Everything about Microsoft Open Value Subscriptions; renewals, updates, discounts and payments

Open Value Subscription is intended for organizations that strive for the most flexible  purchase form for Microsoft licenses.  It is a form of licensing that offers workplace standardization and is based on a subscription (rent) basis but also gives the right to purchase.    

Thanks to this rental form, the license costs in the short and medium term are significantly lower than with Open Value Company-wide, and there is the possibility to reduce the number of licenses if the number of workplaces decreases.    

At the start of the agreement, customers who already own licenses in Open Value Subscription can benefit from a one-off 50% discount on the rental price for the first year. All participating entities must be located within the same geographic region as defined on the Microsoft website.   

User features and what a subscriber gets under the Open Value Subscription   

Open Value Subscription has the following features:   

• One agreement for the entire organization.   
• Workplace standardization: a fixed set of Microsoft products for all desktops and/or office staff in the organization.   
• Spread payments: a fixed amount per PC per year.   
• Many Other benefits such as support, training and home use of Office.   

Just like Open Value Company-wide, Open Value Subscription offers the possibility to put together a platform yourself or to opt for the full Desktop Professional Platform or Small Business Platform. However, the products that are part of the platforms can only be ordered company-wide. It is therefore not possible, for example, to order Office Professional for only part of the PCs.   

Add-on products available in the OVS   

The Open Value Subscription (OVS) considers flexibility and cost-effective licensing designed for businesses and organizations to simplify the purchase and management of Microsoft products. 

The OVS as an agreement comes with various software solutions, services, and tools to fulfill diverse needs and requirements of organizations.       

In addition to the platform products available, it is also possible to purchase products, such as Exchange Server, Visio or Project.   

The importance of Software Assurance as a benefit in the OVS    

One of the key benefits of the OVS agreement is the inclusion of Software Assurance (SA). This is an add-on feature that includes valuable benefits.    

• Upgrade rights: This provides organizations the right to stay current with the latest technological advancements without incurring additional costs. With SA, subscribers receive rights to new versions of licensed software released during the subscription term.    
• Training Resources: Software Assurance includes various training options for individuals within your organization, such as the Microsoft E-Learning library, the Training Voucher program, and access to the Microsoft IT Pro Cloud Essentials resource portal.   
  
• Enhanced Security: Microsoft Software Assurance also offers enhanced security features to help businesses protect their data and systems. This program provides access to threat protection resources, information security services, and security advisories. Additionally, Software Assurance customers receive security updates and patches as soon as they are released, helping to ensure that their systems remain secure and up-to-date.  

The list of SA benefits are expansive and makes your use of the agreement not rigid and limited.   

Microsoft Price levels as offered in the OVS   

The Open Value Subscription Agreement offers different price levels for which depending on your business size there will be a preferred level.   

The Open Value Subscription program has two price levels:   

Level                                                                              Number of PCs   

Open Value Subscription No level                   5 – 249   

Open Value Subscription Level C                     250+   

The “Up to date Discount” and how it works in the OVS   

OVS discounts is essential for businesses looking to minimize their operating expenses. By taking advantage of these discounted prices, organizations can significantly reduce their software costs, allowing them to reallocate their budgets to other business-critical areas.    

Moreover, seasonally available rebates and special promotions only add to the overall economic benefits derived from this subscription program.   

If you already have licenses for one or more of the chosen company-wide products at the start of the OVS agreement, you can use the “Up-to-date Discount”. This is a discount of no less than 50% on the rental price for the first year. This discount only applies if you have licenses of the current or previous version of the rented product. The Up-to-date Discount can only be applied once.   

“Reorder” as an option in the OVS   

Once a year you report the current number of Enterprise Products on which your organization has standardized, such as Office, Windows and the Core or Enterprise CAL Suite.    

This arrangement is beneficial for organizations that are dealing with shrinkage or strong fluctuations in their number of PCs. As with Open Value and Open Value Company-wide, you must order additional licenses for Additional Products before the end of the month in which the licenses are deployed.    

On each anniversary of the agreement, the license numbers for Additional Products are subject to change.   

What is the duration of Microsoft OVS agreement?   

The duration agreement in the Open Value license is for a period of three years. Hence an organization must adhere to the specified terms and conditions pertaining to the usage of the software during this period.    

As part of other benefits during this set timeframe, an organization is able to plan software deployments, updates, and budget allocations more efficiently while ensuring compliance with the licensing terms.   

The term of the Open Value Subscription agreement is 3 years. After these 3 years, you can choose from four alternatives:   

• Take out another Open Value Subscription contract for 3 years.  
• Buy out the software and make it a perpetual license for the latest version of the software released at that time.   
• Switch to another Microsoft license form.  
• Remove the rented Microsoft software from the PCs.   

Are you looking for experts for your Open Value Subscription contract, independent advice on Microsoft licensing products,  contract negotiations or Cloud optimalization? Contact the Q-Advise Microsoft team today!

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