Part two, which will be published in a few weeks, will explain the 5 buying programs that microsoft offers. For example, you purchase a new computer with a microsoft office oem license. Other benefits include office multilanguage packs, office suites for use at home, and more. Office software can be used only while the user continues to be an employee at the organisation and software assurance for the office suite remains active. Renewal microsoft office project professional for office 365 open gov. Microsoft makes significant licensing changes softwareone.
Software assurance, announced on may 10, 2001, radically changed the rules. You can get support at a microsoft store, or call microsoft, or contact us online. Software assurance by product microsoft volume licensing. Microsoft collects money in advance for future upgrades during a volumelicensing agreement and then keeps the money if it doesnt deliver. How to decide which renewal is best for your organization.
For more information, see the microsoft product list and product use rights available on the microsoft volume licensing web site. For example, if microsoft releases a new version of office in october, and your software assurance for the old version expires in january, you dont have to. These offers are especially suited for organizations that want to renew their expiring software assurance coverage or decide that software assurance benefits are. Microsoft license terms may change upon software assurance renewal if your department owns a microsoft select or select plus license covered by software assurance software assurance is maintenance or upgrade protection, and you renew that software assurance after the terms of the license have changed, then you are bound by the new terms. Cals give end users the rights to access microsoft s servers. Software assurance planning services training vouchers license mobility unlimited virtualization. Additionally, software assurance is not as robust of a technical support offering. Ea renewal what you need to consider now softwareone blog. People who bought into microsofts controversial threeyear software assurance scheme in july 2001 will now be ready for their third renewal.
Microsofts response to the fragility of software assurances future, and the potential loss of billions as customers decline to renew office 365, the rentnot. The slick and sharp looking sorftware are there to help you achieve the maximum productivity in no time, similar to other office software but better. 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. Software assurance benefits help you take full advantage of your investments in it. Corporate users dump microsofts software assurance. Tech support scams are an industrywide issue where scammers trick you into paying for unnecessary technical support services.
Mar 19, 2019 the sa support offering is governed by microsoft s current software assurance terms and conditions. Microsoft office standard edition software assurance 1 device 3043. Do microsoft customers really need software assurance. Microsoft volume licensing microsoft software assurance. Organisations such as businesses that purchase software through microsoft volume licensing must normally purchase software assurance as a separate option.
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. Appendix b software assurance 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. The value and benefit gained under microsoft volume licensing programs and through use of microsoft software and services may vary by customer. Expert offers tips on microsofts software assurance. 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. Expert offers tips on microsofts software assurance program. Software assurance does not provide a license to use the product. Eliminating sa on some products can lead to savings of 20, 30 or 40 percent of your annual maintenance spend. This is why your sa renewal will cost only a fraction of what you paid.
Should i buy software assurance with my microsoft licenses. Apr 21, 2020 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. 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. 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. People who bought into microsoft s controversial threeyear software assurance scheme in july 2001 will now be ready for their third renewal. Add to wish list add to compare renewal microsoft project 365 open academic. Not every microsoft customer needs software assurance on all of the vendors offerings. Changes to microsoft software assurance options at techsoup. The product use rights for desktop application software allow the organisation to install a copy on a portable device for use by the single. The answer depends on your situation and what you want to achieve with your purchase. Product licenses do not expire and are valid for as long as you own the product. Software assurance is a collection of benefits for microsoft products. 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.
Microsoft software assurance benefits for office can help your organization accelerate deployment and improve enduser productivity. How long does my microsoft software assurance last. Microsoft sql server standard 2 core pack software. Dec 23, 2014 if you are in the market for microsoft licenses, one question you should be asking is.
To renew that coverage, customers must submit a renewal order for software assurance for all copies of all products for which they wish to renew coverage within 90 days after their authorization number expiration date. In case you really have to renew into software assurance, online services addons can be a great option to help you migrate into the cloud at your own pace. Software assurance spans microsofts range of software products and services, including the windows operating system, microsoft office, exchange, sql server, and many others. Software assurance sa is a subscription added to microsoft licenses that offers additional benefits over just being licensed to use the software. The right to install the software on more than one machine. Can i renew a recently expired office 2010 volume license. Microsoft software assurance microsoft wiki fandom. Microsoft provides this material solely for informational purposes. Guide to software assurance charity digital exchange donated. Microsoft office, adobe and other application suites. A comprehensive program that includes a unique set of technologies, services, and rights to help deploy, manage, and use microsoft products ef. Software assurance coverage ordered under an open license authorization number ends upon expiration of that number. Software assurance benefits microsoft volume licensing.
Upcoming expiration date of your software assurance benefits available from the vlsc. This microsoft office 2016 professional plus open license is an essential tool for individuals and small to mediumsized businesses who want organization and simplicity in addition to fullfeatured, uptodate microsoft software. For a few server programs like system center you can only run the current branch if. Buy microsoft sql server standard 2 core pack software assurance 1 year renewal open value 7nq00071 for only 811. The sa support offering is governed by microsofts current software assurance terms and conditions. This software is compatible with office 2010 and backward compatible with previous versions of office on both windows and mac operating systems. These benefits include free software upgrades, office multilanguage packs, office suites. Volume licensing service center software assurance benefits. For more information, see frequently asked questions on office. Software assurance is easier to understand, manage and use through the mpsa and provides a comprehensive range of benefits to help organizations plan, deploy and use the latest microsoft software and services. Microsoft software assurance big risk for a small reward.
