Microsoft Value Open License

Reason for Vista       Software Assurance

Microsoft Open Value enables small to mid-size organizations that have fewer than 250 desktop PCs to use and manage Microsoft software licenses under a single agreement. Open Value offers simplified license management, better control over your investment, and better management of software costs.

Microsoft Software Assurance benefits—including new version upgrades, technical training, end-user training, and partner services—are available through the term of the agreement. Software Assurance helps your organization improve software resource planning, helps you measure return on your software investment, and helps increase productivity for workers, IT staff, and the organization as a whole.

Open Value Options

Microsoft Open Value offers three options for software acquisition and deployment:

Open Value Company-wide option. With the Company-wide option, your organization receives the rights to run the software for as long as it is needed (perpetual). It can provide significant savings and predictable costs on Microsoft technology with three-year spread payments. • Non–Company-wide option. With the Non–Company-wide option, you can license software on a portion of your desktops or servers and manage your software costs by paying for your license in three annualized payments. If you have a Company-wide agreement, you can simplify management of your licenses by adding Non–Company-wide licenses onto your Company-wide agreement. • Subscription option. With the Subscription option, you can choose to pay a single price per desktop (five-desktop minimum) to deploy Microsoft technology as the standard across the organization, just as with the Company-wide option. The Subscription option gives your organization the rights to run the software company-wide only during the term of the agreement with Microsoft. Note The Subscription option is not currently available in the United States or Canada. More information about offerings available outside the United States and Canada is available on the Web sites for Microsoft Volume Licensing worldwide. Visit Microsoft Volume Licensing sites worldwide.

Benefits of Open Value

Open Value benefits include:

The ability to run any software version. Tracking and managing licenses can be challenging, especially if people are running different versions of software. With Microsoft Open Value, you can control the upgrade cycle with the latest software releases and can run any version of software. It provides greater peace of mind. • Flexibility for business growth. As your organization grows and you need to purchase new desktops, it's easy to integrate the licenses from the new desktops computers into your existing Open Value agreement through Software Assurance. Software Assurance must be purchased within 90 days of the date you purchased the desktops. • The ability to deploy the software you need now. Open Value grants the rights to run any version of the software so that you can stay current and upgrade when you want. With New Version Rights and flexible version management, you can focus more on implementing critical IT projects instead of on building a business case for the next upgrade. • Predictable planning and budgeting. If your organization needs longer-term visibility into IT budget planning, Open Value offers predictable annual payments to help you make better decisions about which IT projects to implement each year. • Spread payments. Open Value helps organizations that have a limited budget. You can amortize your software costs over three years, similar to financing without the interest rates and associated fees. With reduced up-front costs and payments spread over time, you can afford to get the software you need now.

Benefits of Open Value Company-wide

Open Value Company-wide offers additional savings opportunities and a single price per desktop PC to organizations that want to standardize all their desktops on one or more Microsoft enterprise products. The Company-wide option includes the following additional benefits:

• Better manageability. If you manage multiple agreements, company-wide purchasing allows you to consolidate multiple Microsoft contracts into a single agreement, track licenses online, and standardize all of your PCs on the latest software version. It gives you confidence that you have your licenses under control. • Easier license management. Managing software assets is a critical issue for many businesses. Open Value enables you to legitimately install new software as you need it and pay for it all at the end of the year. • Minimize risk and remain compliant. You're responsible for managing new software installations by your IT team and end users. Having upgrade rights means your organization can install the latest version of software without worrying about accidentally becoming noncompliant. This makes it easier for you to reduce your business risk. • More value for software. Open Value includes discounts on frequent upgrades and company-wide purchasing, so you get the best deal for your software purchases. It also provides an agreement that helps you better predict your costs over three years. • Return on investment. Making a strategic choice to standardize on multiple Microsoft software solutions helps you save additional costs. Open Value Company-wide provides discounts and upgrade rights when your organization licenses Microsoft Office, Microsoft Windows Desktop Professional Upgrade, and Client Access Licenses (CAL) for Microsoft Exchange, Microsoft Windows Server, and Microsoft SharePoint Server and Microsoft Systems Management Server (SMS) together on each desktop.

Compare Volume Licensing Programs

Microsoft offers several Volume Licensing programs that are designed to meet the needs of different organizations. You can compare Open Value with the other programs to find the one that's right for your organization.

Compare Open Value with other Volume Licensing programs

How to Acquire

For more information about Open Value, contact your Microsoft partner or find an authorized reseller near you. If you are not currently working with a Microsoft partner, contact an authorized Microsoft reseller to learn more about acquiring Microsoft Open Value.

Find an authorized reseller near you

Worldwide

For information about offerings available outside the United States and Canada, including Open Value Subscription, visit the Microsoft Volume Licensing Web site for your country or region.

Find a the Microsoft Volume Licensing Web site for your region