Steve Ballmer is at Microsoft's London HQ in Victoria today to explain to customers, resellers and system integrators, why they need Windows 7, Windows 2008 R2 and Exchange 2010.
He says BitLocker disk encryption, application and desktop virtualisation and central policy management can all help to reduce IT admin costs.But users were more interested in what the he plans to do to simplify and lower licensing costs.
The room erupted in applause after one delegate at today's event quizzed Ballmer on the fine print in MS licensing, which could trip up unwary users. Ballmer says he has no plans to simplify licensing. "Customers want simplification to reduce costs; our shareholders want simplification without price decreases." Someone may choose a processor based licence for SQL Server, while another may decide on a server-based client access licence. Both offer lower costs depending on how they are deployed. So Ballmer intends to continue giving users this choice. He says he will accept feedback from users, if there are specif customer issues related to licensing that users are facing. "Email me at sballmer@microsoft.com,"
