Microsoft initiative makes digital downloads a better choice
Digital by Choice program provides the benefits of traditional media-delivered software with the simplicity of online self-service.
In summary:
| • | Traditional software media such as CD-ROMs must be cataloged and archived for long periods.
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| • | Microsoft's Digital by Choice program aims to eliminate the cost, hassles, and environmental consequences of hard-media software distribution.
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| • | The new program offers more of the permanence that traditional media have long provided.
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A variety of green concepts based on the idea of doing more with less have begun transforming society and industry in recent years, and the information technology arena is no exception. For example, in February 2006, the Microsoft Environmental Principles were adopted to formalize the company's ongoing commitment to protect the environment and natural resources. Now, Microsoft is embodying that pledge in a new initiative called Digital by Choice that delivers software electronically rather than via physical media.
Although in the past many customers have preferred to keep media on-site, that's beginning to change. "Over the last year we have heard repeatedly from our customers that receiving and managing media have become cumbersome, costly, and not environmentally conscious," says Frank Holland, corporate vice president of Microsoft Operations. The balance has shifted with the greater availability of high-bandwidth connections, which allow users to download very large files quickly, and through Microsoft's Volume Licensing Service Center, which makes licensed software easy to manage.
Fred Jordan, director of Microsoft Global Volume Licensing Programs, took the lead in developing a program that allows business customers to opt out of receiving physical media. With Digital by Choice, Microsoft customers can choose online downloads as their primary software delivery method, and can download the software as often as needed (for example, if it needs to be reinstalled). "And you can set up as many download administrators as you need for your organization," he adds, so customers using Digital by Choice enjoy ready access to their software without the chore of cataloging or caring for hard media.
Volume Licensing option
The Digital by Choice pilot launched in April 2008, with more than 80 companies participating. From August to September it will transition into full availability worldwide. "Any customer who receives physical media under their Volume Licensing agreement is eligible to participate," says Jordan. The Volume Licensing program is open to any organization with an annuity-based agreement of five licenses or more, regardless of program. This typically ranges from small businesses, some with as few as five employees, to large enterprises with multiple locations. That includes "all programs, all segments, and all geographies," he adds.
Jordan says that Digital by Choice is part of Microsoft's continuing efforts to provide enhanced self-service functionality for all customers. With Digital by Choice, which is supported by the Microsoft Volume Licensing Service Center, customers can set up methods for managing their software access keys, establish administrative permission for each location, and manage as many downloads as they need.
From a business perspective, Jordan says the online option has two major advantages. First and foremost, there is the reduced cost of managing media. Second, he says, "for those customers with metrics focused on delivering greener IT, the online method reduces the carbon footprint of the delivery process with no additional costs."
At the moment, Jordan estimates only about a third of small and midsize businesses participate in Volume Licensing, but, he says, "Microsoft offers Volume Licensing solutions that can be tailored to fit the needs of SMBs, including their need to simplify media management and reduce media costs. The Digital by Choice program does exactly that— drives simplicity and lowers media management costs."
Because their IT functions are often stretched thin, SMBs "want easy and reliable ways of doing things, and that means they don't want to receive a stack of disks. They want an online experience," Jordan continues. Larger companies that have staff dedicated to asset management may not find the cost savings from electronic distribution as compelling, he says, but many are under pressure to demonstrate progress on environmental issues. That's where Digital by Choice can make a difference.
Emphasis on choice
Jordan notes that those interested in trying Digital by Choice should remember the second part of the program name in particular. "If customers prefer to keep physical delivery, or try Digital by Choice and then want to revert to physical media, they can," he says.
He says reaction to the new program has been positive. A survey conducted internally through the Microsoft Developer Network revealed that "the appetite for online-only distribution jumped 16 percent year-over-year, while demand for physical media such as DVDs and CDs decreased by a comparable amount," Jordan adds. The future seems clear to him: "We believe from now on customers will want to choose digital as the default method for software delivery."
 | Alan R. Earls is a contributing writer for Momentum, the Microsoft Midsize Business Center newsletter. |
