Business Brief:  Software Licensing

September 25 2009

To make sense of software license options, we’ll discuss the three most common: original equipment manufacturer (OEM), retail, and “open.”

OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer)

When you buy a new machine …

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What’s assuring about software assurance?

September 25 2009

With open licensing (explained in our Business Brief on software license types), Microsoft offers an additional option called “Software Assurance.” If you enroll …

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Software licensing: Enter the rabbit hole

September 25 2009

If there’s one area of IT management that gets techs and business owners alike scratching their heads, it’s software licensing.

Buying software for your home computer is usually as …

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Upgrading to Vista:  Why it’s a spendy proposition

April 2 2008

What makes upgrading your existing systems to Vista an expensive project?

1. The upgrade itself.

An upgrade license (from XP Pro — anything else is more complicated) can be had …

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Should you switch to Vista?

April 2 2008

Why mess with a good thing?

That’s what businesses are asking as they ponder whether to have a go with Microsoft’s latest operating system, Windows Vista, for their workstations. …

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