Microsoft Software Updates Go on Sale to Businesses
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Microsoft made new versions of Windows and Office available to business customers on Thursday.
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HP and Microsoft have an enterprise software deal in the works to be announced later today.
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Investor's Business Daily - Some free open-source software aside, business software has been sold through licensing agreements for packaged products or via Web-based subscriptions -- until now.
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Microsoft is offering a new subscription model to small businesses that will allow them to use the company&#39;s software for less cost than the currently available licensing model.
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LicenseWise and Windows Vista Hardware Assessment help users navigate Microsoft offerings.
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Users will be able to upgrade between versions just by purchasing a new product key.
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Microsoft is working to make its volume licensing programs simpler for business customers.
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Microsoft Corp. on Tuesday released 12 security fixes for its Windows operating system and Office business software.
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The development environment released to members of the Microsoft Developer Network subscribers in fall is now available in retail.
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The new patches apply to a variety of products, including some versions of Microsoft&#39;s Windows operating system and server software, its Internet Explorer Web browser and Excel spreadsheet program.
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Microsoft on Tuesday released a bevy of patches, including three critical patches for the Microsoft Windows operating system, two for Office, and a critical patch for its antivirus and anti-malware software products.
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Microsoft announced a major support upgrade, clearer road maps for its Dynamics range of business applications and new financing.
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(InfoWorld) - IT procurement managers are finding that Microsoft's Software Assurance maintenance program may not save them money as hoped, according to a survey by Forrester Research. The Microsoft program guarantees updates to new products along with support and training tools. One of the most compelling reasons to buy Software Assurance was free upgrades from, for example, Windows XP to Windows Vista. But Microsoft hasn't stuck to a consistent release schedule, which can actually mean the program could cost companies more money than simply buying new licenses as needed, according to the four-page Forrester report, written by Julie Giera, a vice president at the research firm. For desktops, Software Assurance (SA) is 29 percent the cost of an annual license. If Microsoft goes at least four years between releases -- the company went about five years between XP and Vista releases -- the cost of Software Assurance works out at 116 percent of a new desktop license, Giera wrote. For servers, Software Assurance is about 25 percent the annual cost of a license. "The uncertainty regarding product releases makes it difficult for IT procurement and sourcing professionals to justify a three-year SA renewal," the report said. Microsoft has also not yet published a road map for products released since November 2006, such as Windows Vista, Office 2007, SharePoint 2007, Exchange 2007, and other products. Of 63 IT procurement professionals Forrester surveyed, 86 percent said their licensing arrangement with Microsoft will expire this year. Twenty-six percent said they will not renew Software Assurance with 31 percent still undecided. Another 18 percent said they would renew for some products, with the remainder saying they would either probably or definitely renew. About 74 percent of those who said they would not buy the same amount of Software Assurance maintenance said the economics did not make sense, and 59 percent said they did not expect to get a new product release. Forrester is advising companies to negotiate early with Microsoft and hold out for better deals. "Discounts in the 7 percent to 15 percent range, depending on your size and level of spending, should be the foundation of any renewal discussion," the report said. Companies should also simply do the math. "This sounds like common sense, but we're continually surprised by the number of companies that don't take the time to conduct a financial analysis of the costs and benefits of SA," Forrester said. Microsoft could not be reached for immediate comment.
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SEATTLE -- Microsoft will do what it has long said could not be done: sell a stripped-down version of its flagship Windows software.
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Microsoft said today it would make the service pack 1 software update available this month to some customers.
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InfoWorld - Microsoft continues to tweak its volume licensing programs to make it easier for business customers to purchase the company&#39;s software in bulk.
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Microsoft apparently has started updating files on PCs running XP and Vista, even when users have disabled the operating systems' automatic update feature.