New opportunity!

Sell Microsoft licenses to local government customers

Dear Microsoft Reseller,

We are excited to let you know about a new opportunity for eligible Microsoft resellers. As of February 2008, Microsoft has reduced the cost of licenses acquired by its distributors through the Microsoft Open License for Government program by over 17 percent!

While Open License for Government has been available in the past, pricing through state-level licensing agreements—such as Microsoft Select License for Government and Microsoft Enterprise Agreement for Government—offered a significant discount. This price reduction brings Microsoft Open License for Government pricing much closer to the state-level pricing, which makes purchasing licenses through the program a viable alternative for local government organizations that prefer to purchase licenses through the Value Added Resellers (VARs) they typically engage with, rather than going through a state-level Microsoft licensing agreement.

What does it mean to you?

It means you have the opportunity to competitively sell Microsoft licenses to local government customers!

There are over 87,000 local government organizations in the U.S.—with about 250,000 separate purchasing entities and over 14 million users—so selling licenses to these customers could be a significant new source of revenue for your company. Plus, becoming a Microsoft Open License for Government reseller allows you to include licenses as a part of solution offerings to local government customers, positioning your company as a “one-stop shop” for local government solutions—which improves your overall value to customers.

Becoming an Open License for Government reseller can help you:

· Increase your services revenue by helping customers save on licensing costs.

· Build ongoing relationships that can lead to new technology deployments.

· Become a more valuable resource by understanding license rights.

· Secure additional revenue streams by providing licensing administration services.

· Ensure future revenue streams through Microsoft Software Assurance (SA).

· Help your customers maximize the value of their technology investments with Software Asset Management (SAM) services.

How to get started

Getting started as an Open License for Government reseller is easy. Just contact your preferred Microsoft Authorized Distributor to set up your account and get started.View a list of Distributors.

About Open License for Government

The Open License for Government program provides a simple way for small- to medium-sized government organizations to purchase Microsoft software licenses at volume discounts. When the initial order is placed, the customer is issued an authorization number that they can use to purchase licenses in any quantity as needed over the following two years. As the reseller, you place your customers’ orders through a Microsoft Authorized Distributor.

The Open License for Government program has the same features and benefits as Open Business, plus:

· Volume license agreements for as few as five product purchases.

· Pricing that is similar to Select License level D, the most attractive Select License price level.

· Language-independent licenses.

To learn more about the Open License for Government program and the opportunities presented by becoming a Microsoft Volume Licensing Reseller, download the Microsoft Licensing Reseller Handbook or contact your preferred Distributor.

Sincerely,

Microsoft U.S. Public Sector

*Eligible Microsoft resellers can receive a rebate based on their first Open License for Government order placed between October 1 through December 31, 2008. Rebates are available on a first come, first served basis with a total payout of $30,000 available for this program. At the conclusion of the rebate period the Microsoft partner may receive a rebate check for 10 percent (or the remainder of the total payout whichever is less) of the revenue generated from the sale.

To participate, you must sign and return the Microsoft Public Sector Open License for Government Partner Rebate Program agreement by November 15, 2008. The agreement contains the complete offer terms and conditions and can be downloaded at www.microsoftgov.com .

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