Users advised to assess Microsoft software plan

Vendor adds services to improve value for money of licensing scheme

Microsoft users should carefully evaluate the new benefits the vendor has added to its Software Assurance (SA) licensing programme, to decide whether or not the scheme meets their needs, say experts.

The software giant last week announced a range of additional services that will be available to customers from March next year, in an effort to improve the value for money of SA (see below).

Microsoft UK licensing manager Mark Buckley told Computing that the new features have been made available following feedback from users, and says businesses should examine the benefits in the context of their own organisations.

‘Customers have the option to procure how they wish,’ he said. ‘But the cost of support outside of SA can be quite expensive. These updates can enhance the supportability of their IT infrastructure.’

SA is designed to give access to new versions of Microsoft products through a regular subscription-style payment plan.

But the scheme faced criticism when it was launched in 2002, after users complained that it would be more expensive. The scheme works on a three-year contract period, but many users say they only upgrade their desktop software once every five years.

Alvin Park, research vice president at analyst Gartner, says organisations must evaluate if the improvements make SA worth adopting.

‘With these latest enhancements, Microsoft wants to provide additional value and convince customers that they should embrace SA, irrespective of whether a new version will be released during the term of SA coverage,’ he said.

‘Customers should again evaluate the total SA package against their Microsoft software usage requirements, to determine if SA is now valuable enough for them to want to purchase it.’

Nauman Haque, an analyst at Info-Tech Research, says the new features will be most attractive to medium-sized businesses.

‘The new software lifecycle management services and support for legacy systems will help medium-sized companies that tend to have longer upgrade cycles and fewer resources,’ he said.

‘Mid-sized customers have generally pushed back against SA, because they tend to be a version or two behind and don’t necessarily need new upgrades as they are released. With the proposed support for legacy systems, these customers may now be willing to spend the extra money for SA coverage.’

New features

Desktop Deployment Planning Services

Vouchers for one to 10 days of service for Microsoft Office or Windows customers

Information Work Solution Services

One- to two-day service offering led by Microsoft-certified partners to help derive additional value from Office

Windows Vista for Enterprise Edition

Full-volume encryption to enhance the protection of data if the hard drive is lost or stolen, a single worldwide deployment image that includes the Multilingual User Interface, and legacy application compatibility through Virtual PC Express

Windows Fundamentals for Legacy PCs (codenamed ‘Eiger’)

Windows-based operating system product designed for customers with legacy PCs who are not in a position to purchase new hardware

Extended Training Vouchers for Enterprise Customers

An increase in benefit limits for customers with at least 30,000 Office or Windows licences

24x7 Business-critical Support for Problem Resolution

Unlimited web support for all Microsoft server products, and 24x7 business-critical phone support for all Microsoft-supported products

Extended Hot Fix Support

Waiver of annual fees and required sign-up periods for SA customers

Source: Gartner