Your Challenge Microsoft licensing is complicated. Often, the same software can be licensed a number of ways. It’s difficult to know which edition and licensing model is best. Licensing and features often change with the release of new software versions, compounding the problem by making it difficult to stay current. In tough economic times, IT is asked to reduce capital and operating expenses wherever possible. As one of the top five expense items in most enterprise software budgets, Microsoft licensing is a primary target for cost reduction. Our Advice - Critical Insight: Conduct a thorough needs assessment as part of your Microsoft licensing review, and document the results. Well documented needs will be your best asset in navigating Microsoft licensing and negotiating your agreement. Assign a dedicated license and software administrator. With someone to keep tabs, the licensing, review, and purchase planning becomes easier – reducing time and money spent on requirements gathering and budget approvals. Software Assurance (SA) can be a large part of the total cost of a Microsoft agreement. Critically assess the value of SA on a per-product and per-license basis to ensure it's money well spent. Our Advice - Impact and Result: Adopt a cyclical approach to reviewing Microsoft licensing. Actively manage licensing to ease the process of defining your requirements. Create a reference document to track your software needs, planned licensing, and purchase negotiation points.