Skype for business to microsoft teams upgrade planning. When a new version of microsoft office is released during the term of your agreement, your licenses are automatically upgraded to the new version. So, if we purchase enterprise upgrades under vl without sa for windows 10 enterprise anniversary update, the license could be perpetual, but it would really be usable for for the support life of anniversary update 12. Nov 07, 2011 microsoft is leveraging the immediacy and urgency of security updates to force customers into paying for software assurance. Software assurance benefits across microsoft volume licensing programs. New software assurance is only available when purchased with a new license. Customers can also migrate to payasyougo azure virtual machines. First, it gives organizations the rights to use microsoft s newer emerging software if an organization is still covered by sa for that. Upgrade license in any commercial licensing program. How to use or renew your software assurance benefits techsoup. The semiannual channel, with its more frequent release cycle, does not receive update releases.
Microsoft changed this month how it offers its windows enterprise edition licensing. Software assurance benefits can only be renewed before their twoyear term expires not after. Customers with software assurance can upgrade from system center 2016 or 2012r2 to system center, version 1801. For devices that do not qualify for windows software assurance such as thin clients, you can access windows software assurance benefits by purchasing the windows vda subscription. Most large companies offer software assurance like a part of the licensing agreement. Software assurance spans a broad range of microsoft software and services, including windows, microsoft. After ga of windows server 2016, customers are encouraged to inventory their environment using appropriate tools, including software inventory logging sil, or thirdparty inventory tools. Vlsc windows 10 upgrade licenses ms licensing spiceworks. Go to microsoft software assurance support page and click on submit request. Active software assurance customers in volume licensing have the benefit to upgrade to windows 10 enterprise offerings outside of this offer.
Type your software assurance access id and email address you use to access the vlsc and click continue. 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. With new version rights, you can upgrade each microsoft product license that is covered by active software assurance to the most recent version for no additional cost. Using software assurance, microsoft has crafted a program that promises savings, while often costing businesses even more for software. For instance, without software assurance, you wouldnt be able to use windows 2000 server cals on windows server 2003. Just as the program has changed, says rozas, so have the reasons to invest in it. And what the microsoft support tech told you is correct. Software assurance benefits sa provides three benefits.
Purchase pc with windows 10 pro and office 2016 professional oem versions. The value and benefit gained under microsoft volume licensing programs and through use of microsoft software and services may vary by customer. Microsoft adds option to buy windows enterprise edition. As a software assurance customer, you are entitled to planning service days, which can be redeemed for deployment planning engagements with microsoft services or qualified microsoft partners. Microsoft has also announced, effective october 1st 2019, a material update to its longstanding outsourcer licensing terms that will impact customers who have purchased licenses without software assurance sa and mobility rights assigned to dedicated host infrastructure services, provided by a discrete list of named listed providers. Software assurance early termination microsoft community. With microsoft s 24month software assurance, your licenses will receive all updates and upgrades on this product for a period of 24months from the date of issue of the license. Since then, it has evolved into todays software assurance program, a very different offering than when it was simply an upgrade program.
Microsoft software assurance what it is and how it applies. Microsofts new unified support plan may result in price. Microsoft visual studio ultimate with msdn software. By delivering planning services engagements, you have the opportunity to generate more leads, drive enterprise agreement renewals, and get paid by microsoft. After paying for five years for a windows upgrade, the majority of microsoft software assurance customers never deployed it. Park, however, said that the figure could come closer to 50 percent. As outlined in the product list, for any licensed product covered with active sa, youre given the right to upgrade and run the latest version of that product that is made available during the coverage. See the vlsc software assurance guide for detailed, stepbystep instructions for accessing and using planning services. Microsoft software assurance offers rights to upgrade to the latest version without incurring additional licensing costs. Microsoft includes two years of free software assurance with most volume licensing products it donates through techsoup. Select the product and problem for which you need support.
Software assurance for volume licensing includes a range of benefits that span microsoft software and services. Software assurance often includes an additional set of rights that give you more freedom with the software. The right to install the software on more than one machine. Faq about esu for windows server 20082008 r2 and sql. Apr, 2017 if you have a server with 20 cores running windows server 2012 with software assurance, then microsoft will grant you 20 core licenses for windows server 2016. These limitations include a limited feature set, limited upgrade options, and a separate product support lifecycle. Microsoft announced today changes to their software assurance sa benefits offerings that will be gradually rolled out starting in february 2020 and fully implemented by january 2022. What is microsoft software assurance and how do i access it. Download microsoft software assurance interactive benefits. What happens after my microsoft software assurance expires. Windows 10 enterprise features include all the capabilities that customers get with windows 10 pro, plus premium features designed to provide the mobile productivity, security, manageability, and virtualization needs of todays organizations. Microsoft volume licensing frequently asked questions.
