Microsoft School Agreement 3.5

In addition to volume prices and simplified management, volume licensing offers benefits such as Software Assurance (SA). With SA, users receive all product updates for the duration of their contract, so customers are still licensed for the latest version of the software, as well as for support, planning services, training and it tools. SA is included in some programs and is an optional purchase with others. Licenses acquired under the campus agreement are only valid if you are a teacher or an active employee in a department covered by the agreement. If, for some reason, you are no longer covered by the agreement, you must stop using the software obtained under the rights to use the campus agreement and uninstall all copies of that software. Otherwise, you will take personal responsibility for the use of compliance licenses. The campus agreement is available annually from April 1 to March 31. It must be signed and purchased annually by your college or department so that you can continue to use the software and get upgrades. The agreement also includes all upgrades made with these software titles during the term of the contract.

Microsoft®`s business model is based on the software license, which dates back to the MS-DOS license® to IBM® in 1980. This was important not only because it was the first major break-up of the company, but also because of the terms of the agreement. IBM® wanted an exclusive agreement that prohibits MS® licensing the operating system to others. IBM ® was a huge undertaking and guaranteeing an agreement with them, microsoft could do® or break. Bill Gates and Paul Allen believed that despite IBM`s dominant presence® the potential PC market would far exceed IBM`s enviable reach ®. They were able to conclude the agreement without exclusivity. Bill and Paul thought that if PCs were as successful as they hoped, the sum of many OEMs would even exceed the size of IBM®. They also believed that by conceding their operating system to several OEMs, they would create a market and industry standard that no one else could compete with. There are also factors that suggest that LV complexities may be intentional, or at least that MS® has little incentive to simplify the program. Customers know they have to respect the terms of their agreement. Failure to comply with the use of pirated copies or unauthorized access to the user or device can result in significant fines and legal fees. Some companies deliberately purchase more CALs than they need to ensure they are compliant in the event of a review.

There are also scenarios where customers pay for more than they need because they don`t know the rules.