Pender's Blog

Blog archive

Microsoft Tries To Simplify Licensing for Larger Customers

Yes, this should make things much...easier? Microsoft this week introduced Select Plus Volume Licensing, a program intended to simplify and reduce the cost of licensing for larger organizations. (We'll forgive Microsoft for giving this program a name that sounds more like the name of a frequent flyer scheme: "We'd like to board our Select Plus passengers at this time…")

Anyway, there's a pretty good synopsis of Select Plus here, and, of course, there's Microsoft's press release on the plan. Now, maybe we're just obtuse, but none of this actually seems very simple. In fact, it seems pretty darn complicated and dense.

Regardless, Wall Street-types are concerned that the discounts in the plan will hurt Redmond's profit margins, while somebody at Forrester, at least, thinks that the plan will be mostly good for bigger companies.

Here at RCPU, we're...well, we're not really sure yet what this means for partners, but we'd love for you to clue us in at [email protected]. So, uh, go ahead and do that. Thanks.

Posted by Lee Pender on July 02, 2008


Featured

  • Report: Cost, Sustainability Drive DaaS Adoption Beyond Remote Work

    Gartner's 2025 Magic Quadrant for Desktop as a Service reveals that while secure remote access remains a key driver of DaaS adoption, a growing number of deployments now focus on broader efficiency goals.

  • Windows 365 Reserve, Microsoft's Cloud PC Rental Service, Hits Preview

    Microsoft has launched a limited public preview of its new "Windows 365 Reserve" service, which lets organizations rent cloud PC instances in the event their Windows devices are stolen, lost or damaged.

  • Hands-On AI Skills Now Outshine Certs in Salary Stakes

    For AI-related roles, employers are prioritizing verifiable, hands-on abilities over framed certificates -- and they're paying a premium for it.

  • Roadblocks in Enterprise AI: Data and Skills Shortfalls Could Cost Millions

    Businesses risk losing up to $87 million a year if they fail to catch up with AI innovation, according to the Couchbase FY 2026 CIO AI Survey released this month.