Microsoft software assurance benefits royal discount. For customers without software assurance, we recommend customers move to azure sql database managed instance for their sql server 2008 environments. How can a customer calculate the esu price of the following situation. Should i buy software assurance with my microsoft licenses. Learn more about the software assurance training vouchers benefit learn more about the software assurance elearning. Are my microsoft product licenses still valid after software assurance expires. Microsoft announces changes to software assurance benefits. Software assurance is an agreement between your company and microsoft. When a new version of microsoft office is released during the term of your agreement, your licenses are. It has been updated to reflect windows software assurance per user licensing and to reflect that microsoft now refers to the volume licensing agreements formerly in. When you purchase a windows 10 enterprise upgrade license through volume licensing, you can also acquire software assurance for that license.
If you purchase cals without software assurance, then the cals are only valid for that version of windows or lower. With software assurance, the cals are also usable on the upgraded product. Entitlement summary commercial and government offerings new version rights licensed products with software assurance coverage can be upgraded to the latest version of that product made available during the covered period. Solved when is software assurance required with windows. The number of planning services days you are eligible for depends on the type and number of software assurance licenses you have. Roll over the to see entitlement descriptions for individual benefits. Microsoft volume licensing microsoft software assurance. Microsoft announced retirement of software assurance deployment planning services and software assurance training voucher benefits on september, 2019. Microsoft visual studio ultimate with msdn software assurance series sign in to comment. Microsoft marks end to upgrade program techrepublic. Get more out of your microsoft software and services. Microsoft windows 10 enterprise upgrade with software. Software assurance office professional 2016 oem scenario.
Microsoft software assurance benefits g ultima is a microsoft tier 1 partner g microsoft gold partner gold devices and deployment g provider of endtoend deployment services g 24x7x365 microsoft technical support services g mcp accredited consultants g microsoft lsp and enterprise software advisor planning and design services. May 22, 2006 be sure to check out all of the software assurance benefits that are also included when you add software assurance to your oem office licenses within 90 days, such as. Windows 10 enterprise upgrade w software assurance pack. The traditional office desktop suite becomes much more valuable with the addition of exchange, skype for business as well as office 365. Microsoft updates to software assurance sa, beginning. Plans include a broad range of microsoft software and services, including windows, microsoft office, exchange, system center, sql server, and many others. This security update resolves remote code execution vulnerabilities that exists in microsoft sharepoint if the software does not check the source markup of an application package.
Software assurance sa is a comprehensive microsoft maintenance program that unlocks the full flexibility for accessing and running the latest versions of your licensed products. Software assurance benefits microsoft volume licensing. Sa offers significant benefits to assist people upgrade and also get more from their existing software. This brief applies to most microsoft commercial licensing programs. If your organization has or plans to invest in sa, you will need to understand how these changes will impact your ability to accrue, redeem, and consume these benefits moving forward. Apr 03, 2020 software assurance for volume licensing offers a range of tools and resources to help your company deploy, manage, and maximize your volume licensing purchases.
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. If you do not have your access id, contact your software assurance benefits administrator or microsoft sales representative. Can i renew my microsoft software assurance benefits through the donation program. Software assurance benefits help you take full advantage of your investments in it. Microsoft s software assurance gives you automatic access to new technology and provides productivity benefits, support, tools, and training to help deploy and use software efficiently.
Plan your sharepoint deployment a benefit for microsoft volume licensing software assurance. Adding software assurance to your oem office licenses. Microsoft software assurance support incident submission. Software assurance customers who license sql by core also have the option of migrating to azure using the azure hybrid benefit ahb. Protect your software investment and ensure that you have access to the most current technology. Click on any software assurance benefit name for a brief description. The program covers microsoft technologies and services and includes new product version rights, technical and enduser training, deployment planning, and support. Software assurance availability and benefits vary by volume licensing program and region. Windows 10 enterprise upgrade w software assurance pack windows 10 enterprise features include all the capabilities that customers get with windows 10 pro, plus premium features designed to provide the mobile productivity, security, manageability, and virtualization needs of todays organizations. A new windows enterprise edition standalone upgrade offering, not requiring software assurance sa coverage. Chart data includes descriptions and eligibility summaries for all software assurance benefits including new version rights, 24x7 problem resolution support, windows enterprise edition, license mobility, and others. Existing software models and entitlements are updated with downgrade rights content. Beginning with the october 2016 release of the version 1606 baseline media for configuration manager, you can specify the expiration date of your software assurance agreement. Microsoft s overhaul of its premier support organization the services unit that provides business customers with help, planning and education is known as microsoft unified support and.
Expert offers tips on microsofts software assurance program. Licensing and branches configuration manager microsoft. Checklist for 2002 configuration manager microsoft docs. Software assurance is an offering for microsoft volume licensing customers that provides customers with benefits such as the ability to spread payments over three years, new version rights, support, tools, and training. Get the tools and training you need to do more with the it investments you plan to make as well as those you have already made. Volume licenses can be purchased with software assurance,a microsoft program that provides additional benefits beyond the core volume license including software version upgrade rights at no additional cost, a home use purchase program providing a significant discount for purchasing an additional license for home use e.
Software assurance planning services helps guide your customers through the deployment and business value planning stages of software implementation. All select plus licenses are perpetual, meaning that they never expire whether purchased with or without software assurance. Microsoft is updating software assurance sa through changes to sa benefits, starting in february 2020. Customers should refer to their agreements for a full understanding of their rights and obligations under microsoft s volume licensing programs.
