Microsoft Licensing Overview

Select

Advantageous 3-year licence scheme based on forecast purchases, generally for customer with at least 250 desktops. The licences are perpetual. Software Assurance is an option and where taken gives the additional option to spread the cost annually.

Open

A 2-year licence scheme with minimum-quantity entry requirements. The licences are perpetual and Software Assurance is normally an option. In the case of the various editions of Visual Studio 2005 with MSDN, a single subscription licence meets the entry condition on its own, giving a 2-year subscription.

Open Value including Open Value Company-wide

A 3-Year licence scheme which includes Software Assurance as standard. The payments are split annually over the term of the agreement, and the licences become perpetual only when all payments have been made.

With the non-company-wide Open Value scheme, Visual Studio 2005 (whether Professional or Team Systems) with MSDN, qualifies on its own for the scheme (normally a minimum of 5 product licences are required).

With the Open Value Company-wide scheme, there is an initial requirement to commit enterprise-wide to certain key desktop products (a minimum of 5). Visual Studio with MSDN can then be added in any quantity.

Open Value is a cost-effective way to get a Visual Studio with MSDN subscription, as you can start or renew your subscription with a lower initial cost, and then pay fixed yearly payments so you can budget more effectively.

Open Value Subscription

A non-perpetual 3-year licence scheme which includes Software Assurance as standard. Effectively a rental scheme with annual payments, the licences are not perpetual, but buy-out and renewal options are available at the end of the term. All company desktops (minimum 5) must be licensed for any one or more of certain qualifying products. Any quantity of Visual Studio 2005 with MSDN products may then be added to the scheme.

FPP

Full-packaged product, suitable for single copy purchases. The licence is perpetual. With the various ‘Visual Studio 2005 with MSDN’ editions, the box contains limited software media and quickstart documentation, the MSDN being a 1-Year subscription which needs to be registered to obtain the ongoing subscription. At the end of one year, the subscription can be renewed with an FPP renewal or the Open or Open Value schemes.