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Enrollment for Core Infrastructure

The Enrollment for Core Infrastructure (ECI) is a Microsoft Enterprise Agreement (EA) enrollment that helps you easily acquire the foundation for a protected, well-managed IT infrastructure. The suites available through the Enrollment for Core Infrastructure provide you with the server platform, server management and server protection you need to deliver more efficient, reliable and flexible datacenter services. These suites offer a cost-efficient way to license the Windows Server® operating system, Microsoft System Center server management, and Microsoft Forefront™ Client Security together in a per-processor license.

Core Infrastructure Server Suites

Choose the Suites to Fit Your Needs

Core Infrastructure Server Suite Editions	Operating System environments licensed, managed, and protected	Windows Server Edition Included	System Center Server Management Licenses (ML) included
			Operations Manager	Data Protection Manager	Configuration Manager	Virtual Machine Manager
Datacenter (2+ processors)	Unlimited	Datacenter	Enterprise Server ML	Enterprise Server ML	Enterprise Server ML	Yes
Enterprise (2 processors)	4	Enterprise	Enterprise Server ML	Enterprise Server ML	Enterprise Server ML	Yes
Standard (1 processors)	1	Standard	Standard Server ML	Standard Server ML	Standard Server ML	No

Note: Minimum purchase requirement for ECI is 40 processors of Core Infrastructure Server Suites Datacenter, or 100 processors of any mix of Core Infrastructure Server Suites processors (Standard, Enterprise, Datacenter).

Simplified Licensing

The per-processor licensing of the suites offered through the Enrollment for Core Infrastructure provides you with a simpler licensing model compared to purchasing the products separately. You may realize a significant reduction in the complexity of managing your licenses, spending less time and effort on ensuring compliancy.

Lower Cost

Many customers will see value in paying a small incremental amount over the price of Windows Server standalone, to receive the benefits of management and protection. The difference between Windows Server standalone and the Core Infrastructure Server Suites ranges from 5% to 15%, depending on the mix of suites selected. The suite pricing reflects a discount of 13% to 29%, depending on the mix of suites selected. Customers that purchase the Core Infrastructure Server Suites lock in these discounts through Software Assurance, as the SA pricing reflects the suite discounts. To determine your organization's most appropriate mix of these suites based on your goals and future business scenarios, talk with your Microsoft representative.

Greater Flexibility

With the Enrollment for Core Infrastructure you may choose any combination of the three suites to reach the minimum purchase requirements of 100 processors in a mix, or 40 processors of Datacenter edition. You will also find that ECI provides flexibility in virtualization since the Datacenter suite includes the licenses needed to run and manage, and protect an unlimited number of operating system environments. Lastly, with the Enrollment for Core Infrastructure you can migrate to more premium editions of the suites at any time during the term of your enrollment, as your business needs change and grow.

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