Software assurance by product microsoft volume licensing. As a software assurance customer, you may be entitled to planning service days, which can be used for deployment planning engagements with microsoft services or qualified microsoft partners. Benefits included with microsoft software assurance. Client licensing with sa required for sccm imaging. 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. October 20, 2011, harri daniel, comments off on benefits of software assurance. For most microsoft select plus licenses, software assurance is an optional addon. Software assurance by benefit microsoft volume licensing. Mpsa customers go to the microsoft business center. Software assurance coverage is required to take advantage of stepup licensing. What is included in my microsoft software assurance benefits. What to know about upgrading to windows server 2016 with. Visit microsoft software assurance or contact your microsoft volume licensing reseller. On the create an incident select a payment option page, select use my software assurance agreement.
Software assurance upgrade benefits for licenses are automatic. My question is about the transistion of software assurance from ws2012 to ws2016. Software assurance office professional 2016 oem microsoft. Among other things, new version rights for software assurance can be one of the more attractive and valuable sa benefits. Thank you and have a wonderful day, eric ligman microsoft us senior manager small business community engagement. Your organizations software assurance benefits administrator receives an access id after clicking activate on the 24x7 benefit in the volume licensing service center vlsc. The engagement focuses on assessing the current infrastructure, examining use cases, and identifying blockers in order to complete an upgrade to microsoft teams. Microsoft licensing is the single largest it expense for many.
To have any chance of getting a free upgrade to 10 pro the upgrade path for you is windows 7 pro windows 10 pro. Steven, i n simple terms, what exactly is software assurance and why is it so important with microsoft licenses sk. The antivirus software can lock some files that need to be updated which causes our update to fail. Microsoft software assurance elearning courses provide interactive selfpaced training, designed to help employees get more out of using a broad range of microsoft products. Dec 23, 2014 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. For more information, see the software assurance faq. Upgrade protection, elearning, home use rights, etc. Software assurance sa is microsofts discounted offer to prepurchase future upgrades of the software title one carries sa on. Windows 10 free upgrade eligibility microsoft community. The longterm servicing channel receives update releases containing security updates and nonsecurity updates. But heres the catch you must provide microsoft with sufficient documentation to receive the extra licenses. The software assurance support provides business hours support with a 24hour response time goal.
This update also resolves crosssitescripting xss vulnerabilities that exists if microsoft sharepoint server does not correctly sanitize a specially crafted web. Windows 10, office 365, office 2016, power bi, azure, windows 8. Software assurance for volume licensing offers a range of tools and resources to help your company deploy, manage, and maximize your volume licensing purchases. On the software entitlement form, there are new licensing types to support microsoft software assurance licenses microsoft upgrade licenses are upgraded to stepup licenses contentrelated upgrade information. May 23, 20 if you purchase cals with software assurance, and keep the license current usually every 2 3 years, then you are also covered for new releases of windows. Windows virtual desktop access rights vda enables users to access virtual instances of windows in a variety of user scenarios. Windows 7 software assurance i am using winows 7 pro x64 and i would like to get a new product key for windows xp x64 to load on another hard drive on the same windows 7 pc for dual boot. Software assurance, announced on may 10, 2001, radically changed the rules. This engagement focuses on a roadmap and journey for upgrading from skype for business to microsoft teams. Microsoft makes significant licensing changes softwareone. Take advantage of enhanced features and technologies with premium software editions reduce the costs of buying new software windows 7 enterprise available exclusively to microsoft software assurance customers, windows 7. With software assurance, you receive access to new versions of licensed software released during the term of your agreement to deploy at your own pace. Visit software assurance to learn more about planning services and other software assurance benefits. When rozas joined microsoft in 2000, the software titan offered a software upgrade program.
Software assurance helps boost organizational productivity with 24x7 technical support, deployment planning services, enduser and technical training, exclusive technologies and rights, and the latest microsoft software releases and unique technologiesall in one costeffective. Im giving away millions of free microsoft ebooks again, including. 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. No change of architecture for the initial free upgrade. With microsoft sa, you are guaranteed your business will not be left behind. Before you update a site, back up the site database at the cas and primary sites. Sa benefits include software upgrades during the term of the coverage, enduser elearning, 24x7 web support, and access to microsofts comprehensive technical. How long does my microsoft software assurance last. 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. Before you update a site, stop antivirus software on the configuration manager servers. Microsoft commercial licensing software assurance microsoft partner 500 equivalent employees.
The number of planning services days you are eligible for depends on the type and number of qualified software assurance licenses you have. Reimaging by using commercial licensing fullversion. Purchase software assurance for office 2016 professional plus to enable office roaming user rights so that can user can access office suite on network server when offsite. This license includes microsoft software assurance. Why microsoft software assurance customers never win the. Jun 30, 2004 microsoft estimates that only around 10 percent to 30 percent of the upgrade advantage customers will move to software assurance. Commercial licensing brief type here reimaging licensed.