3. Table of Contents
2 The Microsoft Enterprise Agreement
A Strategic Choice for Your Business
4 How the Enterprise Agreement Works
6 The Enterprise Platform – The Products
7 Software Assurance – Even more Value
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4. A Strategic Choice for Your Business
The Microsoft® Enterprise Agreement program is The Enterprise Agreement includes the advantages of
designed specifically for your organization if you have Software Assurance, Microsoft’s enhanced maintenance
250 or more desktop PCs and want a simple, flexible, and program that helps you get the most out of your software
affordable way to standardize your business on the latest products through a broad range of benefits that can
Microsoft technology (applications, operating systems, also help you save time and money while increasing
and servers). The Enterprise Agreement can help you drive productivity. These benefits support your business as you
IT standardization across your organization, streamline plan, deploy, use, maintain, and transition your software
administration and budgeting, and build a flexible solutions. These benefits include things like free online
infrastructure that responds rapidly to your changing training, 24 X 7 problem resolution support, home use
business needs. rights and a variety of other high value benefits.
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5. Minimize Cost, Maximize Value A Program that Keeps Pace
The Enterprise Agreement helps you reduce the cost
with Your Business
of IT computing and get the most out of your software
With the Enterprise Agreement, you can be confident that
investments through benefits, including:
your IT infrastructure can adapt and grow with evolving
business needs through benefits, such as:
• Spread payments over a three-year term – helps to
streamline your budgeting process, giving you
• Access to the latest technology:
more flexibility.
a Microsoft Office Professional Plus 2007
• The ability to standardize your IT choices across the a Microsoft Office Enterprise 2007
enterprise – so you can tap into the latest technology a Windows Vista® Enterprise Edition
at substantial savings. a Core Client Access License (CAL) Suite
• The right tools and resources that can help your IT a Enterprise CAL Suite
team and employees be more productive – allows
your team to build a more flexible and responsive CALs are licenses that are necessary to provide your
IT environment. employees access to server functionality, identity
• Upgrade rights to the latest technology through management, and enterprise communications such
as e-mail and calendar exchange.
Software Assurance – allows your organization to
immediately take advantage of new version releases. • The opportunity to evaluate any software product for
• Additional Software Assurance benefits that offer 60 days before you purchase a license.
a broad range of tools, services, and solutions to • The ability to license additional software products
help your company get the most out of your under the terms of your original agreement to help
software investments. you respond rapidly to changing business needs while
keeping costs predictable.
More Value by Design
Your IT organization can reduce the time spent managing
your software licenses. With the Enterprise Agreement, you
can do the following:
• Eliminate the need to count individual licenses; you
just count the number of desktop PCs (desktops)
making it easier to manage and track licenses.
• Streamline the procurement process; you only need to
place one order annually.
• Make administration and budgeting processes easier
by centrally tracking purchases and managing licenses
with online management tools.
• Centralize your purchasing so that you can share
software products and extended benefits with
qualified affiliates.
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6. How the Enterprise Agreement Works
The structure of the Enterprise Agreement is framed by Annual Price per Desktop
the enrollment term, the annual price per desktop, Step
Up, and True-up orders – that way your software license The annual price per desktop feature of the Enterprise
purchases are consolidated on an annual basis. Agreement provides a predictable budgeting framework
that you can use to forecast desktop technology costs up
Agreement Term to three years in advance. A payment (based on the pre-
established price per desktop and initial order), is due each
Each Enterprise Agreement enrollment term has a three- year at the anniversary date of your Enterprise Agreement
year term providing you with a defined amount of time enrollment. Because you pay for your software licenses
that the terms and prices of your purchasing relationship once annually, the costs normally associated with software
with Microsoft will remain consistent for all products license acquisition are reduced. In most cases, the number
covered in the initial order. This gives you the ability to of software license purchase orders made annually is reduced
plan and budget for software license purchases up to three from hundreds to two or three total. The predetermined price
years in advance, reducing annual budget restrictions and paid for software licenses covered in your initial order protects
easing fiscal year spending challenges. Each enrollment has you from unanticipated price increases, making it easier to
the option for either a one-year or three-year renewal term stay within your software budget.
after the initial three-year timeframe has elapsed.
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7. Step Up “True-up” Orders Defined
With an Enterprise Agreement, it is possible to migrate During the time you are enrolled in the Enterprise
from Standard Edition software products to Professional Agreement program, it is likely that your business will grow
or Enterprise Edition software products while maintaining and you will add desktops. When you add desktops, they
Software Assurance coverage on a given product. The Step- immediately get the same license coverage as the desktops
up License is available to make it easier to upgrade from enrolled at the beginning of the agreement term. You just
a Standard to Enterprise Edition without incurring the full report added desktops through an annual process, called
cost of licensing two separate editions of software products. a “true-up” order. True-up orders consolidate purchases
for additional software licenses for all products covered by
your initial order into just one annual order, reducing the
time and expense it takes to manage and process multiple
software purchase orders.
Determining Price Levels
The total quantity of qualified desktop PCs when you enroll
in the Enterprise Agreement determines the price level of
enterprise products and any additional products under the
corresponding product pool.
As part of your enrollment, you are responsible for
reporting the number of qualified desktops in your
enterprise. This number is the quantity you indicate on the
initial order at signing, along with any additional desktop
PCs added throughout the term of your enrollment, which
would be covered by submitting the annual true-up order.
