Microsoft volume licensing frequently asked questions faqs. Software assurance spans a broad range of microsoft software and services products, including the windows operating system, microsoft office. Volume licensing service center software assurance. Click on any software assurance benefit name for a brief description. Software assurance by benefit microsoft volume licensing. Microsoft actually refers to premium assurance as a software assurance addon plan. Microsoft to offer premium assurance for servers adding 6 years. License mobility through microsoft software assurance. Software assurance renewal planning guide microsoft software assurance helps your business at each stage of software management. Assurance at their sa renewal period, according to microsofts data sheet publication. Microsoft to offer premium assurance for servers adding. Steven, i n simple terms, what exactly is software assurance and why is it so important with microsoft licenses sk. The answer depends on your situation and what you want to achieve with your purchase. The value and benefit gained under microsoft volume licensing programs and through use of microsoft software and services may vary by customer.
For products that come with microsoft software assurance, your organisation will receive benefits for two years from the time of your. Microsoft software assurance sa is a microsoft maintenance program aimed at business. Software assurance is a comprehensive volume licensing program that includes a unique set of technologies, services, and rights to help you deploy, manage, and use your microsoft products more efficiently. You can use software assurance to upgrade your software for free. What is microsoft software assurance and how do i access it. Microsoft software assurance 3 select licence sam, enterprise agreementsubscription every licence covered under software assurance may be upgraded to the newest software version. To submit an invoice to microsoft through savb, follow the instructions in step 8 of the workflow. Software assurance spans a broad range of microsoft software and services, including windows, microsoft office, exchange, system center, sql server, and many others. Customers should refer to their agreements for a full understanding of their rights and obligations under microsoft s volume licensing programs. You can get support at a microsoft store, or call microsoft, or contact us online. When purchasing a product with software assurance online with a credit card, renewal is automatic and you will see a note about that in.
Before microsoft license mobility through software assurance, you had to license software for your onpremises use through volume licensing vl programs such as the microsoft enterprise agreement ea, microsoft select plus and microsoft open license. 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. Software assurance sa benefits expire after two years, though they can be renewed for a. Windows 10 enterprise with or without software assurance, an. How to contact microsoft with my assure plan microsoft.
In negotiating the software licenses, a favorable agreement was reached. This will take you to the software assurance benefit details page. Insurance firms want to cut costs now and innovate for the future. You have 90 days from the date of computer purchase to acquire software assurance for this oem license. Software assurance by product microsoft volume licensing. Payments are handled through the software assurance voucher benefit savb online payment tool. You are entitled to support by virtue of purchasing the license.
Youve already purchased a perpetual license for the relevant microsoft products via your original ea, so the renewal is merely an extension of the maintenance element, which microsoft calls software assurance sa. Gregor kneitz, who is a microsoft senior product manager for volume license programs will provide information about these benefits and will answer your questions about how to access it. Expert offers tips on microsofts software assurance. Software assurance is an annuity thats thought to add maybe 25 percent to 27 percent on top of the licensing cost. What is included in my microsoft software assurance benefits. Asr for migration from on premise and windows os licensing it sort of assists. One thing to keep in mind is microsoft is now on an annual.
And microsoft has set up a tiered pricing approach for the purpose thats much like an insurance buyin plan. Software assurance planning services in partner center. Should i buy software assurance with my microsoft licenses. Failover rights and cold disaster recovery rights serve two different, but similar purposes.
When purchased through one of our reseller, partner, software integrator channels or via a purchase order then manual subscription renewal is required. Go to microsoft software assurance support page and click on submit request. Using software assurance benefits can help you take full advantage of your investments in it. Instead of one upfront payment, you spread the costs of your volume licensing and software assurance purchase across three equal, annual sums, helping you forecast your technology budget up to three years in advance. The tip he added is that organizations dont have to renew their sa. Mandatory software assurance sometimes buying sa coverage isnt an option at all, as in the case of client access licenses cals. Microsoft includes two years of free software assurance with most volume licensing products it donates through techsoup. Software assurance spans microsoft s range of software products and services, helping you get the most out of your microsoft investment. Why microsoft software assurance customers never win. Not every microsoft customer needs software assurance on all of the vendors offerings. Tech support scams are an industrywide issue where scammers trick you into paying for unnecessary technical support services. Microsoft software assurance has always been a gamble. Type your software assurance access id and email address you use to access the vlsc and click continue.
