West Region News for Education : Product Licensing

Activation 2.0 Update: New Security Procedures for MAK/KMS Key Blocks, Reissue, or Significant Activation Increases

jolumia — Wed, 04 Apr 2007 22:16:00 GMT

Subject: Increased security procedures for MAK/KMS Key Blocks, Reissue, or Significant activation increases.

Microsoft is adding an additional check to certain requests concerning Volume Activation 2.0. This is in response to the request to have more institutional/organizational visibility for the key block/reissue requests that are occurring for the Windows Vista MAK/KMS scenarios.

Background: Requests for a Windows Vista MAK or KMS key activation block, or key reissue, or a request for a significant MAK or KMS activation allowance increase are sent into either KMSADD@microsoft.com or MAKADD@microsoft.com The customer usually would have called the product activation center prior to this email being sent, as part of the process http://www.microsoft.com/licensing/resources/vol/numbers.mspx

Increased Institutional Visibility going forward:

• After receiving the request, the Microsoft administrator for the KMSADD & MAKADD email aliases will research who is the "notices contact" that was designated by the company/institution on the enrollment that is in question. This look up will not be done by the Activation Call Centers. There is a unique link between the key issued and the institution‘s enrollment.

• The designated "notices contact" on the enrollment will be sent an email, and a copy sent to the current requestor, seeking approval for the block/reissue/increase-of-activations request.

• Once we have received approval from the "Notices contact" Microsoft will only then begin the key block, key reissue, or process a large activation request. The request process will not begin until the 'notices contact' acknowledges and approves.

Items to Note:

1. We are making this procedural improvement for key block/reissue/increased-activations for Windows Vista, and the coming Windows Server Longhorn.

2. With increased diligence on the part of the KMSADD@microsoft.com and MAKADD@microsoft.com team, it will be important for the account to ensure that the designated 'notices contact' email account is up to date and monitored.

3. MAK activation amounts for the key (allocated/remaining) can be found on the online portals (MVLS/eOpen) and by using the Volume Activation Management Tool. If the existing MAK activation limits are not adequate customers can go through the process of calling the Activation Call Center http://www.microsoft.com/licensing/resources/vol/numbers.mspx and request an increase. Incremental activation amounts of up to 50% additional activations from initial allocation can be added to the MAK during the first call with the specialist, without going through the aliases. The Activation Call Center is trained to help the customer through the MAK exception process.

Other issues:

Microsoft understands that there are other process areas that we can improve to better serve the needs of our corporate and institutional customers, and specifically in managing the systems that supply volume licensing keys and other services. We will communicate new improvements as they occur.

Thank you being a Microsoft customer, and for your feedback to improve the programs.

Upgrading to SQL Server 2005, Some Important Changes

jolumia — Mon, 19 Mar 2007 20:03:00 GMT

Hello to our Education Customers,

We want to share with you recent and important changes at Microsoft for customers migrating or upgrading to SQL Server 2005.

In the past two months Microsoft reduced the cost of SQL by nearly half. For actual cost comparisions, please contact your Microsoft Software Reseller. These price improvements are the best we have seen in a decade with Microsoft. If you are on SQL 2000, deploying a new database, or considering a migration, purchasing this year will insure you the lowest software cost.

More information on upgrading

The price reduction is great, but why upgrade? What value will you gain by upgrading from SQL 2000 to SQL 2005?

http://www.microsoft.com/sql/solutions/upgrade/default.mspx

· High Availability

o Native 32/64 Bit (x86 and Itanium) Support

o Support for up to 64 Processors

o Support for up to 64/128 GB of RAM (RAM limitation is set by the OS)

o Improved Data Mirroring Capabilities

o Supports up to 9 nodes in a cluster

o For more information go to http://www.microsoft.com/sql/technologies/highavailability/default.mspx

· Security

o Built with the Trustworthy Computing model extensive new security features

o Encryption of entire Database

o For more information go to http://www.microsoft.com/sql/technologies/security/security-at-a-glance.mspx

· Manageability

o Integrated Management

o Proactive Health and Performance Monitoring

o Enhanced Performance Tuning

o For more information go to http://www.microsoft.com/sql/technologies/manageability/default.mspx

· Business Intelligence

o Improved Reporting Services

o Improved Data Mining

o Integration with Microsoft Office

o For more information go to http://www.microsoft.com/sql/solutions/bi/default.mspx

We hope this is meaningful and timely information for your organization. Please contact your Microsoft Account Manager for clarification on this information, deeper information on SQL 2005, and to discuss upgrading or migrating with one of our SQL Server Technology Specialists at Microsoft.

