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Licensing Options

For Industries

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Microsoft Volume Licensing offers customized programs for certain industries. These programs offer flexible and affordable solutions that are tailored to the size and purchasing preference of your organization.

Programs for Government Organizations

Volume Licensing has government licensing offerings for all sizes of eligible organizations with special pricing and terms to better align to the way government organizations acquire software licenses.

  • For Small to Midsize Government Organizations

    Open License for Government

    Acquire licenses from your choice of qualified resellers through an easy, one-time transaction. Software Assurance is optional.

    Open Value for Government*

    Offers simplified license management, predictable software costs, and spread payments. Software Assurance is included.

    Open Value Subscription for Government*

    Get the same benefits as Open Value for Government with lower up-front costs. This program provides access to Microsoft software licenses for the term of the agreement through subscription-based licensing. A one-year Open Value Subscription option is also available for eligible government customers.

    * Not available in some countries. Contact your reseller to check current availability.

    Software Assurance

    Microsoft Software Assurance is a comprehensive maintenance offering that helps you get the most out of your software investment. It combines the latest software with phone support available 24 hours a day, partner services, training, and IT tools that help customers deploy, manage, and migrate software.

    Learn more about Software Assurance.

  • For Midsize to Large Government Organizations

    Enterprise Agreement for Government

    Standardize technology across your organization with the latest Microsoft products. Provides simplified license management with a single agreement, predictable software costs and spread payments. Software Assurance is included.

    Enterprise Subscription Agreement for Government

    Get the same benefits as the Enterprise Agreement with lower up-front costs. Includes access to Microsoft software licenses only for the term of the agreement through subscription-based licensing. Software Assurance is included.

    Select Plus for Government

    Acquire Microsoft software licenses and services at any affiliate or department level, while realizing advantages as one organization. Select Plus offers the flexibility to acquire licenses as needed, a single agreement with no specific end date and a single Lead Affiliate customer ID to streamline account management. Software Assurance is optional.

    Select License for Government

    Acquire the latest Microsoft technology through a pay-as-you-go licensing model, so you can maintain a mixed software environment. Ability to forecast your license needs over a three-year period. Software Assurance is optional.

    Software Assurance

    Microsoft Software Assurance is a comprehensive maintenance offering that helps you get the most out of your software investment. It combines the latest software with phone support available 24 hours a day, partner services, training, and IT tools that help customers deploy, manage, and migrate software.

    Learn more about Software Assurance.

Eligibility

Volume Licensing eligibility requirements for government organizations vary by region. Follow these links to learn more:

Buy or Renew

Ready to buy or renew a Volume License agreement? Depending on your location, take the next step outlined below:

United States and Canada

Contact your Microsoft reseller. For more information, or to find a Microsoft reseller near you, call the Microsoft Sales Information Center at (800) 426-9400. In Canada, call the Microsoft Resource Centre at (877) 568-2495.

Worldwide

Contact your Microsoft subsidiary or software reseller.

Programs for Educational Institutions

Academic Volume Licensing programs put Microsoft software in the hands of educators and students so they can interact, collaborate, and learn.

Microsoft offers subscription and transactional licensing options for education customers. Subscription licensing gives you rights to use the products you license—plus covered upgrades and downgrades—over a one-year or three-year license period. Students can use selected products on personally owned computers or on institution-owned computers checked out to them.

In transactional licensing programs, you purchase the software licenses—giving your organization rights to the software after the licensing term ends.

The Academic Volume Licensing program that is best for you depends on the size and type of your institution and how you want to acquire Microsoft licenses.

  • Subscription Licensing Programs

    Campus Agreement

    Specifically created to address the unique needs of higher educational institutions. With the Campus Agreement, you can license your entire institution or just a single department.

    School Agreement

    Designed for primary and secondary schools and districts, the School Agreement makes it easy for you to license all of your computers with the simplicity of counting computers just once per year.

    Learn how to add Microsoft Online Services to Campus and School Agreements.

