Hello and welcome to the new Microsoft License Management site. We’ve created this site to keep you informed about your licenses, walk you through your agreement lifecycle and provide you with helpful tools and resources. You can also follow us @Msft_VL to stay up to date on Volume Licensing for Enterprise Customers.

We will use this area of the homepage to post news about licensing changes, Software Assurance benefits, and relevant resources to help you get the most out of your investments Microsoft volume licensing. Check back often and sign up to make sure you receive our informative newsletter and invitations to our quarterly webcast series, where we clearly explain upcoming changes and new features in Microsoft licensing.

Need help deploying the latest version of Microsoft SQL Server? SQL Server Deployment Planning Services (SSDPS) is a Software Assurance (SA) benefit that can help you streamline your deployment. SSDPS provides in-depth assessment and planning for deploying, upgrading or migrating content to SQL Server. Three separate engagements of varying lengths can help you review architectural considerations and create a detailed migration plan to help you take advantage of higher availability, scalability, security, management, reporting and data analysis, or gain access to accurate, up-to-date information for better, more relevant decision making.

The Microsoft Home Use Program is a Software Assurance benefit available under a company’s Volume Licensing agreement with Microsoft. Under this program, the Office Professional Plus 2010 suite is available to employees of eligible companies for just $9.95. This means your employees gain experience using Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Outlook, OneNote, Access, InfoPath, Publisher, and SharePoint Workspace at home!

The Microsoft Home Use Program for Office provides valuable training for employees with the latest programs as they tackle everyday projects at home. This experience is applied to the workplace and increases employee productivity and reduces calls to your company help desk. In addition, employees who utilize this benefit are eligible for free 90-day software support from Microsoft, saving the IT department additional time and money.

System management, virtualization, and private cloud are transformational tools for your IT strategy to achieving higher levels of agility, automation, control, and efficiency. Microsoft recognized customers’ needs for deployment support of these infrastructure solutions and launched Private Cloud, Management and Virtualization Deployment Planning Service (PVDPS). PVDPS is a program under SA Benefits to provide you expert planning guidance and customized deployment roadmaps to help you reduce migration risks, offset deployment costs, and optimize the value of your IT investments around private cloud, virtualization, and system management. As a SA Benefits customer, you can leverage Windows Server and System Center workshops, architecture design sessions, proof of concepts, and pilot deployments in 3-15 day engagements funded by Microsoft to evaluate and optimize your IT infrastructure investment.

As a customer with Software Assurance benefits, you may be eligible for Windows Azure Deployment Planning Services – structured consulting engagements, delivered by qualified Windows Azure Circle Partners. Are you looking to extend your existing applications to the cloud or build new web or line-of-business applications with better storage solutions? Do you want to better manage HPC workloads, content collaboration or to syndicate content distribution?

Available at extremely reduced charge (using DPS days) for Microsoft Software Assurance (SA) customers, AZDPS provides an opportunity for you to leverage your investment in Software Assurance (SA) and receive custom training and consulting to identify your applications best suited to run on Windows Azure.

Choose the engagement best suited to your business needs:

• 3 Day Engagement: Learn about Windows Azure and receive training for architects and developers
• 5 Day Engagement: Evaluate web applications and develop assessment plans for their next applications to run on Windows Azure
• 10 Day Engagement: Evaluate Line of Business applications and develop assessment plans for three applications to run on Windows Azure

As a Software Assurance customer, you may be entitled to Planning Service days which can be redeemed for Planning Service days with Microsoft Services or qualified Microsoft partners. The number of Planning Service days you are eligible for depends on the type and number of Software Assurance licenses you have. Planning Service days are pooled and can be used on any of the Planning Services offerings regardless of the products purchased.

You can track your available Planning Service days and activate your vouchers at the Microsoft Volume Licensing Service Center website.

To learn more about Windows Azure Deployment Planning Services, visit the Microsoft Volume Licensing Software Assurance website.

Microsoft provides this information to you as a convenience and makes no warranties, express, implied, or statutory.  Customers should refer to their licensing agreement with Microsoft for a full understanding of their SA benefits and other rights and obligations.