On July 1st Microsoft announced a new licensing program designed for large organizations with multiple affiliates. Called Select Plus, it is another sign that Microsoft is trying to reign in its complex licensing system.
If a company has several affiliates in different locations, Select Plus will enable your affiliates to take advantage of price-level adjustments that are based on the actual purchase volume for your entire organization.
Registration has been simplified to one page making it faster and simpler to register each affiliate. Under the plan your company can purchase software licenses at any time, easing planning and deployment as your needs change.
The Select Plus licensing program is due to start up in October 2008
Microsoft lists these as the top five reasons to choose Select Plus:
- Superior value. A single, enterprise-wide contract offers the same pricing level for all business units.
- Excellent benefits. Add Microsoft Software Assurance to your agreement for a full 36 months and receive an annual payment plan.
- Perpetual agreement. Keep renewals at the IT budget level rather than the boardroom level.
- Flexible structure. Purchase the software licenses you need, when you need them, so that you can start using the software immediately.
- Better insight. Clearly see your entire license portfolio so it’s easy to support asset management and reporting for all business units.
For more information on Microsoft’s Select Plus licensing program visit the overview section at their web site. You can also download a volume licensing program comparison chart.