Should i buy software assurance with my microsoft licenses. Office 2010, like almost all microsoft products, has a support lifecycle during which we provide bug fixes and security fixes. Many times you will want to renew the agreement to extend the software assurance. Feb 06, 20 in closing, new version rights for software assurance rights are given to the customer when the product is made available for sale on the price list, or when the product is added to the vlsc website whichever comes first. Software assurance is included with some microsoft products available through techsoup, but it can also be requested on its own. New software assurance benefits that support the deployment stage of the software life cycle include a desktop deployment planning services voucher that customers with either select or enterprise license agreements can redeem for an onsite consulting engagement of up to 10 days based on the volume of microsoft office software that is. The development period between major operating system versions often exceeds three years, requiring customers to renew their software assurance for another contract period, in order to get the next upgrade for free. Software assurance has an annual cost of 29% of the license price for desktop products e. Your organizations software assurance benefits administrator receives an access id after clicking activate on the 24x7 benefit in the volume licensing service center vlsc.
If i purchase software assurance, how long do the software. Posts about software assurance written by ms licensing. How to use or renew your software assurance benefits techsoup. What happens after my microsoft software assurance expires.
Expanded benefits in microsoft software assurance deliver. Microsoft is leveraging the immediacy and urgency of security updates to force customers into paying for software assurance. If you look at customer satisfaction surveys, licensing complexity under the. There are a couple of things to note about this last date. Expert offers tips on microsofts software assurance program. Then to learn more, get the 2014 licensing guide on the right side of the licensing portal. If you do not have access to the vlsc to check when a product was added, you can refer to the product list as. For office 2010, the support lifecycle is 10 years. For instance, i dont see the eol date of the original 1507 build announced anywhere.
You will continue to be eligible to upgrade to any new versions of your products that were released within the twoyear period of the benefit, but you will not be eligible for upgrades to versions that were released later. In closing, new version rights for software assurance rights are given to the customer when the product is made available for sale on the price list, or when the product is added to the vlsc website whichever comes first. Eliminating sa on some products can lead to savings of 20, 30 or 40 percent of your annual maintenance spend. Type your software assurance access id and email address you use to access the vlsc and click continue. If you choose not to renew your license agreement and continue your software assurance coverage, you may proceed with taking the training course as long as the course date begins within 180 days following the expiration of your software assurance coverage. Sa interactive chart pdf download from microsofts website software assurance overview. Software assurance is an additional annual fee that gives you free upgrades as long as you keep paying for it. Microsoft includes two years of software assurance with most volume licensing products it donates through techsoup canada. Eliminating sa on some products can often lead to savings of 20, 30 or 40 percent off of a customers annual sa spend. This option is also available for other system and server licenses oem licenses as well. Is foregoing software assurance a viable option for your company.
A comprehensive program that includes a unique set of technologies, services, and rights to help deploy, manage, and use microsoft products efficiently, software assurance helps keep your business up to date and ready to respond quickly to change and opportunity. After you have signed a licensing agreement that includes software assurance, you will need to activate many of your benefits online before you can begin using them. Discover the unique benefits and value that software assurance can provide for your business. Microsoft software assurance big risk for a small reward. You can upgrade at any time in the future, as long as microsoft still makes. The development period between major operating system versions often exceeds three years, requiring customers to renew their software assurance for another. For some oneonone assistance about how sa can help your business, reach out to us at 5022400404 or send us an email. The changes affect software assurance benefits, appv. However, i was wondering why there is no option to buy windows enterprise ltsb upgrade without software assurance. Microsoft plans to offer a new package of training, support and other benefits to customers who bought its controversial software assurance agreement to gain upgrade rights to its products. This lifecycle lasts for a certain number of years from the date of the products initial release. Microsoft assurance software is a program that was introduced in 2002 to help users deploy and support microsoft windows, microsoft office and related server desktop applications. Corporate users dump microsofts software assurance. Microsoft volume licensing frequently asked questions.
Why microsoft software assurance customers never win. The core premise behind sa is to give users the ability to spread payments over several years, while offering free upgrades to newer versions during that time period. Software assurance benefits help you take full advantage of your investments in it. Select the product and problem for which you need support. For products that come with microsoft software assurance, your organisation will receive benefits for two years from the time of your.
