Windows Vista® Enterprise Centralized Desktop (VECD) will be available through the Open Value program beginning in January, 2008. VECD is a Windows® client SKU especially designed for running the Windows Client operating system in virtual machines on top of servers.
Windows Vista Enterprise Centralized Desktop is a use-right only SKU first launched on the July 2007 price list. It has a per-device subscription-based license. Depending on the type of access device, this SKU comes in two flavors:

• VECD for SA (Win VisEnt CentralDsktpSA): to be used when an access device is a rich client and the PC has Software Assurance coverage
• VECD (Win VisEnt CentralDsktp): to be used when an access device is a thin client (the device is not covered in SA) and VECD comes with Software Assurance benefits

VECD also provides home use rights (in other words, remote access from a home PC) to the primary user of a machine covered by VECD. Secondary anonymous users are not eligible for this benefit.
VECD will continue to be available through Enterprise Agreement, Select and Academic Select, and Campus and School Agreement licensing programs.

The Microsoft Visual Studio development system is a suite of development tools designed to aid software developers—whether they are novices or seasoned professionals—face complex challenges and create innovative solutions. Visual Studio's role is to improve the process of development and make the work of achieving breakthroughs easier and more satisfying.

Old Pfam	New Pfam	Update
Visual Studio Team Suite	Visual Studio Team Suite	No Change
Visual Studio Team Ed Sft Dev	Visual Studio Team Development	Name Changed in November
Visual Studio Team Ed Sft Arch	Visual Studio Team Architecture	Name Changed in November
Visual Studio Team Ed DB Pro	Visual Studio Team Database	Name Changed in November
Visual Studio Team Ed Sft Test	Visual Studio Team Test	Name Changed in November
Visual Studio Team Test Agent	Visual Studio Team Test Agent	No Change
Visual Studio Team Foundation Svr	Visual Studio Team Foundation Svr	No Change
Visual Studio Team Fndation Svr CAL	Visual Studio Team Fndation Svr CAL	No Change
Visual Studio Team Fndn Svr Ext Con	Visual Studio Team Fndn Svr Ext Con	No Change
Visual Source Safe	No Longer Offered	No Change
Visual Studio Tools for Office	No Longer Offered	Removed
Visual Studio Pro w/ MSDN Prem	Visual Studio Pro w/ MSDN Prem	No Change
Visual Studio Pro w/MSDN Pro	Visual Studio Pro w/MSDN Pro	No Change
Visual Studio Professional	Visual Studio Professional	No Change

• There will not be a 2008 version released for Visual Source Safe. Visual Source Safe 2005 will continue to be offered on price lists. An update to Visual Source Safe 2005 to allow functionality with Visual Studio 2008 is planned to be available by the end of December.
• The functionality of Visual Studio Tools for Office is now available through Visual Studio Professional. Visual Studio Tools for Office is being discontinued as a standalone product.

Availability
Licenses on Volume Licensing Pricelists	Jan 1st 2008
Media Kit/Download - English	Jan 1st 2008
Media Kit/Download - Japanese	Feb 1st 2008
Media Kit/Download  -	March 1st 2008
French
German
Media Kit/Download -	April 1st 2008
Korean
Chinese Simplified
Chinese Traditional
Italian
Spanish
Programs	Enterprise, Select, CASA, Open Value, Open

*Visual Studio 2005 will be removed from pricelists as of 12/31/07.

Microsoft is introducing significant changes to Microsoft® System Center licensing and pricing including new products, server management licensing suites, and a change in licensing model from "per device" to "per OSE".

New System Center Products
Q4 CY07 represents a major release milestone for Microsoft®'s System Center Family. Microsoft has released three key products designed to help better manage complexity and achieve agility in datacenters and across desktops. The three new products are:

• Microsoft® System Center Configuration Manager 2007 ("Configuration Manager 2007"), which is the new version of Microsoft Systems Management Server ("SMS")
• Microsoft® System Center Data Protection Manager 2007 ("Data Protection Manager 2007")
• Microsoft® System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2007 ("Virtual Machine Manager 2007")

Microsoft® System Center Server Management Suite Enterprise
Microsoft is introducing the System Center Server Management Suite Enterprise ("Server Management Suite Enterprise"), a new comprehensive server management solution for end-to-end management of physical and server environments. Key customer value includes:

• Unmatched breadth of functionality and best-of-breed capabilities for management of Windows in a single license.
• Competitively priced for both the physical and virtualized environments.
• Compelling value for virtualized environments because it is the only way to license the scale-unrestricted version of Virtual Machine Manager 2007, our new product for managing virtualized environments.
• Includes rights to manage an unlimited number of operating system environments ("OSEs") on a physical server.

