Users are still seeing little value in Microsoft's
Software Assurance (SA) subscription licence programme, a new
report from Forrester Research has suggested.
People who bought into Microsoft's controversial three-year
software assurance scheme in July 2001 will now be ready for
their third renewal. The programme costs users 25% of a full server
software licence fee per year and includes a free upgrade to the
latest version of the licensed product.
Forrester spoke to 61 users in
IT procurement, 86% of whom were set to renew this month. Of
those asked, 26% said they definitely would not be renewing, and
31% remanined undecided.
Forrester Research vice president Julie Giera said, "This
software maintenance offering is one of the most comprehensive in
the industry, and one of the most expensive. Microsoft has added
other features to the program over the years, but many
organisations told us they do not use most of these extra SA
benefits."
Giera said that while the free upgrade was the main incentive
for users to renew their SA contracts, the uncertainty over when
Microsoft will release a major new product has made it difficult
for IT departments to justify a three-year software assurance
renewal.