    Software Assurance

    Microsoft Software Assurance is a comprehensive maintenance offering that helps you get the most out of your software investment. It combines the latest software with phone support available 24 hours a day, partner services, training, and IT tools that help customers deploy, manage, and migrate software.

    Learn more about Software Assurance.

  • Transactional Licensing Programs

    Open License for Academic

    An easy, cost-effective way for educational institutions with as few as five computers to license Microsoft software. You simply order the number of licenses you need through an Authorized Education Reseller. Software Assurance and physical installation media are available for additional fees.

    Select License for Academic*

    A transactional program ideal for organizations with mixed software requirements and the ability to forecast license needs over a three-year period. Recommended for midsize educational institutions.

    Select Plus for Academic*

    Acquire software licenses and services by department or affiliate while realizing volume purchasing advantages as one organization. The agreement never expires and has an optional 36 months of Software Assurance. Recommended for midsize and large educational institutions.

    * You can also pass along the savings of volume licensing to your students by including a Student Select or Student Select Plus enrollment with your agreement.

    Software Assurance

    Microsoft Software Assurance is a comprehensive maintenance offering that helps you get the most out of your software investment. It combines the latest software with phone support available 24 hours a day, partner services, training, and IT tools that help customers deploy, manage, and migrate software.

    Learn more about Software Assurance.

Get Genuine Windows Agreement for Academic

If you discover counterfeit, pirated or any software improperly licensed on your PC, help is available. The Get Genuine Windows Agreement for Academic (GGWA-A) is a cost-effective way for qualified academic institutions to fully license their Windows operating system software on existing Windows PCs. For help determining if your Windows software is genuine and properly-licensed, contact your Microsoft reseller or visit http://www.microsoft.com/resources/howtotell/windows.

Eligibility

Customers meeting the criteria below are eligible to acquire Microsoft Academic Edition products in the programs indicated and are defined as Qualified Educational Users:

  • Educational Institutions

  • Administrative Offices & Boards of Education

  • Teachers, Faculty and Staff

  • Students

  • Public Libraries

  • Public Museums

  • Home-School Programs

To review definitions of Qualified Educational Users and requirements by region, visit the Microsoft Education Web site.

Buy or Renew

Ready to buy or renew a Volume License agreement? Depending on your location, take the next step outlined below:

United States and Canada
Worldwide

Programs for Health Organizations

Get the technology that will help your organization support patient health and safety. Volume Licensing programs are tailored to your organization's size and needs, making it simple to predict and manage license purchases.

  • Small to Midsize Commercial and Government Health Organizations

    Open License

    Acquire licenses from your choice of qualified resellers through an easy, one-time transaction. Software Assurance is optional.

    Open Value

    Offers simplified license management, predictable software costs, and spread payments. Software Assurance is included.

    Open Value Subscription

    Get the same benefits as Open Value with lower up-front costs. This program provides access to Microsoft software licenses for the term of the agreement through subscription-based licensing. A one-year Open Value Subscription option is also available for eligible government health customers.

    Software Assurance

    Microsoft Software Assurance is a comprehensive maintenance offering that helps you get the most out of your software investment. It combines the latest software with phone support available 24 hours a day, partner services, training, and IT tools that help customers deploy, manage, and migrate software.

    Learn more about Software Assurance.

  • Midsize to Large Commercial and Government Health Organizations

    Enterprise Agreement

    Standardize technology across your organization with the latest Microsoft products. Provides simplified license management with a single agreement, predictable software costs and spread payments. Software Assurance is included.

    Enterprise Subscription Agreement

    Get the same benefits as the Enterprise Agreement with lower up-front costs. Includes access to Microsoft software licenses only for the term of the agreement through subscription-based licensing. Software Assurance is included.

    Select Plus

    Acquire Microsoft software licenses and services at any affiliate or department level, while realizing advantages as one organization. Select Plus offers the flexibility to acquire licenses as needed, a single agreement with no specific end date and a single Lead Affiliate customer ID to streamline account management. Software Assurance is optional.

