Microsoft announces new software licensing plan

Microsoft hopes customers will no longer be in the dark about software licensing

Microsoft has announced a new software licensing arrangement targeted at larger firms that the supplier hopes will make purchasing its products easier and more flexible.

The Select Plus Volume Licensing Programme is an alternative to the existing Select Licence, and allows companies with several different business units and locations to aggregate purchasing and gain volume discounts.

Firms that take out a single Select Plus deal can give divisions or subsidiaries the ability to buy Microsoft products as part of the overall contract by tracking orders under a single customer identity.

“Select Plus is a tailored response to customer feedback for greater flexibility and enhanced manageability in purchasing,” said Joe Matz, corporate vice president for worldwide licensing and pricing at Microsoft.

“We depend greatly on our customers’ input to gain a deep understanding of the features and benefits they’re looking for. We want to enable an optimal purchasing experience, not to mention simplify the ongoing management of their software licences so they get the most value out of their investment.”

Software licensing has long been a controversial area among Microsoft customers.

Many firms signing up to the Software Assurance (SA) programme – which allows free upgrades to new versions of products based on an annual subscription fee – have said it does not provide sufficient value for money unless upgrades are taken every three years.

Increasingly, companies tend to have longer software update cycles, and delays to key Microsoft releases have also meant that some upgrades have not been made available in a three-year SA contract period.