Licensing model changing from "per device" to "per OSE" for all Server Management Licenses
Effective November 1, 2007, the license model for all Management Licenses ("MLs") in the Management Servers PCLM (Product Category License Model in the October, 2007 Product Use Rights) has changed from "per device" to "per OSE" for all products, including Operations Manager 2007, Configuration Manager 2007, and Data Protection Manager 2007. The primary reason for this change is to account for the increased adoption of virtualization technologies in distributed computing environments.
Operations Manager 2007 Client ML and Configuration Manager 2007 Client ML can be purchased on a standalone basis either per OSE or per user. Additionally, they may still be purchased per device or per user if acquired through the Enterprise CAL and Core CAL Suites, respectively.

Details of these changes:
Microsoft is also introducing the Microsoft® System Center Server Management Suite Enterprise ("Server Management Suite Enterprise"), a new comprehensive solution for end-to-end management of physical and server environments. The Server Management Suite Enterprise offers breadth of functionality and best-of-breed capabilities for management of Windows in a single license at a great price. It is a great value for comprehensive server management in a physical environment because the Suite is equivalent to buying 3 Enterprise Server Management Licenses ("Server MLs" for System Center Operations Manager 2007, Configuration Manager 2007, and Data Protection Manager 2007) for the price of 2. However, it is an even more compelling value for virtualized environments because it is the only way to license the scale-unrestricted version of Microsoft® Virtual Machine Manager 2007, Microsoft's new product for managing virtualized environments, and includes rights to manage an unlimited number of operating system environments ("OSEs") on a physical server.

Licensing and Pricing Changes
In conjunction with this set of product releases, Microsoft is updating licensing options and aligning its pricing across its product line to increase simplicity, and better reflect the value delivered by new functionality, and account for new technology trends in the marketplace. The key licensing and pricing changes are as follows:

• Server Management Suite Enterprise available in Volume Licensing programs as of October 1, 2007 and priced starting at $1,290 Open NL ERP ("Estimated Retail Price") L&SA (Software Assurance is for 2 years).  Note that Software Assurance is required when purchasing this Suite.  This price is just barely higher than the price of 2 Enterprise Server MLs (with equivalent Software Assurance coverage), and provides the only option to manage an unlimited number of OSEs on a physical server (i.e., it's effectively still a per device license) after November 1, 2007
• Effective November 1, 2007, the license model for all Management Licenses ("MLs") in the Management Servers PCLM (Product Category License Model in the October, 2007 Product Use Rights) is changing from "per device" to "per OSE" for all products, including Operations Manager 2007, Configuration Manager 2007, and Data Protection Manager 2007. Microsoft System Center Essentials 2007 was originally released in July, 2007 with "per OSE" Management Licenses. The primary reason for this change is to account for the increased adoption of virtualization technologies in distributed computing environments. Microsoft has also introduced a choice between licensing per OSE (for standalone MLs, and the Server Management Suite Standard) or unlimited OSEs (Server Management Suite Enterprise) for server management similar to how Microsoft Windows Server is licensed - which offers a Standard Edition per instance and a Datacenter Edition for unlimited instances.
• Effective November 1, 2007, Microsoft is introducing a "per user" licensing option for the System Center Operations Manager 2007 Client Management License ("Client ML") and Configuration Manager 2007 Client Management License ("Client ML"). The reason for this change is to maintain consistency with how these licenses can be purchased on a standalone basis versus through the Microsoft® Enterprise CAL and Microsoft® Core CAL Suites. The net of these changes for client management is that the Operations Manager 2007 Client ML and Configuration Manager 2007 Client ML can be purchased on a standalone basis either per OSE or per user. However, they may still be purchased per device or per user if acquired through the Enterprise CAL and Core CAL Suites, respectively.
• Prices for Configuration Manager 2007 Server Management Licenses are the same as the prices for Operations Manager 2007 Server Management Licenses. SMS had traditionally been a desktop-oriented management product with some basic server management capabilities. With Configuration Manager 2007, the new version of SMS, Microsoft has made significant investments in new server management capabilities, and the new pricing reflects the increased value delivered. The two Server ML editions, Standard and Enterprise, are differentiated based on the workload managed (same approach as for Operations Manager 2007) by the new desired configuration management ("DCM") functionality. The Standard Server ML is limited to use of DCM with basic workloads including the operating system, file/print servers, and networking services. The Enterprise Server ML is a superset of the Standard Server ML, so allows for use of DCM with any workload, including proactively managing systems for configuration settings that follow an industry-leading framework for managing information in changing regulatory and business environments. Note that a Standard Server ML is sufficient for use of legacy functionality like inventory, software distribution, and patch management on any workload.
• Prices for Data Protection Manager 2007 are the same as Operations Manager 2007 and Configuration Manager 2007. This means that the Data Protection Manager Server 2007 license will be increased in price to start at $573 Open NL ERP, the same as the management server prices for the other products. The Data Protection Manager 2007 Standard Server ML (which is the upgrade from the current Data Protection Manager 2006 Data Protection Management License, or DPML) price is increasing slightly to $155 Open NL ERP, and a new Data Protection Manager 2007 Enterprise Server ML is being introduced at a starting price of $426 Open NL ERP. The two Server ML editions, Standard and Enterprise, are differentiated based on workload managed (same approach as Operations Manager 2007), as well as by some premium functionality included with the Enterprise edition. The Standard Server ML is for backup and recovery of file servers. The Enterprise Server ML is a superset of the Standard Server ML, so is for backup and recovery of applications like Microsoft Exchange Server, Microsoft SQL ServerTM, and Microsoft Office SharePoint Server, as well as file servers. The Enterprise Server ML is also required for use of the Microsoft System Recovery Tool, host-based virtual server backup, and DPM-to-DPM replication.

