MSDN Packaging and Pricing

MSDN subscriptions package together Microsoft’s development tools, SDKs, OSs, server applications, and Azure services to facilitate software evaluation and the design, development, and testing of applications. MSDN is a valuable resource because it allows organizations to evaluate software and develop applications without having to acquire and fully license the underlying products and services until applications are deployed in production. However, MSDN subscription editions have significant differences, including price, so organizations should carefully evaluate which offering best meets the needs of each developer, tester, and administrator.

MSDN Aids Development and Operations

Organizations subscribe to MSDN for access to the current and previous versions of Microsoft software, such as the Windows client and server OS, SQL Server, Exchange, and SharePoint, needed to design, develop, and test applications that rely on that software. In addition, MSDN provides monthly credits for use of Azure, Microsoft’s hosted application and storage platform, which can be used for development on either Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS, for example, hosted in virtual machines) or Platform as a Service (PaaS, for new hosted application) offerings.