Qualified desktops are the personal desktop computers,
portable computers, workstations, and similar devices
that are used by or for the benefit of an enrolled affiliate
(including affiliates in the enterprise) and meet the
minimum requirements for running any of the enterprise
products included in your agreement.
Defining Your Enterprise
Customers who sign an Enterprise Agreement enrollment
are referred to as an “enrolled affiliate.” An enrollment is
an option that gives global companies greater flexibility
in defining their enterprise. Each enterprise must consist
of entire legal entities, not partial entities such as
departments, divisions, or business units. Each affiliate
must be entirely “in” or entirely “out” of the enrollment.
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8. The Enterprise Platform – The Products
The Enterprise Agreement offers organizations access The full platform leverages a consistent interface for users,
to the most recent releases of the Desktop Professional developers, and administrators that can help improve
Platform products. The current Enterprise Agreement productivity and reduce costs. Common commands,
Desktop Platform products are: menus, windows, and interchangeable models should
improve training and development. In addition, strong
• Microsoft Windows Vista Enterprise Edition vendor and developer support offered by both Microsoft
• Microsoft Office Professional Plus 2007 and/or and our partners for software applications will help
Microsoft Office Enterprise 2007 increase flexibility.
• Microsoft Core CAL Suite or
Enterprise CAL Suite The latest Microsoft Professional and Enterprise Platform
technologies support a collaboration infrastructure
that is extensible and interoperates with other systems,
Why Consider Enrolling in the full Enterprise Platform? so that organizations can more easily help meet the
business demands of today’s workers. Technologies such
Organizations benefit from building both simplicity and as Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 helps your
flexibility into their information technology infrastructure. organization get more done by providing a platform
For many organizations, the first step toward achieving for sharing information and working together in teams,
this is to adopt the Microsoft platform as the core of its communities, and people-driven processes.
software infrastructure.
New customers who enroll in the Professional or Enterprise
The Professional and Enterprise Platforms offer products Platform (the Windows Vista Enterprise Edition operating
that are integrated and optimized. Microsoft software system upgrade, Office Professional Plus 2007 and/or
products are optimized to work seamlessly together. Office Enterprise 2007, and Core CAL Suite or Enterprise
For example, a common programming model is used to CAL Suite) receive a platform discount of approximately
improve information sharing between applications. 15% on top of their already discounted enterprise software
product for eligible organizations.
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9. Software Assurance – Even More Value
The Microsoft Enterprise Agreement includes Software
Assurance, an enhanced maintenance program from
Microsoft that helps extend the value of your software
at each phase of the process. Access to training,
deployment planning, software upgrades, and product
support can help your organization be more productive,
reduce overhead, and lower operating costs.
Benefits of Software Assurance include:
• Upgrades to the latest technology through the
newest software releases.
• Packaged services, such as software deployment
and planning services from a Microsoft consultant.
• Home use rights, where your employees can
obtain license rights to install and use the software
on a home computer.
• 24 X 7 Problem Resolution Support.
• Employee Purchase Program – giving your
employees discounts off the retail pricing of
Microsoft software for personal purchase.
• E-learning – provides your employees access to
free, individual, on-demand Microsoft software
training courses.
• Training vouchers – you receive training vouchers
for technical training on select courses from a
Microsoft certified training partner.
Having Software Assurance in place across your
enterprise can reduce the time it takes to track multiple
versions of software. Plus, it can make it easier to put
business solutions in place, because you no longer need
piecemeal approvals to finance new software licenses.
For more information on how you can maximize your investment with Software Assurance benefits, visit:
www.microsoft.com/licensing/programs/sa
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10. Managing Licenses Made Easy Renewing Your Agreement
Microsoft Volume Licensing Services (MVLS) offers an The initial term of the Enterprise Agreement enrollment
online tracking website, and personalized access to details is three years. At the end of the third year, you can renew
about your organizations’ licenses that were purchased your enrollment for one-year or three-year terms. Renewal
through your Enterprise Agreement or any other Volume pricing for existing licensed desktop PCs is based on
Licensing program. Software Assurance only.
Online tracking of your licenses through Microsoft
Volume Licensing Services (MVLS) makes managing your
licenses easier. You can also download licensed products
and manage your Software Assurance benefits that your
organization is entitled to.
We will also send your organization regular annual
reminders about ‘True-ups’ as well as renewal dates when
the time comes.
For further details, visit:
https://licensing.microsoft.com
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11. Stay Up-to-Date
You will find additional details and the latest updates about
the Enterprise Agreement and other Microsoft Volume
Licensing programs at:
www.microsoft.com/licensing
Is the Enterprise Agreement the right
licensing program for your organization?
If you want to learn more about how an Enterprise Agreement can
benefit your organization, we’re here to help you.
Please contact your Microsoft account representative
or call us at 1-877-568-2495.
12. This document is for informational purposes only.
MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, IN THIS SUMMARY.
Microsoft provides this material solely for informational and marketing purposes. Customers should refer to their agreements for a full understanding of
their rights and obligations under Microsoft’s Volume Licensing programs. Microsoft software is licensed, not sold. The value and benefit gained through
use of Microsoft software and services may vary by customer. Customers with questions about differences between this material and the agreements
should contact their reseller or Microsoft account manager.
The contents of this data sheet are subject to change. Please contact your Microsoft account manager or Large Account Reseller for the most current
version of this data sheet.