Go to microsoft software assurance support page and click on submit request. A growing number of enterprises are rethinking the need for microsoft s software assurance program because the time between software updates makes the program less economically inviting, according. The truth about microsoft enterprise agreements connected. Software assurance is a comprehensive volume licensing program that includes a unique set of technologies, services, and rights to help you deploy, manage. What are the risks and rewards of dropping adding software assurance on elements of our microsoft estate. If you do not have your access id, contact your software assurance benefits administrator or microsoft sales representative. Why microsoft software assurance customers never win the. That is precisely the reason why most microsoft customers experience vendor lockin, and precisely the reason why microsoft can be difficult to negotiate with. Microsoft includes two years of software assurance with most volume licensing products it donates through techsoup canada. Is foregoing of software assurance the right option for your company. To renew your software assurance benefits, request a standalone software assurance product through techsoup up to 90 days before your original benefits expire.
May 20, 2019 content provided by microsoft applies to. Microsoft office pro plus 2016 and software assurance. Microsoft to offer premium assurance for servers adding 6. With the introduction of software assurance, why did microsoft drop the version upgrade program vup, which allowed them to upgrade from one version of a software.
Windows 10 enterprise after software assurance ends spiceworks. Customers should refer to their agreements for a full understanding of their rights and obligations under microsoft s volume licensing programs. Microsoft has clarified the more confusing elements of sql server. Microsoft chief executive steve ballmer explains why he saw a need for the companys radical change in software licensing and what the company learned from trying to push through the new programme. So with windows 7, those customers that have software assurance on their windows desktop operating system licenses get first access to the windows 7 code for deployment through the volume license service center download site. Microsoft visio standard software assurance 1 pc d86012523. Microsoft software assurance support incident submission. Microsoft partners software assurance benefits chart software assurance software assurance overview volume licensing service center vlsc vlsc software assurance guide vlsc sign in to microsoft business center. On the create an incident select a payment option page, select use my software assurance agreement. Software assurance is optional and cloud services are not available. Organizations can only drop premium assurance at their sa renewal period, according to microsoft s data sheet publication. The core premise behind sa is to give users the ability to spread payments over several years, while offering free upgrades to newer versions during that time period.
Microsoft collects money in advance for future upgrades during a volumelicensing agreement and then keeps the money if it doesnt deliver. Jun 14, 2016 microsoft provides helpful selfaudit tools and reports to quantify and assess software assurance benefit utilization, but you may need to engage your it department to ensure that you are not utilizing some of these rights e. Ninety days prior to expiration, your vlsc account owner should receive an email from microsoft saying that the benefits are expiring soon. Key considerations for kicking microsoft ea to the curb. Thanks to the drag and drop view, it is easy to take the components and to move. Windows 10 enterprise after software assurance ends. Your organizations software assurance benefits administrator receives an access id after clicking activate on the 24x7 benefit in the volume licensing service center vlsc. Microsoft to offer premium assurance for servers adding 6 years of patch support.
Effective july 1, 2016, in markets where the mpsa is available, microsoft no longer accepts new orders and software assurance renewals through existing commercial select plus agreements at the customers next agreement anniversary date. Do microsoft customers really need software assurance. Microsoft licensing and software assurance when do you need it i am a strong advocate of only paying for what you need when it comes to software licensing and maintenance. Microsoft s general advice is that software assurance is now required to move sql server virtual machines vms from one physical host to another more frequently than microsoft s 90day limit on license reassignment permits. A comprehensive program that includes a unique set of technologies, services, and rights to help deploy, manage, and use microsoft products efficiently, software assurance helps keep your business up to date and ready to respond quickly to change and opportunity. The software assurance benefits calculator is an online tool to calculate estimated software assurance benefits that customers may be entitled to. Language and operating system type from the dropdown boxes. Using software assurance, microsoft has crafted a program that promises savings, while often costing businesses even more for software. Software assurance by product microsoft volume licensing. Ultimately, you dont have to drop software assurance. Sql server licensing mobility without software assurance. Microsoft dynamics customersource microsoft dynamics customersource is an online portal that includes a broad set of product and service support resources for dynamics customers with software assurance coverage.
Everything in the ea comes with software assurance, microsofts term for maintenance. The value and benefit gained under microsoft volume licensing programs and through use of microsoft software and services may vary by customer. Microsoft s response to the fragility of software assurance s future, and the potential loss of billions as customers decline to renew office 365, the rentnotown plans that microsoft. If youre a current software assurance customer, you can check your software assurance benefits through the microsoft volume licensing service center vlsc or the microsoft business center mpsa customers. The company i work for is currently under an enterprise agreement renewed in june of 2016. Software assurance helps boost organizational productivity with 24x7 technical support, deployment planning services, enduser and technical training, exclusive technologies and rights, and the latest microsoft software releases and unique technologiesall in one costeffective program.
Microsoft removes office 2019 from its home use program. Microsoft licensing and software assurance when do you need it. Whether a microsoft renewal or new purchase, savings are just the beginning our microsoft licensing and cost optimization services regularly deliver 7 and 8figure savings on microsoft volume licensing costs. Product licenses do not expire and are valid for as long as you own the product. Vlsc software assurance guide microsoft download center. If there is one thing software assurance is good for, its. Select the product and problem for which you need support. Eliminating sa on some products can lead to savings.
