Please note, Select Plus is still available for public sector customers. Eligible government organizations and academic institutions can use Select Plus to acquire Microsoft software licenses at any affiliate or department level, while realizing advantages as one organization.
New offerings are being developed to deliver a connected purchasing experience. This new experience will enable innovative cloud and business scenarios that can quickly and easily scale as your needs grow. Microsoft is no longer accepting new Select Plus agreements for commercial customers in preparation for the transition to the new purchasing experience when it is available. There will be no impact on previous or existing orders made on Select Plus; this change only affects the ability to sign new agreements. Existing Select Plus customers may continue to place new orders and Software Assurance renewals.
This does not apply to academic or government customers purchasing through Select Plus.
There are several licensing options for acquiring both on-premises software and cloud services, depending on your organization size and purchasing requirements. Please work with your Microsoft partner to identify the right licensing vehicle for your specific needs.
Our vision is to make it easier to buy and manage your Microsoft software and services through a streamlined, digital experience, with enhanced options and capabilities for purchasing, billing and cost management. In 2017, we started Microsoft’s commerce transition, with a goal of improving the customer purchasing experience. We continued to execute on this strategy by introducing programmatic changes across our volume licensing programs that relate specifically to offer pricing and discounting across volume licensing and introducing new ways for customers to buy and manage Microsoft Azure services. As we introduce changes over time to continually enhance and expand the experience for customers, the way you purchase on-premises software will transition from Select Plus or other programs to the new commerce experience.
You will continue to have full rights and access to all software and Software Assurance that you acquired through Select Plus.
There are currently no plans to retire Select Plus for the public sector.
The retirement of Select Plus applies to only commercial agreements. It does not apply to government or academic agreements. Your ability to transact through Select Plus will not be affected until you are notified by Microsoft that your specific agreement will be retired.
Yes. Microsoft is granting a continued extension to Select Plus customer agreements to reduce the number of steps you need to make to start purchasing through the new commerce experience. If you have an active Select Plus agreement, you can continue to place new orders and Software Assurance renewals through your Select Plus agreement until further notice.
Microsoft has published a series of short podcasts that describe the vision for our commerce experience and how it will change the way you do business with Microsoft for the better. Listen to episodes one and two on SoundCloud at https://soundcloud.com/microsoft-commercial-licensing.
For more information on Select Plus, please see the Select Plus program guide.