Academic Licensing Brief: New Software Assurance Benefits for Microsoft® Academic Volume Licensing Customers

jolumia — Sat, 18 Nov 2006 04:43:00 GMT

Segments: Education

Programs: Campus Agreement, School Agreement, Academic Select License, Academic Open License

Regions: Worldwide

Confidentiality: OK to distribute to partners and customers

summary

Microsoft executives recently introduced new benefits for customers with Software Assurance. This brief provides an overview of the Software Assurance benefits that will be available to education customers as of March 2006. It also reviews some unique programmatic benefits that education customers receive by participating in Microsoft Academic Volume Licensing programs.

details

Microsoft continually gathers feedback from customers in many ways, such as through an advisory council that includes education customers from around the world. We have learned that education customers face unique challenges when planning, acquiring, and deploying technology solutions. These challenges include meeting the needs of a diverse technology user base, managing software assets in decentralized environments, and—perhaps the biggest and most common challenge—funding the technology solutions.

Education customers have consistently communicated the need to strike a balance between providing valuable features and benefits through Microsoft Academic Volume Licensing programs and keeping the cost of the licenses as low as possible. This feedback plays an important role in determining which Software Assurance benefits are made available to education customers.

New Software Assurance Benefits*

The following new Software Assurance benefits will be available to qualifying Microsoft Academic Volume Licensing customers as of March 2006.

· Microsoft Windows Vista™ Enterprise – For every Windows^® client license covered by Software Assurance, customers will receive an upgrade license for Windows Vista Enterprise Edition upon its release.

· Microsoft Virtual PC Express – For every Windows client license covered by Software Assurance, customers are entitled to one Virtual PC Express license.

· Microsoft Windows Fundamentals for Legacy PCs – For every Windows client license covered under Software Assurance, Academic Select customers with Software Assurance Membership and Campus/School Agreement customers are entitled to install one copy of Windows Fundamentals for Legacy PCs as the Windows Client license.

Continuing Software Assurance Benefits*

Depending upon their specific Microsoft Academic Volume Licensing agreement, customers will continue to be eligible for the following Software Assurance benefits.

Lifecycle Stage	Benefit	Description	Eligible Customers
Plan	New Version Rights	Automatically receive upgrades and updates of the software covered by Software Assurance.	Academic Open, Academic Select, Academic Select with Software Assurance Membership (SAM), Campus/School Agreement
Plan	Spread Payments	Make annual payments for greater flexibility in managing technology expenditures and better alignment with the yearly budget cycles of educational institutions.	Academic Select, Academic Select with SAM, Campus/School Agreement
Deploy	Microsoft Windows Preinstallation Environment (WinPE)	Build custom solutions that speed up deployment through automation.	Academic Select with SAM, Campus/School Agreement
Use	eLearning	Get up to speed quickly on new products and technical information and keep moving forward with integration of current technology.	Academic Open, Academic Select, Academic Select with SAM, Campus/School Agreement
Maintain	Corporate Error Reporting	Identify which systems are failing and why, map solutions to crashes, and connect to up-to-date knowledge and fixes.	Academic Select with SAM, Campus/School Agreement
	“Cold” Backups for Disaster Recovery	Receive complimentary “cold” backup server Licenses for the purpose of disaster recovery. A cold server is a server that is turned off until a disaster arises.	Academic Open, Academic Select, Academic Select with SAM, Campus/School Agreement
	TechNet Online Concierge Chat	Quickly locate information needed to troubleshoot technology issues with one-on-one Web-based assisted search chat sessions between Microsoft online advisors and users.	Academic Select with SAM, Campus/School Agreement
	TechNet Plus Subscription Media	For server licenses with Software Assurance, access to TechNet Plus Subscription Media including tools, utilities, and drivers.	Academic Select with SAM, Campus/School Agreement
	TechNet Plus Managed Newsgroups	Access to technical assistance through online newsgroups facilitated by Microsoft Support Professionals.	Academic Select with SAM, Campus/School Agreement
Transition	Extended Lifecycle Hotfix Support	Request hotfixes for server products in the Extended Support Phase (the two years following the five-year Mainstream Support Phase) without signing an up-front contract. (Security fixes are automatically extended to customers.)	Academic Select with SAM, Campus/School Agreement

Unique Programmatic Benefits for Education*

In addition to receiving the best software at the best prices, education customers may also qualify to receive unique benefits by participating in a Microsoft Academic Volume Licensing program, including:

· Learning Essentials for Microsoft Office – New and existing academic volume licensing customers who acquire or have already acquired licenses for Microsoft Office receive one complimentary Learning Essentials license for each Microsoft Office license.

