Volume Licensing Service Center — Software Assurance Benefits

Microsoft includes two years of Software Assurance with all Volume Licensing products it donates through TechSoup. Software Assurance is a significant benefit that adds value to your software donation in a number of ways.

The Software Assurance benefits are not the same as product licenses. Product licenses do not expire. They are valid for as long as you own the product. Software Assurance expires after two years; at that point, you can no longer obtain new benefits for your products. Software Assurance benefits add value to your products but are not part of them.

The following Software Assurance benefits are available with at least some Microsoft donations:

• Software Upgrades
• Office Multi-Language Packs
• Office Suites for Home Use
• Microsoft E-Learning Courses
• Cold Backups for Disaster Recovery

The benefits and how to obtain them are explained below.

Software Upgrades

Software Assurance allows TechSoup donation recipients to get free upgrades to new versions of their products that were released within the two-year period of the benefit. The Software Assurance for an upgrade product has the same end date as the original product obtained through TechSoup. Like all products, the licenses remain valid, and the organization can continue to use the product after Software Assurance expires.

When You Can Upgrade

You can upgrade to any new version of your licensed products that Microsoft releases during the two years your Software Assurance is in effect, but the actual upgrade does not have to take place within those two years. Example: Microsoft releases a new version of Office in October, and your Software Assurance for the old version expires in January. You do not have to upgrade in November or December: you can upgrade at any time in the future, as long as Microsoft still makes the new version available to users. You cannot, however, upgrade to versions that Microsoft releases after your Software Assurance expires.

License-Only Products

Under Microsoft's licensing terms, client access licenses (CALs), external connector licenses (ECLs), and management licenses (MLs) must be for a version equal to or later than their server software. For instance, without Software Assurance, Windows 2000 Server CALs would not be usable on Windows Server 2003; new ones would have to be obtained. With Software Assurance, the CALs are also usable on the upgraded product. Software Assurance upgrade benefits for licenses are automatic: you do not have to do anything to activate them.

Obtaining the Installation Software

Software upgrades can be obtained online or ordered by phone or fax, as described in Volume Licensing Service Center — Installation Software for Any Version or Language.

Office Multi-Language Packs

Office Multi-Language Packs are available at no cost if you have a license for an Office suite. Office Multi-Language Packs are add-in products that can display the user interface of the Office desktop applications  — windows, tabs, help, and so on — in 37 different languages. In addition, proofing tools make it possible to check spelling, grammar, and so on in documents created in these languages.

To obtain the Office Multi-Language Pack, you must have a license for an Office suite, not just an individual Office product.

Office Multi-Language Pack 2007 and 2010 are listed among the licensed downloads as described in Volume Licensing Service Center — Installation Software for Any Version or Language. They are available in both CD and DVD versions. The CD version is for individual language packs; the DVD version is for all 37 language packs.

Office Suites for Home Use

Any employee who has a Microsoft Office suite on their work computer can get a copy of the current versions of Office Professional or Office for Mac for home use through a low-cost download. They can also request installation software for an additional fee to cover the costs.

There are two purchase options: Employees can purchase the software individually, or Software Assurance administrators can place a bulk purchase order for quantities of 20 units or more.

The Office software can be used only while the user continues to be employed and while the Software Assurance for the Office suite remains active.

Note: The product use rights for desktop application software allow the organization to install a copy on a portable device for use by the single primary user of the licensed device. Therefore, if the purpose is to allow an employee to continue working away from the office, that might be a better option.

Activating the Home Use Benefit

The Home Use benefit is managed through the VLSC by a person who has the SA Manager role.

1. Sign into the VLSC.
2. Choose Software Assurance from the menu bar.
3. Click Home Use Program. The Manage Software Assurance Benefits details page appears showing the license IDs that have this benefit.
4. Click the license ID for which you want to manage benefits. The Benefit Summary page appears, showing all benefits for this license ID that can be managed through the Software Assurance menu item.
5. Click Home Use Program. The Activate Benefit page appears.
6. Accept the benefit terms, enter contact information and applicable domains for your organization and click Activate Benefit.

When activation is complete, a 10-digit alphanumeric access code appears. You will also receive an email with the same access code and a template for the email you can send to your employees to inform them they are eligible for this benefit.

Microsoft E-Learning Courses

E-learning courses are self-paced, interactive training on the use of Microsoft products developed by Microsoft experts. Courses are designed for maximum skills transfer in minimal time. Assessments, hands-on virtual labs, expert advice, and an interactive, nonlinear approach make e-learning an engaging and flexible experience.

Students must have a Windows Live ID to enroll in a course. Students must start a course before Software Assurance expires and must complete it within one year of when they started it.

How Many Courses Are Available Through Your Agreement?

The number and type of courses available depends on the number and type of products with active Software Assurance. Courses are grouped into three categories: applications (desktop applications), systems (operating systems), and servers.

To see the number of courses available through any licensing ID, follow steps 1 through 4 of Obtaining E-Learning Courses, below.

Viewing a List of Courses

To view the current list of E-Learning courses available though Software Assurance, go to the Software Assurance and Volume Licensing Product Catalog. You must use the Internet Explorer browser.

Make the following selections and click View Report:

• Product Type: E-Learning
• Program Type: SA
• Offer Type: One or more of the following:

SA Applications

for courses about desktop applications.

SA Servers

for courses about servers.

SA Systems

for courses tabout operating systems

• Other filters as appropriate. For example, you might want to select the course language.

Obtaining E-Learning Courses

E-learning course assignment is managed through the VLSC by a person who has the SA Manager role.

1. Sign into the VLSC.
2. Choose Software Assurance from the menu bar.
3. Depending on the types of products in your license, click E-Learning Applications, E-Learning Systems, or E-Learning Servers. The Manage Software Assurance Benefits page appears, showing the license IDs that have this benefit.
4. Click the license ID for which you want to manage benefits. The Benefit Summary page appears, showing all benefits for this license ID that can be managed through the Software Assurance menu item.
5. Click the type of course you want. The Activate Benefit page appears.
6. Enter contact information and applicable domains for your organization and click Activate Benefit.

When activation is complete, a 10-digit alphanumeric access code appears. You will also receive an email with the same access code and a link to the course website, which you may distribute to others in your organization.

Cold Backups for Disaster Recovery

If your organization has a server product with active Software Assurance, you have the right to use Volume License media to install the same software on a "cold" server (one that is turned off until an emergency situation). In a disaster, this server can be moved into production so that users can continue to access critical data and applications.

You have one disaster recovery license for each server license with active Software Assurance.

After Software Assurance expires, you can continue to use cold backup software already installed, but you cannot install any additional cold backups.