Where Do I Start?
Step 1: Asses your business. You need licensing if you answer yes to any of the below:
- You load the same copy of purchased boxed software onto more than one PC;
- You download software from the Internet from untrusted websites;
- Your software is installed from a copy of an original CD;
- The machine you are working on has no COA (Certificate of Authenticity);
- You use re-bundled software;
- You download software from auction websites;
- You download software from spam e-mail messages;
- You received a software purchase deal from another region;
- You downloaded Microsoft software from a website other than microsoft.com;
- You bought software from a street vendor.
If you are unsure whether or not you need any software licences, contact us and we will guide you through the steps in order to assess whether or not your business needs to purchase any.
Step 2: Understand your business In order to decide on what licensing options are right for you and your business, you need to first answer the following questions:
- How big is your business (ito number of workspaces) and what type of business are you in?
- What products do you want to license? (eg Software? Hardware?)
- How do you want to use your software and hardware (ie who will be working on the software and to what end?)
Once you have answered these easy questions, IMMIX will help you select the right licensing option for your business. By choosing the right option, you can simplify your licences (you don’t always need to buy the full offering, but rather carefully select the components that suit your needs), save money in the long run and increase the value of your software.
Step 3: Understand your options. IMMIX and Microsoft currently offer the following licensing options.
Open License: This is like a “Pay as you go” option. Like your cell phone contract, you pay for licences as you need them (like topping up your airtime when you need more) providing maximum flexibility to grow with your organisation’s increasing and changing business needs. You are required to make a minimum initial purchase of software licences but you can acquire additional licensed products through Open License in any quantity at any time during a two-year period.
Open Value: If your business has 5 or more desktop PCs that need licences, then this option is for you. Open Value includes Microsoft Software Assurance benefits, the enhanced maintenance program that helps you get the most out of your software spending through each phase of software lifecycle. Software Assurance provides access to valuable benefits such as training, deployment planning, software upgrades and product support to help you increase the productivity of your entire organisation.
Open Value Option: The subscription (Open Value) option allows you to pay a single price per desktop PC to deploy Microsoft technology as the standard across your organisation. This option gives you the right to use the software throughout your organisation during the term of the agreement with Microsoft.
License Rental: For true, month-to-month flexibility in a hosted environment, the Licence Rental option allows you access to the latest Microsoft technologies on a month-by-month basis as an operating expense to the business.