First, one of the nice things about microsoft license agreements is that they always push the expiration date to the end of the month to help keep things simple. For example, you purchase a new computer with a microsoft office oem license. Go to microsoft software assurance support page and click on submit request. Product licenses do not expire and are valid for as long as you own the product. To renew your software assurance benefits, request a standalone software assurance product through techsoup up to 90 days before your original benefits expire. Software assurance is often criticized for its expense and the lack of free software upgrades within the contract period.
Expert offers tips on microsofts software assurance. Software assurance coverage expires, may we still go to the training. Software assurance is a comprehensive volume licensing program that includes a unique set of technologies, services, and rights to help you deploy, manage. Software assurance benefits microsoft volume licensing. Get genuine operating systems do not include software assurance benefits. Software assurance benefits across microsoft volume licensing programs. If you are in the market for microsoft licenses, one question you should be asking is. Microsoft provides this material solely for informational purposes. It depends, if the device is still working 10 years from now and the manufacturer still supports it, yes. Roll over the to see entitlement descriptions for individual benefits. Beginning february 1, 2020, azure content will no longer be included in the software assurance training benefit program and will no longer be found in this product catalog.
Mar 24, 2016 second, if you purchased software assurance sa, then this is the date your sa will expire. At 29 percent for desktop licenses and 25 percent for server products, sa fees constitute a large portion of most enterprises microsoft spend. Cases in which windows 10 enterprise with software assurance was purchased as part of a microsoft agreement, but the sa was not extended, will impact the deployed windows 10 enterprise version as well. Software assurance benefits sa provides three benefits.
Nov 07, 2011 microsoft is leveraging the immediacy and urgency of security updates to force customers into paying for software assurance. Additionally, software assurance is not as robust of a technical support offering. A few licensing tidbits, and other microsoft product changes, are showing up in obscure places. These benefits include free software upgrades, office multilanguage packs, office suites for use at home, and more. Failover server rights do not apply in the case of software moved to shared third party servers under license mobility through software assurance. Even after microsoft software assurance expires, benefits that were accrued in that period are still valid. Microsoft software assurance is a gamble on whether potential upgrades will be worth the expense. This microsoft office 2016 professional plus open license is an essential tool for individuals and small to mediumsized businesses who want organization and simplicity in addition to fullfeatured, uptodate microsoft software. When sa is discontinued, customers are only entitled to use windows 10 enterprise ltsb. The company records these payments as unearned revenue recognized over.
What is software assurance and what benefits it provides. But often cheaper to have software assurance and get automatically upgraded to the next version than it is to buy it again. Microsoft boosts benefits for software assurance agreement. Software assurance working out costs over 4 year period. Windows 10 enterprise with or without software assurance. Microsoft licensing is the single largest it expense for many. Microsoft open license is a software volume licensing program designed for corporate, government, charity, and academic customers who order as few as five licenses.
The right to install the software on more than one machine. Software assurance spreads software payments over an extended period of time, typically three years, and offers certain benefits, such as free training, and 247 phone and web support. Understanding your microsoft open licensing agreement mirazon. The software assurance support provides business hours support with a 24hour response time goal. You have 90 days from the date of computer purchase to acquire software assurance for this oem license. Software assurance is a collection of benefits for microsoft products. If the brand no longer provides updated drivers or general support, then microsoft has all right to end support for windows 10 on that specific model.
Software assurance spans a broad range of microsoft. Microsoft sql server licensing simplified into 7 rules. Steven, i n simple terms, what exactly is software assurance and why is it so important with microsoft licenses sk. Microsoft software assurance support incident submission. How to activate your software assurance benefits microsoft. Jun 14, 2016 software assurance has an annual cost of 29% of the license price for desktop products e. The value and benefit gained under microsoft volume licensing programs and through use of microsoft software and services may vary by customer. Software assurance benefits add value to your products but are not part of them.
Product and licensing faq configuration manager microsoft. Apr 28, 2015 software assurance is an additional annual fee that gives you free upgrades as long as you keep paying for it. Second, if you purchased software assurance sa, then this is the date your sa will expire. Understanding your microsoft open licensing agreement. In anticipation of our upcoming microsoft licensing seminar in new york on 21st october 2015, our analyst david foxen interviewed steven kelley director of software licensing advisors and one of the expert speakers at our new york event his session software assurance placing bets on microsofts future will delve into why he thinks microsoft software.
