14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft announced the overhauling of Windows Vista Enterprise volume licenses starting with early September. However, the reconstruction of the Redmond company's volume licensing program is by no means limited solely to its latest operating system, but extends to a variety of additional software products. According to Kevin Turner, Microsoft Chief Operating Officer, present at the Financial Analyst Meeting, the company's volume license sales and renewal agreements are through the roof, apparently driven by the ability to deploy the Enterprise edition of Vista, but also the Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack. "Over 42 million PCs today are covered by our volume licensing annuity agreements for Windows Vista," turner explained.
"Newly announced Volume Licensing changes encompass Enterprise, Select License, and Open License program-agreement updates. Enterprise Agreement and Select License fulfillment improvements. Price-list updates. New self-service online tools, including Microsoft LicenseWise for Volume Licensing and the Microsoft Volume Licensing Service Center. (...) We'll soon be changing how we deliver software to Enterprise Agreement and Select License customers with active media subscriptions: Beginning in September 2007, in an effort to reduce packaging and help protect the environment, Microsoft will be shipping only our most widely used products on CD or DVD," explained Mike Marshall, Group Manager for TS2 Events at Microsoft.
According to the company, September 3, 2007 is a date synonymous with the simplification of the licensing process for the Enterprise, Select License, and Open License agreements. Microsoft will cut the number of pages in each agreement, will optimize the signature, and will introduce updates to the terminology, language and content across Volume Licensing agreements. The Redmond company will additionally deliver the Microsoft Volume Licensing Service Center (VLSC) online tool on September 6.
"VLSC enables customers to easily find and download software available through Volume License entitlements; view and request Volume Licensing Product Keys for software included in Volume License entitlements and view current Microsoft license statements in an easy-to-understand, comprehensive format, across programs and agreements," Marshall added.