14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft has debuted a new initiative designed to offer one-year worth of free licenses to its flagship products. The company announced that its two main cash cows, Windows Vista and the Office 2007 System, are among the products delivered via the Software License Relief Program. According to estimates from the Redmond company, licensing Windows Vista and the Office 2007 System on a total of 25 computers, and for an entire year would end up costing no less than $12,050. Microsoft is prepared to offer both Vista and the Office 2007 suite of programs completely free for the first year, in similar scenarios through the Software License Relief Program.
The initiative is addressed at the small businesses impacted by the effects of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita back in 2005. "Microsoft was proud to play a role in helping the people of the Gulf Coast rebuild following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, and we are committed to contributing to the ongoing community recovery efforts," stated Steve Ballmer, CEO of Microsoft. "In particular, we believe very strongly that small businesses are a vital engine of economic growth and opportunity, and we will continue to support small business owners in Louisiana as they work to rebuild and revive their communities."
The Microsoft announcement came simultaneously with the second anniversary of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, and the initiative is a conjunction of efforts from the Redmond company and the state of Louisiana and Louisiana Small Business Development Center. The new Microsoft program is planned to start this September, and small businesses functioning before August 29, 2005 (Hurricane Katrina's landfall) will be able to access the one-year licensing program for free.
Microsoft revealed that in order to qualify, small businesses have to employ less than 200 people and activate "in one of the 19 federal disaster-designated Louisiana parishes." The businesses also have to apply for assistance and acquire a three-year Microsoft Open Value License for business software, out of which Microsoft will pay for the first year.
"This novel approach reflects just one good way big business can step up and use its might to help an entire region get back on its feet, and I commend and thank Microsoft for its leadership," said U.S. Senator Mary L. Landrieu, D-La. "This is made even stronger by their smart partnership with Louisiana's Small Business Development Centers, who under Mary Lynn Wilkerson's leadership have been a tremendously helpful guiding hand to thousands of businesses working to recover."