Licensing Options
We license software to organizations under arrangements that allow the end-user customer to acquire multiple licenses of products and services. Our arrangements for organizations to acquire multiple licenses of products and services are designed to provide them with a means of doing so without having to acquire separate packaged product through retail channels. In delivering organizational licensing arrangements to the market, we use different programs designed to provide flexibility for organizations of various sizes. While these programs may differ in various parts of the world, generally they include those discussed below.
Open Licensing
Designed primarily for small-to-medium organizations, Open Programs allows customers to acquire perpetual or subscription licenses and, at the customer's election, rights to future versions of software products over a specified time period (two or three years depending on the Open Programs used). The offering that conveys rights to future versions of certain software products over the contract period is called software assurance. Software assurance also provides support, tools, and training to help customers deploy and use software efficiently. Open Programs has several variations to fit customers' diverse way of purchasing. Under the Open License Program, customers can acquire licenses only or licenses with software assurance. They can also renew software assurance upon the expiration of existing volume licensing agreements.
Select Plus Licensing
Designed primarily for medium-to-large organizations, the Select Plus Program allows customers to acquire perpetual licenses and, at the customer's election, software assurance over a specified time period (generally three years or less). Similar to Open Programs, the Select Plus Program allows customers to acquire licenses only, acquire licenses with software assurance, or renew software assurance upon the expiration of existing volume licensing agreements. Online services are also available for purchase through the Select Plus Program, and subscriptions are generally structured with terms between one and three years.
Partner Licensing
The Microsoft Services Provider License Agreement is a program targeted at service providers and Independent Software Vendors allowing these partners to provide software services and hosted applications to their end customers. Agreements are generally structured with a three-year term, and partners are billed monthly based upon consumption. Microsoft Online Services Reseller Agreement is a program enabling partners to package Microsoft Online Services with the partners' services. Microsoft Online Subscription Agreement is designed to enable small and medium-sized businesses to easily purchase Microsoft Online Services. The program allows customers to acquire monthly or annual subscriptions for cloud-based services. Windows Azure Agreement is designed to enable small and medium-sized businesses to purchase Windows Azure Subscription plans on a "pay-as-you-go" basis.
Enterprise Agreement Licensing
Enterprise agreements are targeted at medium- and large-sized organizations that want to acquire licenses to Online Services and/or software products, along with software assurance, for all or substantial parts of their enterprise.
Enterprises can elect to either acquire perpetual licenses or, under the Enterprise Subscription Program, can acquire non-perpetual, subscription agreements for a specified time period (generally three years). Online Services are also available for purchase through the enterprise agreement and subscriptions are generally structured with three year terms.