· Work at Home Rights – Depending upon the specific volume licensing agreement, academic licensing customers have the option of providing certain licensed software to faculty and staff members for work-related use at home.

· Software Assurance Membership (SAM) – Software Assurance Membership is included with any Campus Agreement or School Agreement.

· MSDN Academic Alliance (MSDNAA) or MSDNAA High School Membership – Customers participating in the Campus Agreement program receive one complimentary departmental MSDN Academic Alliance membership. School Agreement customers receive one complimentary school MSDNAA High School membership.

More Information

Microsoft Software Assurance for Education: http://www.microsoft.com/education/SoftwareAssurance.mspx

Microsoft Academic Volume Licensing: http://www.microsoft.com/education/HowToBuyInstitution.mspx

Learning Essentials for Microsoft Office: http://www.microsoft.com/education/learningessentials.mspx

Work at Home Rights: http://www.microsoft.com/education/WorkHome.mspx

MSDN Academic Alliance: http://msdn.microsoft.com/academic/

*Offerings are subject to change. Actual offerings may vary by region and/or the specific volume licensing agreement.

© 2005 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Microsoft, Windows, and Windows Vista are either trademarks or registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. This document is for informational purposes only. Microsoft makes no warranties, express or implied, in this document.

Microsoft Sofware Assurance for Volume Licensing: Benefits Entitlement Cart - Academic Offerings

jolumia — Sat, 18 Nov 2006 04:39:00 GMT

Lifecycle Stage	Benefit	Academic Open License	Academic Select License	Academic Select License with Software Assurance Membership (SAM), Campus and School Agreement
Plan	New Version Rights	Every License covered under Software Assurance may be upgraded to the newest version.
	Spread Payments	Not Available	Payments for License and Software Assurance can be spread into equal annual payments.
Deploy	Windows Preinstallation Environment (WinPE)	Not Available		You are entitled to 1 media kit per enrollment.
Use	Windows Vista Enterprise - New!	For every Windows client license covered under Software Assurance, you are entitled to 1 Windows Vista upgrade license.
	Virtual PC Express - New!	For every Windows client license covered under Software Assurance, you are entitled to one Virtual PC Express license.
	eLearning	For every Office System application license covered under Software Assurance you are entitled to 1 license for Information Worker Software Assurance eLearning. For every Windows Client licenses covered under Software Assurance you are entitled to 1 license for Client Software Assurance eLearning. For every Server License covered with Software Assurance you are entitled to 1 license for Server Software Assurance eLearning. 1 media kit per enrollment, per pool.¹
Maintain	Corporate Error Reporting	Not Available		You are entitled to 1 media kit per enrollment.
	Cold Back Up for Disaster Recovery	For every Server License covered with Software Assurance, you are entitled to run 1 instance of the software on a “cold” server for disaster recovery purposes.
	TechNet Online Concierge Chat	Not Available		One designated individual per enrollment in entitled to access to TechNet Online Concierge Chat.²
	TechNet Plus Subscription Media	Not Available		You are entitled to 1 kit and user ID per enrollment for use institution-wide.²
	TechNet Plus Managed Newsgroups	Not Available		You are entitled to 1 user ID per enrollment for use institution-wide.²
Transition	Windows Fundamentals for Legacy PCs - New!	Not Available		For every Windows client license covered under Software Assurance, you are entitled to install one copy of Windows Fundamentals for Legacy PCs as the Windows Client license.
	Extended Hotfix Support	SERVER: Not Available		SERVER: 90-day enrollment not required. Annual contract fee for Exchange, MOM, SMS, SQL and Windows Server is included as part of the Software Assurance program.
		DESKTOP: Not Available
¹For Academic Open License customers, the eLearning benefit includes the ability to install and use eLearning content on licensed computers. The eLearning content media kits are not included. You may acquire CDs from your reseller. ²Minimum of 5 server licenses must be acquired via Campus/School Agreement to qualify.