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SAM Brief Series - Guidance for Microsoft licensing and Software Asset Management

The SAM Brief Series of in-depth guides are designed to assist you in understanding Microsoft's product licensing, to provide guidance to simplify and maintain compliance with software licensing, and helping you to improve your software asset management practice. Reading these briefs, in conjunction with your Volume Licensing agreement and the Product Use Rights document will help ensure that you are using your software in accordance with the terms of your agreement. This information is especially valuable for your software asset management practices by helping you understand how the software is licensed and used in "real world" business situations enabling you to get the most of your software investments.

Proof of License for Microsoft Software

This brief will help you understand why it's in your best interest to keep Microsoft proofs of license current, which documents are required for different types of licenses, and what tools and resources are available to help you organize proof of license information in less time and with less effort.

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Software Version & Edition

This brief will help you better understand the licensing options specific to versions and editions and how those options affect your ability to properly upgrade and downgrade software to meet your evolving business needs.

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Windows Multilingual User Interface

Understanding the licensing requirements for a Microsoft® Multilingual User Interface (MUI) can help ensure that your organization installs and uses its software in accordance with your Microsoft® Volume Licensing agreements. Microsoft's Software Asset Management (SAM) program is providing this brief to help organizations take full advantage of MUI technology, while meeting their licensing obligations.

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License Management Series - Guidance for MAP Toolkit Software Usage Tracker

The Licensing Management Series of in-depth "how-to" guides can assist you in interpreting the MAP Toolkit Software Usage Tracker reports. These white papers provide background about CALs and specific directions to help generate reports that you can use for software asset management purposes. This information is especially valuable for comparing with your purchased CALs; it is also useful for licensing "True-up" and licensing agreement renewal discussions.

Learn more about MAP Toolkit
Learn more about Client Access Licenses

Assessing Windows Server Licensing

This guide provides customers of Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2003 R2, Windows Server 2008, and Windows Server 2008 R2 with an overview of Windows Server licensing requirements, as well as guidance on how to assess the licenses needed.

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Assessing Exchange Server Licensing

This guide provides customers of Exchange Server 2003, Exchange Server 2007, and Exchange Server 2010 with an overview of Exchange Server licensing requirements, as well as guidance on how to assess the licenses needed.

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Assessing SharePoint Server Licensing

This guide provides customers of SharePoint Server 2007, SharePoint Server 2010 with an overview of the SharePoint Server licensing requirements, as well as guidance on how to assess the licenses needed.

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Assessing SQL Server Licensing

This guide gives customers of Microsoft SQL Server® 2008 R2 with an overview of the licensing requirements, as well as guidance on how to assess the licenses needed.

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Assessing System Center Configuration Manager Licensing

This guide gives customers of Microsoft® Systems Management Server 2003, Systems Management Server 2003 R2, Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager 2007, and System Center Configuration Manager 2007 R2 with an overview of the licensing requirements and guidance on how to assess the licenses needed.

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Assessing Lync Server Licensing

This guide gives Microsoft Volume Licensing customers an overview of licensing for Microsoft Lync Server 2010 and Microsoft Lync Server 2013 and guidance on how to assess the licenses needed.

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