Microsoft software assurance what it is and how it. Learn how to enroll and qualify in microsoft planning services engagements so you can deliver training and other services to customers with software assurance. Why microsoft software assurance customers never win the. Software assurance offers tools, training, and other resources to empower your business. Support for software that has been legitimately licensed is a licensing right.
On the create an incident select a payment option page, select use my software assurance agreement. Microsofts softwareplusservices approach allows companies to accomplish both. For sql server, cold disaster recovery dr rights are a software assurance sa benefit while failover rights do not require sa coverage, but to february 6, 20 9. With microsoft 365 licensing, windows management experts can consolidate all the microsoft software you depend on into a single license with a single renewal datesaving you time and money over managing them individually.
You can help protect yourself from scammers by verifying that the contact is a microsoft agent or microsoft employee and that the phone number is an official microsoft global customer service number. Nov 27, 20 software assurance working out costs over 4 year period. Using software assurance, microsoft has crafted a program that promises savings, while often costing businesses even more for software. Post agreement, emerset continued to support the company to ensure its employees made productive use of their software assurance benefits. Dec 23, 2014 if you are in the market for microsoft licenses, one question you should be asking is. Software assurance and support renewal reinstatement. You can follow the question or vote as helpful, but you cannot reply to this thread. 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. Lets say im using asr to migrate from a vmware platform and a windows datacenter license is applied to the host obviously not physically applied to license the windows guests. The first step is understanding what software assurance is, so in this post i will try to explain it in a clear and concise manner. Are you using any of your windows sa benefits that require active software assurance. Microsoft licensing is the single largest it expense for many.
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. Conclusioncta whether you want to pay a single bill for all your microsoft licenses, or pay for users as you add them, windows management experts can take the guesswork out of license agreements for you. Like most terms in microsoft licensing, sa looks like an industry standard concept, but has sufficient microsoft specific. Like most terms in microsoft licensing, sa looks like an industry standard concept, but has sufficient microsoftspecific. Software assurance versus premier support miro consulting.
With this software assurance benefit, there is no need to purchase new licenses and no associated mobility fees so, you can easily deploy existing licenses on the. Microsoft includes two years of software assurance with most volume licensing products it donates through techsoup canada. Software assurance benefits expire after two years. However, its not an easy decision and its not the right move for every microsoft customer. If you are using it for vdi, you have to have sa current. Microsoft provides helpful selfaudit tools and reports to quantify and. Software assurance training vouchers satv microsoft.
Software assurance benefits included with microsoft donations. To renew your software assurance benefits, request a standalone software assurance product through techsoup up to 90 days before your original benefits expire. Software licenses and software assurance purchased on the open business program last two 2 years. Meanwhile, services such as azure and o365 are adding to the confusion. The new windows server premium assurance and sql server. Windows enterprise agreements can let their sa coverage lapse and they. To put it simply, microsoft computes the license price used as the basis for the 29 percent software assurance fee one way in a new agreement and a different way in a renewal. Product licenses do not expire and are valid for as long as you own the product. License negotiation case studies software licensing experts.
Upcoming expiration date of your software assurance benefits available from the vlsc. Software assurance working out costs over 4 year period. Software assurance includes a core set of benefits to help improve workforce productivity, streamline software deployment, and reduce costs in a variety of ways across devices. Oct 22, 2017 tech support scams are an industrywide issue where scammers trick you into paying for unnecessary technical support services.
Normally you have perpetual use of the product if you do not renew sa but i believe there are some subscription based license models which require sa or you have to do a buy out. Microsoft is leveraging the immediacy and urgency of security updates to force customers into paying for software assurance. You will need to renew your requirements and reenroll in the planning services programs each year. Software assurance is a collection of benefits included with microsoft.
Software assurance is an annuity thats thought to add maybe 25 percent to 27. Software assurance spans microsofts range of software products and services, including the windows operating system, microsoft office, exchange, sql server. Discounted microsoft products are available with or without software assurance. Ninety days prior to expiration, your vlsc account owner should receive an email from microsoft saying that the benefits are expiring soon. Microsoft software assurance support incident submission. May 23, 20 when purchasing a product with software assurance online with a credit card, renewal is automatic and you will see a note about that in the license email you receive after the purchase.
No software assurance was purchased, and we are now past the 90 day grace period to buy sa. For some of the very first microsoft customers who signed software licensing deals and elected to buy the companys software assurance program, now is the time to decide whether its worth it to sign up again next year. Microsoft volume licensing microsoft software assurance. Cals give end users the rights to access microsoft s servers.
