Understanding the Select Plus Licensing Program

With the older Select “classic” program being phased out, Select Plus is becoming the primary way medium and large organizations license Microsoft products on a targeted basis, at the time of their choosing, with or without Software Assurance (SA) coverage. Because this flexibility helps customers avoid unnecessary license purchases, Select Plus is commonly used to supplement, or as an alternative to, Enterprise Agreements (EAs). Current Select classic customers will eventually have to transition to Select Plus when their existing Select classic agreement(s) expire, but customers can transition earlier if they want.

The Select Plus and Select classic programs are similar in many respects, including their transactional nature, collection of licenses offered, and distribution channel. (For a summary of these similarities, see the sidebar “What the Select Programs Have in Common“.) However, Select Plus differs from its predecessor in a few fundamental ways. Specifically, Select Plus has its own unique legal contract structure, method for determining price discount levels, and rules regarding how long SA coverage terms last and when payments are due. (SA is an add-on subscription for licenses that provides product version upgrades and other benefits.)