You may be accustomed to buying computer
software and hardware products the same way you purchase other
office equipment, such as desks, chairs, fax machines and paper
shredders.
However, there is a much less expensive
way to acquire Microsoft Office and Microsoft Windows software than
purchasing shrink-wrapped software boxes at the local office supply
superstore.
Besides a 10 to 20 percent initial
out-of-pocket savings compared to retail purchases, Microsoft Open
License also can help you save money on computer support costs.
Microsoft Open License and Easier Control Over Media and License
Agreements
Because you get a consolidated license
agreement document and only purchase as much media as you need,
it’s a lot easier to keep your valuable software assets locked up.
This way, you don’t have to worry about
entrusting the software boxes to employees, or about expensive
software assets walking off the premises.
Less User Tinkering and Tighter Anti-Piracy Control with
Microsoft Open License
With the license agreement and media under
centralized control, presumably with your internal guru or another
manager, users won’t be able to pop in the installation CD and
experiment.
Users also are prevented from sharing the
software with others in the company who aren’t authorized or
licensed to run that program.
Easier Storage and End-of-Life Disposal through Microsoft Open
License
In areas where real estate is extraordinarily
expensive and garbage disposal costs are high, consider the physical
burdens of traditional software purchases.
With Microsoft Open License, it’s a lot
easier to manage and ultimately dispose of a few sets of media, than
potentially dozens of boxes of shrink-wrapped software.
Microsoft Open License Action Items
Does your company have a combination of at
least five desktop PCs and notebooks?
If so, have you ever priced out the cost to
enter into a software site license agreement, such as Microsoft Open
License, and how it compares to retail pricing?
Do you have a written inventory of all the
Microsoft Office, Microsoft Windows and other software applications
that your company owns or licenses?
Do you keep software media and license
agreement centrally locked up and under the control of one or two
managers, or do users hold onto their own software media,
documentation, license agreement and other packaging?
Have you had any problems in the past
keeping track of what software assets your company owns or licenses?
Has your company run into any problems
where software media vanishes from the office?
Have you run into issues where employees
were sharing software media with other employees who weren't
authorized to have a particular program running on their PCs? Did
this result in any unexpected computer support or software license
compliance problems?
How much of a burden is it for your company
to store, manage and dispose of shrink-wrapped software media,
documentation, license agreements and other packaging?
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