For the past month or so, I have been trying to get an accurate grasp on Microsoft software in general, and just how I need to deal with the July 31st deadline for Upgrade Advantage. I now consider myself an expert.
The process, however, was a hair-pulling endeavor. Upgrade Advantage vs. Software Assurance. BackOffice CALs vs. Core CALs. Open License vs. Select License. Backward compatible licensing. What to upgrade now, what to put off until necessary.
Microsoft was no help at all. I managed to get personal contact for my region, sent her 3 emails and left 3 voicemail messages, and no response. I finally got a handle on things through resellers, but not before a whole lot of Q&A sessions with the reseller, and plenty of web research.
My net admins love the deadline, as it means they will be able to get there hands on the latest software. I have convinced our CFO that it would be penny wise and dollar foolish not to use Upgrade Advantage to upgrade all our BackOffice 4 products. It was either “pay a lot now”, or “pay a real lot later.”
How are IT Managers addressing the July 31st deadline for Upgrade Assurance? Was it a welcome opportunity to get the latest, or are you sticking with your current platforms. If you did not go with Upgrade Advantage, was it money, manpower, or just plain frustration with M$ that influenced your decisions? Are you worried about your techs leaving if you still have NT 4 servers, Exchange 5.0, and Win9x workstation in 2003?