Transition to Server Management Suite Enterprise
Customers with Software Assurance coverage are eligible to purchase "SA step-up" SKUs, which allow them to pay the difference between the license and software assurance they already purchased and the cost of the license and software assurance for the Server Management Suite Enterprise offering. There is an array of SA step-up SKUs that will enable a customer to migrate from any Standard Server ML all the way up to the Server Management Suite Enterprise:

• Step-ups from standalone Standard Server ML to standalone Enterprise Server ML
• Step-ups from standalone Enterprise Server ML to Server Management Suite Enterprise
• Step-up from Server Management Suite Standard to Server Management Suite Enterprise

Transition to Per OSE Licensing
Customers who have active Volume Licensing enrolments with an effective date prior to November 1, 2007 may continue to purchase new Management Licenses after November 1, 2007 under that enrolment based on the per device licensing model for the following products:

• System Center Operations Manager 2007
• Systems Management Server (SMS) 2003 or 2003 R2
• System Center Data Protection Manager 2006

These customers will need to switch to the new per OSE licensing model (or step-up to the Server Management Suite Enterprise) under the following circumstances:

• Renew their agreement or enrollment when it expires
• Upgrade from SMS 2003 or 2003 R2 to Configuration Manager 2007, even during the term of their existing enrolment
• Upgrade from Data Protection Manager 2006 to the 2007 version, even during the term of their existing enrolment

New enrolments with an effective date of November 1, 2007 or later will be subject to the new use rights and per OSE licensing model for Management Licenses.

The promotion runs from December 1, 2007 through June 30, 2008. Select program only. Through this limited-time offer, customers can take advantage of Microsoft's new performance management solution - Microsoft Office PerformancePoint Server 2007 - while delivering key performance insights to end users through discounted Enterprise CAL licenses of Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007.

What Value Does this Promotion Offer?
This offer brings together a PerformancePoint Server 2007 CAL[1] at full price with a SharePoint Server Enterprise CAL at a 25% discount[2]:

• The PerformancePoint Server 2007 CAL provides business users with access to PerformancePoint Server 2007, an integrated performance management solution that allows an organization to monitor its performance, analyze trends and plan for the business' future success.
• The SharePoint Server 2007 Enterprise CAL provides end user access to SharePoint Server 2007, which facilitates collaboration, content management and document sharing, and delivers portal-based access to information essential to attaining goals and streamlining key processes.

SharePoint Server is one of the fastest growing Microsoft platforms, attracting thousands of new enterprises and hundreds of thousands of new users. With support for key business activities, SharePoint Server is helping business better collaborate, share documents, and deliver important information to stakeholders across the organization. In addition, PerformancePoint Server 2007 enters the fast paced and high-growth performance management solutions market. Together, these solutions provide customers with a way of identifying and sharing key insights that impact a company's business performance.

About the Microsoft Office SharePoint Server Enterprise CAL 2007 Promotion

• This promotion provides a 25% discount off of the license component of SharePoint Server Enterprise CALs when an equivalent number of PerformancePoint Server 2007 CALs are licensed at the same time.

The "Fine" Print

• Software Assurance for the CALs acquired through this promotion must also be acquired at the time of purchase.
• The 25% off the Microsoft Office SharePoint Server Enterprise CAL is for the license component only; Software Assurance (SA) is charged at full rates.
• There is no discount on the server component for either PerformancePoint Server 2007 or SharePoint Server 2007.

January 1 to June 30, 2008
Microsoft is celebrating the launch of the Office Live Meeting 2007 service. Live Meeting Standard edition makes it easier to collaborate from anywhere with VOIP and video capabilities that allow your organization to leverage web conferencing functionality at highly competitive prices. With Live Meeting pricing starting from $4.58 ERP - web conferencing is more accessible than ever.
Customers can acquire Live Meeting Standard at a 30% discount when licensing 1,000 users or more. Microsoft's reduced pricing for Live Meeting Standard makes it easy to provide web conferencing and significantly cut down on travel costs. This promotional offer is available through Microsoft's Volume Licensing programs, including Select and Enterprise Agreements.

NO BETTER TIME TO GET SOFTWARE ASSURANCE THAN NOW


For more information please email us at TeamMicrosoft@EnPointe.com

Policy provides consistent and predictable guidelines for product support availability at the time of product release and throughout the product life. By understanding the product support available, customers are better able to maximize the management of their IT investments and strategically plan for a successful IT future. http://support.microsoft.com/lifecycle/#Support%20Lifecycle%20FAQs

Click here to subscribe to Microsoft Support Lifecycle Quarterly Update Newsletter