Microsoft Open Value (Frequently Asked Questions)

Licensing Solutions for Small and Midsize Organizations

Q: What is the Microsoft® Open Value program?
A: Microsoft Open Value is for small to midsize organizations with five or more desktop PCs that want a flexible and affordable way to use and manage Microsoft licensed products under a single agreement. The Microsoft Open Value Program offers simplified license management and better control of your licensed product costs and investment. Open Value provides flexibility to acquire licenses or add product licenses as needed. Additional cost savings are available when standardizing desktop PC licensed product Organization-Wide.

Q: What options are available under the Open Value program?
A: You can choose from several options that are available to meet the needs of a wide range of
customers, including:

Open Value Organization-Wide Option: Open Value Organization-Wide offers predictable annual payments, low long-term costs, and a simple way to manage licenses. You agree to acquire licenses and Microsoft® Software Assurance for the selected licensed product for all of your organization and its affiliates’ qualified desktop PCs. An annual desktop PC price, based on your count of qualified desktop PCs, allows you to run any licensed product version on any desktop PC.

Organization-Wide is also attractive if you want to standardize software throughout your organization. Standardization helps to increase security, reduce support costs, and enable organization-wide solutions that require a common technology platform. The single platform option allows you to customize your desktop PCs as you choose components from an operating system, the Microsoft Office suites, and Client Access License (CAL) product pools, plus additional software products selected in your agreement.

In some countries, there is an additional price level, level C is available for organizations with the Open Value Organization-Wide or Open Value Subscription option that order licenses for at least 250 qualified desktop PCs through their initial purchase order.

Open Value Subscription Option: Customers may choose to subscribe to, rather than acquire, Microsoft software. Microsoft Open Value Subscription provides the lowest up-front costs with the flexibility to reduce your total licensing costs in years when your desktop PC count declines. Typical subscription customers are looking to build or maintain an information technology infrastructure on a standard platform of products to respond rapidly to a changing business environment. Open Value Subscription is only available on the Organization-Wide Option.

With Open Value Subscription, you pay a single price per desktop PC to deploy Microsoft technology across your organization during the term of the agreement.

Open Value Non Organization-Wide Option: If you need licenses for servers, or for just some of your desktop PCs, you can open a Non Organization-Wide agreement. You can take advantage of spreading annual payments for the licenses plus new product versions and the other benefits that come with Software Assurance. Customers who do not wish to standardize their desktop PCs can obtain all licenses through Open Value and manage all those Microsoft licenses through a single agreement.

Additional information about each option is available at http://www.microsoft.com/licensing/programs/open
/openvalue.mspx

Q: What are the benefits of Open Value? How do we evaluate if Open Value is right for our organization?
A: Consider Open Value if your organization has as few as five desktop PCs and you are interested in the following benefits:

Licensing Simplicity. Place an order and start using licensed products immediately through a flexible
pay-as-you-go model, helping to eliminate the need for forecasting. Once an order is placed, a single authorization identification number is issued that can be reused and shared with qualified affiliates for the duration of the two-year agreement, helping to reduce procurement costs and simplify the
purchasing process.
Licensing Flexibility. Open Value now provides you with a single-platform option, which allows you to choose components from the Windows® client operating system upgrade, the Microsoft Office suites, and CALs under a single platform, rather than being required to choose between the Small Business or Desktop Professional platform.
You also have the option to choose Microsoft’s latest offerings in midsize business solutions with Windows Essential Business Server. If your organization requires Microsoft Enterprise solutions, Office Enterprise, Enterprise CAL, and Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack are now available.
Licensing Convenience. Easy access to the latest Microsoft technology is made available through a broad worldwide reseller channel, helping ensure that you have convenient and fast access to thousands of licensed products.
Licensing Manageability. Manage licenses easily and conveniently through online tracking tools. With the Microsoft Volume Licensing Service Center (VLSC), you can electronically manage your license orders, review purchase history, download volume license keys for software product installation, track compliance, and receive order confirmation information.
Licensing Affordability. Stretch software procurement budgets farther in comparison to retail purchase options. With a simple one-time transaction, you can pay for what you need when you need it, giving you the flexibility to manage your software needs.