For more information, see the software assurance faq. Do microsoft customers really need software assurance. Windows 10 enterprise with or without software assurance, an. Software assurance helps boost organizational productivity with 24. For products that come with microsoft software assurance, your organisation will receive benefits for two years from the time of your original donation request. Deciding on microsofts software assurance sa option isnt getting any easier, to. Software assurance benefits included with microsoft donations. Sep 15, 2005 new software assurance benefits that support the deployment stage of the software life cycle include a desktop deployment planning services voucher that customers with either select or enterprise license agreements can redeem for an onsite consulting engagement of up to 10 days based on the volume of microsoft office software that is. Click on any software assurance benefit name for a brief description. Office 2016 professional plus comes with the latest versions of word, excel, powerpoint, outlook, onenote, and publisher as well as access to. If you look at customer satisfaction surveys, licensing complexity under the old model is the numberone. For how long does a windows 10 license remain valid. Benefits must be renewed before the sa expiration date. The company records these payments as unearned revenue recognized over the life of the software assurance.
Solved when is software assurance required with windows. Software assurance benefits are not the same as product licenses. Assigning tangible value to a theoretical payoffthe commonly accepted definition of software assurance is a level of confidence that software is free from vulnerabilities, either intentionally designed into the software or accidentally inserted at anytime during its life cycle and that the software functions in the intended manner cnss 2006. For assistance with benefits activation, please contact the microsoft. Microsoft software assurance what it is and how it applies. For a few server programs like system center you can only run the current branch if you have active software assurance. Good evenenig, i assume that buying winent sngl upgrdsapk olp nl allows me to access windows 10 enterprise download. Microsoft software assurance for volume licensing helps boost productivity across your organization by helping you to get the most out of your microsoft software with 24x7 support, deployment planning services, enduser and technical training, and. Servers self hosted applications office online services and office online server oos. Software assurance training benefit product catalog. Software assurance sa is microsofts discounted offer to prepurchase future upgrades of the software title one carries sa on. Customers should refer to their agreements for a full understanding of their rights and obligations under microsoft s volume licensing programs. The license wont do any good after the the build versions are eol and it seems like the builds have a short support life, but i havent seen any official documentation on how long a build is supported by microsoft. Software assurance microsoft partner 500 equivalent employees.
You can use software assurance to upgrade your software for free. Microsoft software assurance sa is a microsoft maintenance program aimed at business users who use microsoft windows, microsoft office, and other server and desktop applications. Microsoft software assurance what it is and how it applies to. Microsoft software assurance what it is and how it. Software assurance for volume licensing includes a range of benefits that span microsoft software and services. On the contrary, by foregoing software assurance you risk potentially having to repurchase your licenses at full price, rather than receive a % discount through software assurance. Software assurance customers have rights to the next version of a product as long as their software assurance coverage continues through the month of the availability of the product. On the create an incident select a payment option page, select use my software assurance agreement. How long does my microsoft software assurance last. Microsoft volume licensing microsoft software assurance. Microsoft offers software assurance only with its volume licensing programs.
Why microsoft software assurance customers never win the. You can get support at a microsoft store, or call microsoft, or contact us online. Dec 23, 2014 as i have explained before, a software license is a set of rights granted to you by the manufacturer that governs how you use the software. Office 20 is a good product and most corporations, particularly those already heavily invested in a microsoft infrastructure, will probably stick with it. First, it gives organizations the rights to use microsoft s newer emerging software if an organization is still covered by sa for that. Windows 10 enterprise ltsb and software assurance microsoft. Assure software support is a subscription service that gives you one year of assisted technical software support on up to five personal devices, and oneonone inperson training, as often as you need it. Software assurance often includes an additional set of rights that give you more freedom with the software. Ninety days prior to expiration, your vlsc account owner should receive an email from microsoft saying that the benefits are expiring soon. The end of this lifecycle is known as the products end of support. However, if your gamble pays off and a new version is not released or is released but not desired by your company, you will have achieved savings equal to 87% of.
Not every microsoft customer needs software assurance on all of the vendors offerings. Microsoft volume licensing frequently asked questions faqs. After the initial order, customers can benefit from volume pricing for all licenses for the remainder of the term of their open license authorization number. Software assurance upfront payments are a narcotic for microsoft long term revenue. Unless your agreement contains subscription licenses, the licenses are perpetual, however, software assurance is not perpetual. Software assurance sa benefits expire after two years, though they can be renewed for a fee. Software assurance is only available as long as you have an active agreement with microsoft. Models for assessing the cost and value of software assurance. Microsoft pulls extended hotfix software assurance benefit. In september 2019 microsoft announced that the software assurance training benefit program will be phased out with a final program end date of january 1, 2022.
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