Open Programs

Open plans are used by organizations with up to about 250 PCs, including charities, educational institutions, and small government offices, whose purchase volumes may not be large enough to qualify them for plans that offer greater discounts. However, larger companies sometimes buy licenses through Open agreements, in addition to their other volume licensing plans, because it offers certain tactical advantages—such as the ability to work with local resellers or the option to buy short-term Software Assurance (SA).

Like Microsoft’s other volume licensing plans, Open License grants downgrade rights, reimaging rights, volume media that can be used for multiple installs, and secure Web sites where customers can track their purchase history, retrieve activation keys, and download software.

Unlike some enterprise-oriented plans, Open plans don’t permit unlicensed use of software for training or evaluation purposes.

Compared with Microsoft’s other volume licensing plans, most Open plans require a small initial purchase (as little as five licenses, which can cost less than US$1,000), and offer the largest choice of resellers. Most Microsoft products can be purchased through Open plans, but these plans offer only one or two pricing tiers, compared with other plans that offer four or more discount levels, and discounts are less favorable than in programs such as Select. (For descriptions of the ordering process for Open plans, see the illustration “Ordering Through Open License and Open Value“.)