Report questions the value of microsofts software assurance program. Software assurance benefits are not the same as product licenses. How to use or renew your software assurance benefits techsoup. Mar 24, 2017 go to microsoft software assurance support page and click on submit request. Method, language and operating system type from the dropdown boxes. Microsoft software assurance big risk for a small reward. Jan 26, 2016 i am a strong advocate of only paying for what you need when it comes to software licensing and maintenance. The truth about microsoft enterprise agreements cio. Software assurance spans microsoft s range of software products and services, helping you get the most out of your microsoft investment. Premium assurance is a really expensive proposition, according to wes miller, an analyst with independent consulting firm directions on microsoft. Using software assurance benefits can help you take full advantage of your investments in it. So you get all future updates and releases during the contract term. Software assurance sa is microsofts discounted offer to prepurchase future upgrades of the software title one carries sa on.
The company decides to save a few dollars and under new agreement drops sa on the desktop and office pro. Not every microsoft customer needs software assurance on all of the vendors offerings. Eliminating sa on some products can lead to savings of 20, 30 or 40 percent of your annual maintenance spend. Microsoft software assurance has always been a gamble. Microsoft has made a significant change to the home use program, which typically allowed employees from eligible companies with software assurance licenses. Osborne an expert in microsoft licensing and cost optimization discusses different factors to consider when evaluating whether to drop software assurance. Key considerations for kicking microsoft ea to the curb optimization point given current budget pressures for many it departments, many organizations are evaluating whether or not they should keep their microsoft enterprise agreement ea, which comes with mandatory software assurance sa coverage on all products. Microsoft is removing office 2019 from its home use.
Upon dropping software assurance, you still hold the perpetual. Software assurance spans a broad range of microsoft software and services products, including the windows operating system, microsoft office. Microsoft does offer a longterm servicing channel ltsc update model for windows 10, which is. Microsoft volume licensing microsoft software assurance. Type your software assurance access id and email address you use to access the vlsc and click continue. Microsoft licensing and software assurance when do you. Deciding on microsofts software assu rance sa option isnt getting any easier, to. The slick and sharp looking sorftware are there to help you achieve the maximum productivity in no time, similar to other office software but better. Microsoft starts selling premium assurance for sql server.
Rob waggoner partners, you are starting to hear news about windows server 2016, and i agree that windows server 2016 is looking great, but that doesnt mean windows server 2012 r2 isnt up to the task. Aug 08, 2019 microsoft quietly has made a change to its home use program hup for its software assurance business customers. Microsoft visual studio ultimate with msdn software assurance series sign in to comment. Software assurance offers support, deployment planning services, training. Expert offers tips on microsofts software assu rance program. Benefits partner the home use program is a software assurance benefit available to microsoft volume licensing customers with active software assurance coverage on their office applications. He also quipped that sac might better be known by the phrase, software assurance compulsory. Oct 07, 20 as you can see, there are several aspects to consider when trying to break free from software assurance. If there is one thing software assurance is good for, its leverage. Sep 04, 2009 first, having software assurance means you get first access to the new versions when they become available. Mar 11, 2015 an eas price is tiered to the number of computers being licensed, and is a threeyear contract that gives you the option to license almost every microsoft product that you need. Software assurance for volume licensing includes a range of benefits that span microsoft software and services. Expert offers tips on microsofts software assurance.
It is our assertion that software assurance is not automatically a requirement for moving. Windows 7 enterprise the benefits of having software assurance. Microsoft software assurance sa is a microsoft maintenance program aimed at business users who use microsoft windows, microsoft office, and other server and desktop applications. Corporate users dump microsofts software assurance. Software assurance is a comprehensive volume licensing program that includes a unique set of technologies, services, and rights to help you deploy, manage, and use your microsoft products more efficiently. Software assurance benefits microsoft volume licensing. Microsoft licensing optimization microsoft license consulting. Software assurance helps keep your business up to date with a unique set of technologies, and services, and rights to maximize your microsoft investment. Use your benefits to help it staff efficiently deploy and manage microsoft office products and office 365 and get the newest software releases. Microsoft visual studio ultimate with msdn software. Ten years ago this month, microsoft introduced the most controversial licensing program in its history.
Windows 10 enterprise may be only licensing option for orgs. Listen, microsoft, weve been a loyal customer for over 20 years. Under the old agreement, software assurance was maintained on all of the enterprise products office pro, ent desktop, and corecal. Buy a microsoft visio standard software assurance 1 pc or other flowchart. Youll need software assurance benefits manager privileges or other access permissions to do so. As i like to remind partners, software assurance is always a great value, but right now, the value march 24, 2016. Microsoft software assurance benefits for office can help your organization accelerate deployment and improve enduser productivity. This will take you to the software assurance benefit details page. Microsoft s response to the fragility of software assurance s future, and the potential loss of billions as customers decline to renew office 365, the rentnotown plans that microsoft debuted. The catch is that software assurance is required to take advantage of them. Microsoft adds 6 years to windows server and sql server. Assurance program is a successas microsoft assures us. Software assurance by benefit microsoft volume licensing.
As some had expected when the company began revamping the hup benefit earlier this. Steven, i n simple terms, what exactly is software assurance and why is it so important with microsoft licenses sk. Get genuine operating systems do not include software assurance benefits. Software assurance benefits help you take full advantage of your investments in it. Report questions the value of microsofts software assurance. Why microsofts pushing office subscriptions computerworld. Microsoft dynamics customers with active software assurance or an online subscription will have access to customersource.