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Jul

Software Assurance Packaged Services

By Gerry V

In the “product off years” at Microsoft (no new OS, no new Office), internal focus often shifts to other components of Software Assurance that can add value to the investment since there is no compelling argument for upgrade rights. It is no surprise then that 2008 is bringing us new choices in what Microsoft calls “Packaged Service Offerings.”

In a nutshell, these are Microsoft-funded consulting packages provided to SA customers at no charge, with the goal of allowing those customers to explore new technologies for deployment at their Enterprise. The newest is SDPS – or –SharePoint Deployment Planning Services. SDPS provides the client with bundles of consulting days for anywhere from 1 to 15 days (length is driven by size of licensing agreement) where a certified Microsoft Partner will provide anything from Requirements Gathering for a SharePoint Deployment right up to a full-blown Pilot on site. Springhouse consultants are currently engaged in a number of these and the initial feedback has been outstanding. If SharePoint is anywhere on your radar, consider opening the discussion to see if your enterprise qualifies for SDPS.

Considering a migration to Office 2007? Springhouse is working with Value Prism and Microsoft to beta test Microsoft’s latest packaged Service, Office System Business Value Planning Services – or - OSBVPS. The idea of this bundle is to help customers identify, unlock, and capture the business value of Office System. This service will deliver a current state process analysis, future state process design, a high-level business case for the proposed solution, as well as a high-level adoption/implementation plan and a proposal for additional services to implement the solution. The Springhouse team will engage some candidate enterprises at no charge for this service in the coming months. Please reach out immediately to gvogler@springhouse.com if an Office 2007 migration/implementation is under consideration to learn more.

Technorati Tags: Licensing, Microsoft SharePoint, Microsoft Software Assurance, SDPS

Filed Under Microsoft, SA Benefits, SharePoint Designer, Software Licensing |

May

Windows 7 – Now a mid-2009 launch ?

By Gerry V

Recently Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer acknowledged that Microsoft was aiming to deliver Windows 7 in mid-2009. This is even earlier than previously announced indicating what may be a less-than-enthusiastic acceptance of Vista.

Up until now, Microsoft’s official line has been that Windows 7 will ship three years from the date that Vista became generally available. Microsoft began offering Vista to its business customers in the fall of 2006 and to consumers in January 2007.

Redmond is citing the revised launch date is due to the holiday PC sales season. With Vista, Microsoft missed getting code to its PC partners early enough for them to preload it on machines they sold during the holidays and my guess is that Ballmer won’t let that happen again.

Technorati Tags: Microsoft, Microsoft Windows, Operating Systems, Vista, Windows 7, Windows Vista

Filed Under General, Microsoft, Servers & Infrastructure, Software Licensing, Technology |

Jan

OEM Licensing – a Whole Lot of Misconceptions

By Gerry V

OEM, or “Original Equipment Manufacturer,” Software Licensing is one of the most commonly misunderstood licensing structures and is often the Achilles’ heel of many an enterprise compliance audit.

The fundamental concept behind OEM licensing is that a computer workstation or server is functionless with some kind of operating system running it. That said, when your hardware vendor or reseller sells you a workstation, it includes a license of the operating system du Jour (here’s a challenge to prove my point, try to purchase a pc from say, Dell or Gateway, without an OS…). The licensing violation usually takes place at the end of the hardware’s life cycle – Enterprise X retires a workstation because of slow processing speed or some other hardware limitation but assumes they have a perfectly viable version of Windows XP that can be transferred to that old Windows NT box they’re using down in Shipping and Receiving… not so fast ! The OEM license was attached to that original piece of hardware and cannot be transferred without violating the EULA. Wait a minute, didn’t we purchase the OS when we bought the workstation ? The answer is, “sort of.” OEM licenses that ship with new computers are often sold at a deep discount and therefore not considered transferable.

Ultimately your best friend in navigating the hazardous waters of licensing is your Large Account Reseller, or LAR. A good LAR is well versed in the rules of the various licensing programs and has a sincere interest in helping their clients become and remain client. For a deeper discussion of LAR’s and a short list of recommended ones, email me at gvogler@springhouse.com.

Filed Under Desktop Education, Microsoft, SA Benefits, Servers & Infrastructure, Software Licensing |