Microsoft is trying to simplify its complex volume licensing programs and the customer agreements that fall under them as an unprecedented number of volume license customers face renewal decisions this fall. As part of that initiative, the Redmond, Wash., software maker has slashed the number of price points and product SKUs in the different programs, and updated the language and the content flow in each agreement to give consistency across all volume licensing contracts.
Navigation has also been improved, with a new table of contents and summary titles, and a new signature form is being introduced for a single signature event with the customer, said Stacie Sloane, Microsoft"s director of marketing and communications for worldwide licensing and pricing. Microsoft has also reduced the length of the agreements under its Enterprise, Select License and Open License programs by as much as half, depending on the program.