Force, not value, to drive upgrades - the new Microsoft way (?)
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Microsoft is "upgrading" its Software Assurance program, but not in a way that benefits customers.
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Are MyDoom offshoots an attempt to throw Microsoft off-balance?
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Microsoft has offered up yet another way for businesses to block the automatic update of Windows XP to the big-deal Service Pack 2 (SP2) upgrade.
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Users and admins who have been avoiding Microsoft's upgrade from version 6 to version 7 of Internet Explorer are going to have to try a little harder: The long-expected automatic upgrade is due to push out on Feb. 12.
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For a lot of users, the cost of upgrading to Windows Vista could be the first of many outlays needed to bring their system up to date. You've also got to update all those programs -- and a lot of vendors may not offer free compatibility updates.
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InfoWorld - Windows Vista&#160;isn&#39;t the only recently released Microsoft software that will give users headaches when they upgrade their systems. Corporate users, partners, and analysts said upgrading to Exchange Server 2007 from previous versions also may be a lengthy and painful process for companies, which may want to take a wait-and-see approach to the new software.
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Forget about finding the next Microsoft. You'll do better by looking at what others don't want.
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That's not all. Microsoft also has new tools geared to help cut costs of managing corporate data.
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(InfoWorld) - IT procurement managers are finding that Microsoft's Software Assurance maintenance program may not save them money as hoped, according to a survey by Forrester Research. The Microsoft program guarantees updates to new products along with support and training tools. One of the most compelling reasons to buy Software Assurance was free upgrades from, for example, Windows XP to Windows Vista. But Microsoft hasn't stuck to a consistent release schedule, which can actually mean the program could cost companies more money than simply buying new licenses as needed, according to the four-page Forrester report, written by Julie Giera, a vice president at the research firm. For desktops, Software Assurance (SA) is 29 percent the cost of an annual license. If Microsoft goes at least four years between releases -- the company went about five years between XP and Vista releases -- the cost of Software Assurance works out at 116 percent of a new desktop license, Giera wrote. For servers, Software Assurance is about 25 percent the annual cost of a license. "The uncertainty regarding product releases makes it difficult for IT procurement and sourcing professionals to justify a three-year SA renewal," the report said. Microsoft has also not yet published a road map for products released since November 2006, such as Windows Vista, Office 2007, SharePoint 2007, Exchange 2007, and other products. Of 63 IT procurement professionals Forrester surveyed, 86 percent said their licensing arrangement with Microsoft will expire this year. Twenty-six percent said they will not renew Software Assurance with 31 percent still undecided. Another 18 percent said they would renew for some products, with the remainder saying they would either probably or definitely renew. About 74 percent of those who said they would not buy the same amount of Software Assurance maintenance said the economics did not make sense, and 59 percent said they did not expect to get a new product release. Forrester is advising companies to negotiate early with Microsoft and hold out for better deals. "Discounts in the 7 percent to 15 percent range, depending on your size and level of spending, should be the foundation of any renewal discussion," the report said. Companies should also simply do the math. "This sounds like common sense, but we're continually surprised by the number of companies that don't take the time to conduct a financial analysis of the costs and benefits of SA," Forrester said. Microsoft could not be reached for immediate comment.
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See screenshots of the Ultimate version of the new, visually sleek Microsoft operating system before you make the upgrade leap. By Bruce Gain.
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Microsoft Corp. is forcing Windows Live and MSN Messenger users to upgrade to the newest version due to a security update included in that release, according to a posting on a Microsoft blog.
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Is the desktop dead?  Microsoft can't even make its updates sexy anymore.
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The change does not apply to existing Windows XP installations upgraded to SP3. Those copies, which have presumably passed the activation stage previously, will not request the key again, Microsoft said.
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In what&#39;s being called a shrewd licensing move, Microsoft last week put its competitors on the defensive and avoided price increases for customers by announcing it would not charge extra fees for server software running on dual-core, processor-based
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Microsoft has offered yet another way for businesses to block the Automatic Update of Windows XP to the big-deal SP2 upgrade. The developer posted a copy-and-paste script to
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PC owners who bought late last year and planned to take advantage of Microsoft's Windows Vista Express Upgrade program have found that their Vista OS upgrades are taking longer than expected to arrive. They are not amused.
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New dual-core processors will make conventional software licensing models obsolete. What's next?