    Select License

    Acquire the latest Microsoft technology through a pay-as-you-go licensing model, so you can maintain a mixed software environment. Ability to forecast your license needs over a three-year period. Software Assurance is optional.

    Software Assurance

    Microsoft Software Assurance is a comprehensive maintenance offering that helps you get the most out of your software investment. It combines the latest software with phone support available 24 hours a day, partner services, training, and IT tools that help customers deploy, manage, and migrate software.

    Learn more about Software Assurance.

  • Teaching Hospitals, Healthcare Systems, and Research Laboratories

    Open License for Academic

    This program offers an extensive product list and cost savings for schools of all sizes. By placing an initial order for as few as five licenses, you can obtain the most current Microsoft licensed products while managing overall costs and staying compliant.

    Select License for Academic

    A transactional program ideal for organizations with mixed software requirements and the ability to forecast license needs over a three-year period. Recommended for midsize educational institutions.

    Campus Agreement

    Campus Agreement offers affordable, subscription-based licensing that helps make it easy for higher education institutions to license the entire organization or just a single department. This is an annual program that can help your organization stay current on the latest Microsoft technology—even on a limited budget.

    Software Assurance

    Microsoft Software Assurance is a comprehensive maintenance offering that helps you get the most out of your software investment. It combines the latest software with phone support available 24 hours a day, partner services, training, and IT tools that help customers deploy, manage, and migrate software.

    Learn more about Software Assurance.

Eligibility

To get started with Volume Licensing, determine your health organization's business type. Microsoft offers:

  • Commercial licensing for privately run health organizations.

  • Government licensing for any government organization or institution that:

    • Provides health services and coverage.

    • Sets or decides healthcare policy across a nation, state, or country.

    • Provides funding for health services and coverage

    • Has a regulatory role in health services and coverage

  • Academic licensing for teaching hospitals, healthcare systems, and research laboratories that are wholly owned and operated by a Qualified Educational User.

See definitions for government eligibility in different regions.

Buy or Renew

Ready to buy or renew a Volume License agreement? Depending on your location, take the next step outlined below:

United States and Canada
Worldwide

Programs for Charitable Organizations

Eligible nonprofit organizations can acquire multiple software licenses—rather than multiple software packages—at reduced prices through Volume Licensing. Your organization needs to purchase only one complete software package and enough licenses to cover the remaining number of computers.

Open License for Charities

Easy to understand and administer, Open License for Charities is flexible enough to meet the needs of a broad range of organizations. After an initial order of five or more licenses, you can reorder as few as one license, so you order only what you need. Choose from a wide selection of licensed products and acquire them from any approved Volume Licensing reseller.

You receive license confirmation information electronically and can quickly and easily view your license purchase history, so there's never any question about which licenses you own. Your organization gets even more value, more manageability, and more assistance with optional Software Assurance.

Software Assurance

More than an upgrade, Software Assurance can help your organization get the most value from up-to-date technology by providing a powerful combination of productivity benefits, support, tools, and training. Software Assurance offerings available under Open License for Charities are New Version Rights, Windows Vista Enterprise, Home Use Program, 24x7 Problem Resolution Support, "Cold" Backups for Disaster Recovery, TechNet Subscription Through Software Assurance, and Extended Hotfix Support. Learn more about Software Assurance.

Eligibility

Only eligible charity organizations that meet certain requirements can purchase licenses through Open License for Charities. Follow this link to learn more:

Buy or Renew

Ready to buy or renew a Volume License agreement? Depending on your location, take the next step outlined below:

United States

Contact approved resellers for Open License for Charities

Worldwide

Find the Microsoft Volume Licensing Web site for your region

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Success Story

“We calculated that we spent approximately $5.7 million on Microsoft software licenses for a three-year period; those same licenses would have cost $7.8 million without a Volume Licensing agreement.”

Danny Keizer
Chief Information Officer
Government of New Brunswick

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