Archive notice: This article was originally published on July 2, 2008. Links and embedded videos are preserved as part of the historical record.
Microsoft will introduce Microsoft Select Plus, a new licensing programme for mid-sized and large companies, in October 2008. Using a single company-wide licensing agreement, large customers and mid-sized companies with 250 or more PCs will be able to purchase Microsoft software both centrally and locally at the same time. Unlike the traditional Select licensing model, the new agreement has no fixed term.
All affiliated companies are grouped under one customer ID, making company-wide software asset management (SAM) easier. Companies also benefit from a simple, automated discount model. When affiliated companies purchase software under the agreement, those licences are added to the discount calculation.
As soon as the next discount level is reached, the company automatically pays less for additional software purchases. Under Select Plus, the duration of Software Assurance (SA) is also aligned with the period of use. SA is a maintenance offering designed to help companies achieve the best possible return on investment (ROI) from Microsoft technology.
“With the new Select Plus model, we are optimizing and substantially simplifying our licensing offerings for larger mid-sized businesses and corporate groups. Companies can now purchase their software cost-effectively and manage it transparently under a single worldwide agreement with no fixed term. By combining all global licences, they also save through volume discounts when purchasing new software,” said Robert Helgerth, Director of Midmarket & Partners at Microsoft Deutschland GmbH, describing the programme’s advantages.
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Select Plus will be sold by Microsoft partners responsible for larger companies, known as Large Account Resellers (LARs).
Sustainable SAM comprises a series of processes through which a company can manage, control and protect its software inventory. SAM can therefore help not only to maintain competitiveness but also to increase productivity. According to analyst firm Gartner, companies without efficient SAM spend up to 60 percent too much on software use. The Select Plus agreement makes it easier, especially for larger companies, to manage software effectively and transparently because all licences are grouped under one customer ID. This is particularly important when companies expand and operate internationally. Studies such as “Mergers & Acquisitions in the Midmarket,” published in spring 2008 by the Allensbach Institute for Public Opinion Research and WHU Koblenz, show that the number of mergers among mid-sized companies continues to rise. The average German mid-sized company has already acquired four businesses. If two companies merge, for example, the new divisions can immediately purchase software under the Select Plus agreement.
SA is a special Microsoft maintenance offering that can be purchased as part of licensing agreements. It includes training, support, additional home-use licensing rights and direct access to successor versions of licensed software. With each new software order, companies can purchase the licence together with Software Assurance for a term of 36 months. When SA is renewed, differing terms are automatically synchronized individually.