14 DAY TRIAL // In an effort to get customers to move away from Windows XP/Windows Vista and Office 2003/Office 2007 to Windows 7 and Office 2010, respectively, Microsoft announced 50% Up-to-date discounts via Open Value Subscription license agreements. Obviously, the licenses are available exclusively to small and medium businesses, and along with the actual software, customers will also be getting the benefits associated with Software Assurance. In this regard, business users need to be aware of the fact that the 50% Up-to-date Discounts that will be offered through June 2010 via Open Value Subscription license agreements is only valid for the first year payments.
Eric Ligman, Global Partner Experience Lead Microsoft Worldwide Partner Group offered two examples illustrative of what customers should be expecting of:
“Example #1: In the U.S. under Open Value Subscription, the annual part # for Microsoft Office Professional Plus is 269-09648 and the ERP is $163.00. For the Microsoft Office Professional Plus UTD promo, the part number is 269-09649 and the ERP is $82.00, which is 49.7% lower than the ERP of the non-UTD ERP for Microsoft Office Professional Plus through OVS,” he stated.
“Example #2: In the U.S. under Open Value Subscription, the annual part # for Microsoft Windows 7 Professional Upgrade is FQC-02142 and the ERP is $63.00. For the Microsoft Windows 7 Professional Upgrade UTD promo, the part number is FQC-02156 and the ERP is $32.00, which is 49.7% lower than the ERP of the non-UTD ERP for Microsoft Windows 7 Professional Upgrade through OVS,” Ligman added.
At the same time, customers need to be aware of the fact that the actual discounts and prices will vary. Microsoft does not sell Open Licensing programs, including Open Value Subscription, directly to customers, but offers them to distributors, which in their turn sell them to resellers. Ligman underlined that Open Value Subscription and the Up-To-Date Discount were designed for small businesses. As long as customers acquire software for at least five computers, they are eligible for the Open Value Subscription Agreement.
“The qualifying licenses for the UTD Discount can be OEM, Retail, or Volume License licenses and yes, you can mix and match,” Ligman said. “Every reseller/Partner can offer Open Value Subscription and the UTD discount to their clients. Contact one of the Microsoft Authorized Distributors today to find out how you can do so if you are not already offering the Open License Programs to your clients.”
