Recently we have been asked whether and how Microsoft partners and outsourcers can use Windows 7 Clients on hosted server platforms to deliver desktops as a service while remaining consistent with their licenses.  Microsoft’s licensing allows the following:

• Customers that want to work with partners to have them host Windows 7 in a Virtual Desktop Infrastructure solution on their behalf, can do so when the customer provides the partner licenses through the customer’s own agreements with Microsoft. The hosting hardware must be dedicated to, and for the benefit of the customer, and may not be shared by or with any other customers of that partner.
  
• Microsoft partners who host under the Services Provider License Agreement (“SPLA”) may bring some desktop-like functionality as a service by using Windows Server and Remote Desktop Services.  Under this solution, the partner is free to offer this service to any customer they choose, whether or not they have a direct licensing agreement with Microsoft. However, it is important to note that SPLA does not support delivery of Windows 7 as a hosted client or provide the ability to access Office as a service through Windows 7.  Office may only be provided as a service if it is hosted on Windows Server and Remote Desktop Services.

Earlier this year, we shared how the Microsoft Assessment and Planning (MAP) Toolkit 6.0 can simplify cloud migration planning. Now the Microsoft Solution Accelerators team has made the MAP Toolkit 6.5 available for download.

The new capabilities in the MAP Toolkit 6.5 will help organizations make the journey to the cloud smoother than ever. Find all the details on the download page for the MAP Toolkit 6.5.

We’re pleased to announce availability of “Why an updated Microsoft Enterprise Agreement?” white paper which aims to spotlight key areas of business value customers can derive from the updated EA.

This is written with the intent to respond to feedback we’ve received from customers as well as both partners and analysts for additional perspective on why we made changes to the EA and more importantly how these changes can benefit organizations.

[click through to the article to read an excerpt from the white paper]

This is article three of four in a series of blog posts describing the many benefits of Software Assurance

Following on our previous article about Software Assurance (SA), which described how SA can support customers considering migrating some or all of their applications to the cloud, we thought now would be a good time to highlight some of Microsoft’s more traditional SA benefits.

Software Assurance has been a part of Microsoft’s licensing offerings since 2001. While occasionally perceived as an “insurance policy” to deliver access to free software upgrades, SA has expanded greatly since its introduction and is now widely viewed as an essential ingredient for maximizing the value of Microsoft volume licensing purchases.

The Worldwide Licensing and Pricing team will conduct its first “Tweet Chat” from the Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference (WPC) in Los Angeles (July 11-14). This is your chance to ask questions about Microsoft Volume Licensing and get real-time feedback—with a twist! Instead of simply replying via Twitter, we’ll have subject matter experts on Volume Licensing respond via short videos tweeted out to followers of @Msft_VL. This way we can provide more in-depth answers beyond 140 characters.