The Open License and Open Value licensing programs

Mar 9, 2010 14:23 GMT  ·  By

According to Microsoft, a total of two computers are more than sufficient to qualify a customer for Volume Licensing, Software Assurance and the adjacent benefits. Eric Ligman, Global Partner Experience lead Microsoft Worldwide Partner Group, revealed that, despite the common belief for some that a minimum of five PCs was necessary for Volume Licensing, the fact of the matter was that two machines were more than enough. The misconception comes from the fact that Microsoft sets a minimum number of five licenses that need to be purchased by business customers as a part of their Volume Licensing agreement. However, the Redmond company doesn’t specify in what manner users will deploy the software they licensed.

“Both the Open License and Open Value licensing programs require a minimum order of five (5); however, it is not 5 computers, it is 5 Licenses (for Open License) or 5 Licenses+Software Assurance or Software Assurance alone (for Open Value),” Ligman stated, offering “an example of how a two computer company could easily qualify for Open License.” According to Ligman, a customer could install Windows and Office on a PC and Windows and Office plus Streets and Trips on a second machine in order to qualify for a Volume License agreement.

The bottom line is that, with a Volume deal, Microsoft needs customers to buy at least five licenses. In the example offered by Ligman, the bare minimum number of licenses also ensures that the software can be easily distributed between two computers and that the customer will own a Microsoft Open License. Volume Licensing comes with inherent benefits, among which there’s the possibility to add a Software Assurance deal. Software Assurance allows customers to run the latest Microsoft software as soon as it is released without paying a single cent on top of their agreement.

Ligman underlined that customers with Software Assurance also got “the upgrade protection, Office home use rights, ability to spread their payments over three years vs. paying up front, etc., then they would qualify for Open Value since they would have purchased five License + Software Assurance items in one order. So contrary to the belief of some, no, you do not need to have five (5) computers to qualify for the Open License or Open Value Volume Licensing programs at Microsoft and companies with as few as two (2) computers can easily qualify for both.”

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