May 06, 2014 software assurance coverage ordered under an open license authorization number ends upon expiration of that number. Free upgrades are only one component of software assurance benefits included with many of the microsoft products available through techsoup. Software assurance often includes an additional set of rights that give you more freedom with the software. Find out about the basics of microsoft volume licensing programs, which include software assurance, shared source, open license, select license, select plus, enterprise agreement, enterprise subscription agreement, and product keys. Software assurance benefits calculated by this tool are an estimate only, and the results generated do not constitute an offer. Software assurance is only available through volume licensing and is purchased when you buy or renew a volume licensing agreement. Software assurance is included with some microsoft products available through techsoup, but it can also be requested on its own. Software assurance training vouchers satv microsoft. 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. Open value subscription for education solutions is a commitmentbased microsoft volume licensing agreement for academic organizations with five or more ftes or students that want to license organizationwide. Office standard 2016, office professional plus 2016, or office 2016 for mac standard licenses without software assurance purchased prior to august 1, 2016, will included rights to use createeditsave functionality in the new office online server without restriction through august 1, 2019. Microsoft volume licensing frequently asked questions faqs. Software assurance benefits included with microsoft donations. In support of the nonprofit community, microsoft has generously included software assurance with virtually all of.
The core premise behind sa is to give users the ability to spread their payments for the software over multiple years, while offering free upgrades to newer versions in that time period. Jun 14, 2016 software assurance has an annual cost of 29% of the license price for desktop products e. For more information, see the microsoft product list and product use rights. Microsoft includes two years of software assurance with all volume licensing. Customers should refer to their agreements for a full understanding of their rights and obligations under microsoft s volume licensing programs. You have 90 days from the date of computer purchase to acquire software assurance for this oem license. Get genuine operating systems do not include software assurance benefits. For a few server programs like system center you can only run the current branch if you have active software assurance. Microsoft office professional plus software assurance 1 device 3039. As i have explained before, a software license is a set of rights granted to you by the manufacturer that governs how you use the software. Microsoft license terms may change upon software assurance. These standalone offers provide two years of software assurance or software assurance renewal for a microsoft license.
Microsoft offers software assurance only with its volume licensing programs. Guide to software assurance charity digital exchange. Software assurance benefits are not the same as product licenses. 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. Microsoft collects money in advance for future upgrades during a volumelicensing agreement and then keeps the money if. Like most terms in microsoft licensing, sa looks like an industry standard concept, but has sufficient microsoftspecific. Microsoft s response to the fragility of software assurance s future, and the potential loss of billions as customers decline to renew office 365, the rentnotown plans that microsoft debuted. Volume licensing service center software assurance. How to use or renew your software assurance benefits techsoup.
Microsoft office pro plus 2016 and software assurance. Software assurance through the microsoft products and services agreement. 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. Microsoft includes two years of software assurance with most volume licensing products it donates through techsoup canada. Effective july 1, 2016, in markets where the mpsa is available, microsoft no longer accepts new orders and software assurance renewals through existing commercial select plus agreements at the customers next agreement anniversary date. Microsoft volume licensing product licensing search.
Why microsofts pushing office subscriptions computerworld. Application suites, microsoft office, adobe creative suite. 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. Microsoft will expand the scope of license mobility through sa for eligible licenses with active software assurance sa, to be assigned to dedicated host cloud services from listed providers who are an authorized mobility partner amp, including azure dedicated host.
As a church or nonprofit organization, you are entitled to discounted microsoft nonprofit pricing. Many companies will face a serious decision once their software assurance sa license comes up for renewal later this. Microsoft software assurance has always been a gamble. Microsoft software assurance sa is a microsoft maintenance program aimed at business users who use microsoft windows, microsoft office, and other server. You can renew and extend the duration of an office subscription for a maximum of 5 years. What is the grace period for renewing software assurance after the license. Microsoft software assurance support incident submission.
Microsoft software assurance what it is and how it. There is no grace period after the end of the benefit period to renew. Get answers to frequently asked questions about software assurance. It contains applications like word, excel, powerpoint and outlook with a host of new features that allow you to create presentations, errorfree excel sheets and manage email conveniently. Software assurance is the microsoft program that gives corporate customers software upgrade rights and other benefits during a multiyear contract in exchange for a flat annual fee. Seth explains the benefits to software assurance and helps you weigh whether or not you should buy it with your microsoft licensing. Software assurance renewal planning guide microsoft software assurance helps your business at each stage of software management. These are fully featured perpetual licenses available under microsofts charity licensing program and are delivered via download by microsoft. For example, exchange server, sharepoint server, skype for business server, and sql server. Maximize your teams productivity with the popular suite of applications in the microsoft office professional plus 20 software license. Microsoft office standard edition software assurance 1 device.
For example, if microsoft releases a new version of office in october, and your software assurance for the old version expires in january, you. The software assurance benefits calculator is an online tool to calculate estimated software assurance benefits that customers may be entitled to. If you have office on your ea, you might want to consider renewing the software assurance sa if there are any plans to migrate to office 365 in the near future. How to use or renew your software assurance benefits. Is foregoing software assurance a viable option for your company. Software assurance working out costs over 4 year period. Mandatory software assurance sometimes buying sa coverage isnt an option at all, as in the case of client access licenses cals. Using software assurance benefits can help you take full advantage of your investments in it. Software assurance spans a broad range of microsoft software and services products, including the windows operating system, microsoft office. Software assurance has an annual cost of 29% of the license price for desktop products e. Office 2016 professional plus comes with the latest versions of word, excel, powerpoint, outlook, onenote, and publisher as well as access to.
Nonprofits and church organizations can purchase this software at the discounted. These benefits include free software upgrades, office multilanguage packs, office suites for use at home, and more. Renewing your software assurance contact an authorized microsoft charity reseller. Microsoft includes two years of software assurance with all volume licensing products it donates through techsoup south africa. Microsoft office 2019 for mac osx is the latest version of microsofts mac office suite.