Software assurance benefits across microsoft volume licensing programs. Roll over the to see entitlement descriptions for individual benefits. Software assurance sa is microsofts discounted offer to prepurchase future upgrades of the software title one carries sa on. Nov 07, 2011 microsoft is leveraging the immediacy and urgency of security updates to force customers into paying for software assurance. Microsoft rolls out premium assurance plans for windows. Volume licensing service center software assurance benefits. Microsoft software assurance for volume licensing helps boost organizational productivity with 24x7 support, deployment planning services, and technical training, the latest microsoft software releases, unique technologies, plus support for cloud services adoption, all in one costeffective program. Esurance turns to microsofts softwareplusservices strategy. Software assurance for volume licensing includes a range of benefits that span microsoft software and services. Deciding on microsofts software assurance option isnt getting any easier. For more information, see the microsoft product list and product use rights available on the microsoft volume licensing web site.
Software assurance benefits help you take full advantage of your investments in it. Do microsoft customers really need software assurance. How to decide which renewal is best for your organization. Expert offers tips on microsofts software assurance program. Microsoft software assurance big risk for a small reward. They can be renewed by requesting a standalone software assurance product through techsoup up to 90 days before the end of the twoyear term, but not after the benefits have already expired. Get genuine operating systems do not include software assurance benefits. Any issues with allowing software assurance to expire.
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. Volume licensing service center software assurance benefits learn about software assurance benefits and how to access them using the volume licensing service center vlsc, microsoft s website to help you get installation keys, download or order microsoft installation software, and. Windows 10 enterprise with or without software assurance. For example, you purchase a new computer with a microsoft office oem license. 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 microsoft s future will delve into why he thinks microsoft software assurance customers. Visit microsoft software assurance or contact your microsoft volume licensing reseller.
Ten years ago this month, microsoft introduced the most controversial licensing program in its history. Can i renew my microsoft software assurance benefits through the donation program. Under microsofts licensing terms, client access licenses cals, external. Eliminating sa on some products can lead to savings. What happens after my microsoft software assurance expires. Software assurance is optional under the open business volume licensing program. Asr for migration from on premise and windows os licensing. Microsoft to offer premium assurance for servers adding 6. Click on the license id for which you want to manage 24. The software assurance spread payments benefit works with your budget and helps lower your initial licensing costs. Licensing programs eligibility requirements microsoft azure. It depends on the channel in which the particular license was purchased. Software assurance is a comprehensive volume licensing program that includes a unique set of technologies, services, and rights to help you deploy, manage. Mar 19, 2019 the sa support offering is governed by microsoft s current software assurance terms and conditions.
Sql 2017 enterprise, software assurance, and adding cores. The sa support offering is governed by microsoft s current software assurance terms and conditions. Request payment from microsoft existing partners after redeeming planning services vouchers, you must invoice microsoft for payment. It provides the greatest flexibility for how your organization uses windows because it includes access to enterprise offerings and use rights that are not available through other licensing programs. Additionally, software assurance coverage is mandatory for some specific. When sa is discontinued, customers are only entitled to use windows 10 enterprise ltsb. Microsoft partners software assurance benefits chart software assurance software assurance overview volume licensing service center vlsc vlsc software assurance guide vlsc sign in to microsoft business center. Software assurance benefits microsoft volume licensing. Software assurance can be purchased on retail or oem licensed products if done within 90 days of acquiring the retail or oem license. 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. License mobility through software assurance gives microsoft volume licensing customers the flexibility to deploy eligible server applications with active software assurance on azure. May 18, 2009 by embracing the softwareplusservices approach, esurance gives customers the flexibility and choice of services that span the web, pc, phone and mobile device. Renewing your software assurance contact an authorized microsoft charity reseller. Microsoft starts selling premium assurance for sql.
Software assurance is an annuity thats thought to add maybe 25. To find the answers to your program, process, and policy questions, including related readiness content, go to. Microsoft collects money in advance for future upgrades during a volumelicensing agreement and then keeps the money if it doesnt deliver. For complete technet coverage, including fullversion software licensed for. How do i backdate an order for software assurance sa. Having said that, there is a connection between software assurance and support and it comes from the amount of software assurance spend. Licensing programs eligibility requirements microsoft. Select the product and problem for which you need support. How to use or renew your software assurance benefits techsoup. Software assurance helps keep your business up to date with a unique set of technologies, and services, and rights to maximize your microsoft investment. Software assurance, announced on may 10, 2001, radically changed the rules. Some people call microsoft software assurance a form of insurance, but sa premiums.
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