Select License Plan Ends in 2011

New Select License volume licensing agreements will not be sold after June 30, 2011, Microsoft has announced. Though complex, Select is widely used for server purchases by larger customers and offers some unusual opportunities to save money, including on Software Assurance (SA), Microsoft’s upgrade and maintenance plan. A newer version of Select, Select Plus, will continue to be sold.

Select Versus Select Plus

Select, which first appeared in the mid-1990s, was Microsoft’s first volume licensing plan aimed at enterprise customers. A three-year agreement, it requires customers to purchase a minimum amount of software each year in at least one of Microsoft’s three product pools—systems (primarily the Windows desktop OS), applications (Office and other desktop applications), and servers.

Purchases are tracked by “points” assigned to each product license, based primarily on its cost. The number of points within a pool determines the discount level, ranging from A through D, that customers earn. At the deepest discount, Select D, Select prices are typically 20% to 25% lower than Open License, a simpler volume licensing plan that Select complements.