”The Microsoft Products and Services Agreement (MPSA) is a new basic `framework agreement` that greatly simplifies volume licensing by consolidating the common terms of standard Microsoft Volume Licensing agreements into a single agreement for all organizations. It contains the terms of the Microsoft Business and Services Agreement (MBSA), the Microsoft Select Plus Agreement, and the terms and conditions for purchasing Microsoft Online Services. By streamlining the entire contract and integrating transactional purchases of software and online services, you have more flexibility to take full advantage of purchases across your entire business. One of the advantages of the MPSA agreement over Select Plus is the ability to purchase online services such as Office 365. This table, taken from the Microsoft website, provides an overview of the differences between the two types of license agreements: The Microsoft Select Plus Volume Licensing Agreement will be discontinued on July 1, 2015. It is replaced by the Microsoft Products and Services Agreement (MPSA). The Microsoft Select Plus Retirement Q&A Report indicates that new offerings are being developed to deliver a connected shopping experience. This new experience enables innovative cloud and business scenarios that can scale quickly and easily as your needs grow. Microsoft will no longer accept new Select Plus contracts for commercial customers to prepare for the transition to the new shopping experience as soon as it becomes available.

There is no impact on previous or existing orders placed on Select Plus. This change only affects the possibility of signing new agreements. Existing Select Plus customers can continue to place new orders and perform Software Assurance renewals. The Select Plus ruling only applies to commercial contracts. It does not apply to state or academic agreements. Your ability to transact through Select Plus will not be affected until Microsoft notifies you of the termination of your specific agreement. Yes. Microsoft provides continuous renewal of Select Plus customer contracts to reduce the number of steps you need to take to start buying through the new commerce experience. If you have an active Select Plus policy, you can continue to place new orders and Software Assurance renewals through your Select Plus policy until further notice.

For more information on optimizing software licenses, see our white paper: What does it take to optimize software licenses? Please note that Select Plus will continue to be available to public sector customers. Eligible government organizations and educational institutions can use Select Plus to purchase Microsoft software licenses at the level of any partner or department, while enjoying benefits as a single organization. There are several licensing options for purchasing on-premises software and cloud services, depending on the size of your business and purchasing needs. Please work with your Microsoft partner to find the right license vehicle for your specific needs. You will continue to have all rights and access to all software and software insurance purchased through Select Plus. There are currently no plans to retire Select Plus for the public sector. For more information about MPSA, see this page on the Microsoft Web site. Microsoft has released a series of short podcasts that describe the vision of our business experience and how it will change the way you do business with Microsoft for the better. Listen to episodes one and two on SoundCloud on soundcloud.com/microsoft-commercial-licensing.

Learn more about Select Plus for public sector organizations This does not apply to academic or government customers when purchasing through Select Plus. Our vision is to simplify the purchase and management of your Microsoft software and services through a streamlined digital experience with advanced options and features for purchasing, invoicing, and cost management. In 2017, we began Microsoft`s business transition with the goal of improving the shopping experience for customers. We continued to implement this strategy by introducing programmatic changes to our volume licensing programs that are specific to volume licensing and remediation, and by introducing new ways for customers to purchase and manage Microsoft Azure services. As we introduce changes over time to continually improve and expand the customer experience, the way you buy local software shifts from Select Plus or other programs to the new commerce experience. .