separated locations--told the software giant that its licensing options didn't meet their needs.

According to Microsoft, with Select Plus, customers can purchase and manage additional licensed products and services on a per-project basis and qualify for the next discounted price level through increased purchase volume at any time. Select Plus agreements never expire for transactional purchases, so customers no longer have to renegotiate and renew licensing contracts.

Confused? Navigating Microsoft's numerous licensing options is a daunting task. The company offers a 64-page guide, the Microsoft Volume Licensing Reference Guide, to address this confusion. You can download this guide in PDF format from the Microsoft Web site.
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