Upgrade and SA Prices by Agreement

The following chart shows a sample of prices for upgrade packages and Software Assurance (SA) upgrade rights, offered through various Microsoft licensing programs. Upgrades to Windows 7 business editions require that the PC already be licensed for Vista Business; Microsoft may also permit upgrades from Windows XP Professional. (As of press time, the rules for upgrades had not been announced.) These prices are for purchases of Windows upgrades and SA only; in Open Value Company-Wide (OVCW) and Enterprise Agreements (EAs) customers can get additional discounts of about 15% by purchasing OS upgrades as part of a “platform” that also includes Office and a suite of Client Access Licenses.

Except as noted for Select, ranges of prices reflect the prices at the lowest and highest discount levels available in a program.

SA runs for the remaining term of the customer’s volume agreement, except in the Select Plus program, where it always runs for three years. In Open Value, OVCW, and EA volume plans, customers must purchase SA with all new licenses, although they can purchase SA alone in Open Value for new computers (within 90 days of the computer’s purchase). In OVCW and EAs, customers pay for upgrades and SA on all new computers on a declining scale, depending on how many years remain in their agreement. For those agreements, the Windows upgrade price shown here includes the upgrade license and three years of SA, while the SA price shows the cost of SA alone over three years.