From Microsoft via email:
In July 2008, we announced Microsoft Select Plus was coming on the horizon, and now we are excited to let you know the program is available to mid-sized and enterprise-level customers in on October 1, 2008. This new program will be one of the most customer friendly volume licensing programs to date, and enhance the process for customers by creating simpler contracts that never expire and providing more flexibility and manageability.
Starting October 1, 2008, Microsoft Volume Licensing will be offering Select Plus, providing customers with more flexibility, better asset management, a way to balance growing technology needs with predictable costs, and a smooth path to achieving better ROI with Software Assurance.
- Customer Focused -- Driven by customer research, Microsoft Select Plus is designed for midsize and large customers who want to purchase their software licenses and services at any business unit level, while realizing advantages of one organization. Since the agreement never expires, customers do not need to renegotiate and renew agreements every three years.
- More flexibility -- When it comes to buying software licenses and getting the most value from their software investment, customers have asked for a Microsoft Volume Licensing solution that offers more flexibility, better asset management, and a way to balance growing technology needs with predictable costs.
This evolution has kept Microsoft Licensing at the forefront of the industry, setting a standard of value for their customers that other technology vendors strive to achieve. The market is changing and our goal is to anticipate the evolving needs of our customers.
- A few examples of how Microsoft has been doing this over the last several months include: The revision of virtualization licensing policies to improve application mobility, and the continued addition of valuable services to the Software Assurance program with SharePoint Deployment Planning Services.
More information about Select Plus and other Microsoft Volume Licensing programs is available at http://www.microsoft.com/licensing as well as http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/SelectPlus.