Select Plus is a new way for purchasing Windows Vista Service Pack 1 at a discount, but the licensing option introduced by Microsoft on July 1, 2008, is not limited to the company's latest Windows client, this because Select Plus also covers applications and server products in addition to client operating systems. However, the licensing option is available exclusively to volume consumers.

According to Microsoft, the main advantage of the licensing option is the price discount that will be offered to volume clients. Businesses will be able to use Select Plus in order to license Microsoft software solutions not only for the corporate organization but also throughout its affiliates. In this context, the Redmond giant applauded Select Plus for the flexibility it adds to volume purchases.

"Select Plus is a tailored response to customer feedback for greater flexibility and enhanced manageability in purchasing," said Joe Matz, corporate vice president for Worldwide Licensing and Pricing at Microsoft.

In terms of streamlined license management, the company is betting big on its decision to tie all the software sold to a single customer ID. Additionally, there are also benefits related to the period of the license. Microsoft informed that Select Plus had been designed to never expire for transactional purchases, eliminating the need to renegotiate the deals. The Redmond giant is also prepared to bundle Select Plus with Software Assurance if volume customers require it.

"We depend greatly on our customers' input to gain a deep understanding of the features and benefits they're looking for. We want to enable an optimal purchasing experience, not to mention simplify the ongoing management of their software licenses so they get the most value out of their investment," Matz added.

"The Select Plus program categorizes software products into three distinct product pools. Applications - examples of Microsoft applications include Microsoft Office Professional 2007, Microsoft Office Excel 2007 spreadsheet software and Microsoft Office Project 2007. Systems - an example of a Microsoft desktop computer operating system software program is a Windows operating system upgrade such as Windows Vista Business. Servers - examples of Microsoft server software programs include the Windows Server operating system, Microsoft Exchange Server, Microsoft SQL Server database software, and associated client access licenses (CALs)," Microsoft informed.

The company is prepared to offer what it referred to as special price discounts to academic and governmental institutions by default. But all business organizations can take advantage of price cuts in accordance with their volume purchases.