Microsoft Licenses

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Choosing a Volume Licensing Program for Your Organization

Microsoft offers a variety of volume licensing programs to help businesses purchase and manage their Microsoft software licenses. Microsoft Volume Licensing programs help organisations with tasks such as:

• Tracking software use to ensure legal compliance.
• Deploying updates and new versions, especially on client computers.
• Organizing software license purchasing through centralized purchasing practices.

Microsoft Open programs, are available to a wide variety of organizations and are most often used by organizations with less than 250 client computers. They provide volume discounts for a minimal up-front cost and are available broadly through a worldwide partner channel.

The Open Programs offer many benefits, including:

• Simplicity. Start using licensed products as soon as your order is placed through the Open License pay-as-you-go model.
• Affordability. All Open Value License programs offer flexible payment options so that you can stretch your software procurement budgets further.
• Flexibility. A broad worldwide partner channel makes sure you have convenient and fast access to thousands of software titles.
• Value. Manage licenses easily and conveniently through the Microsoft Volume Licensing Service Center (VLSC).

Open Value

To increase program flexibility and keep the low-entry standard, the Microsoft Open Value programs provide multiple purchasing options, including Open Value (Company Wide or Open Value Non–company Wide) and Open Value Subscription. Each is a three-year term commitment that includes Microsoft Software Assurance as a fixed benefit.

Company-wide Option.

By choosing Open Value Company-wide, you receive the rights to the latest Microsoft licensed products with a single platform option. With the single platform option, you can customize your desktop PC as you choose components from an operating system, the Microsoft Office system, and CAL product pools, plus additional software products selected in your agreement that include the following platform product options.

• The Microsoft Office System: Microsoft Office Professional Plus and Microsoft Office Standard
• Operating Systems: Windows 7 Business upgrade (with rights to Windows 7 Professional)
• Client Access License (CAL): Microsoft Core CAL Suite, Windows Small Business CAL Suite (Standard and Enhanced), Windows Essential Business Cal Suite( Standard and Enhanced) and Enterprise Business Server CAL Suite

Non–company-wide Option.

The Non–company-wide option is available for any product license purchases. If you need licenses for servers or for a limited number of client computers, you can open a Non–company Wide agreement.

Open Value Subscription

Similar to the Company (Organization)-Wide option, with the Subscription option, you pay a single price per desktop PC to deploy Microsoft technology as the standard across your organization. This option gives your organization the rights to run the software Company (Organization)-Wide only during the term of the agreement with Microsoft. You also have the ability to add the single platform option to an Open Value Subscription agreement. Also like the Company wide option, Open Value Subscription offers flexible annual payments tied to the number of client computers you have but with the lowest up-front costs. Open Value Subscription features include:

• Additional savings in the first year if you have current or previous versions of company-wide licensed products.
• The option to add the company-wide licensed products you have selected on new client computers throughout the year at no additional cost for that year.
• Lower payment through the years as your client computer count declines.

Mark Wood from HP explains the difference between Retail, OEM and Open Volume Licenses. The same principle applies to Lenovo, Dell and other suppliers too.

Retail Box

Microsoft Retail Box Products List

Retail products come with both 32bit and 64bit software, but language (Chinese or English) must be specified upon purchase. The key can actually activate any language

OEM

Microsoft OEM Products List

Product Key Card (previously called OEM) Licenses are available for purchase with a new computer only. The key can actually activate either English or Chinese version of the product.

Open Value Applications

Microsoft Open Value Applications Product List

If you are looking for Software Assurance, Subscription, Level C, or other Open Licenses options, please contact us.

Open Value Servers

Microsoft Open Value Servers Product List

If you are looking for Software Assurance, Subscription, Level C, or other Open Licenses options, please contact us.