Microsoft "ESS Licensing" - who is using it and why?

[moriartythemundane]

RTFM... We are allowed to enter competitive tender for kit/software/whatever, but there is an individual charge for eg putting a pc onto the network. There may be a legacy item we want to keep and have network enabled that may want a ram upgrade, re imaging whatever and they will ask us for a charge to do that. We have to factor that in to all our costs. Interestingly enough, Just before Xmas we tried to by some heavy duty RM laptops, the quote duly arrived and I had to run this by Capita. So far I have no laptops, the special offer of a "Free" trolley from RM has gone and I suspect that if I do end up buying them from Capita it will cost me more, but worse, if I end up buying them from RM that too will now cost me more!!
This whole scenario is depressing/frustrating/costing us time and money. Capita(read ex Ramesys) should in truth be competitive. Does it bode well for the future? Only time will tell...

Moriarty...

[moriartythemundane]

We are a BSF school about to move accross in sept this year. We to are discussing what we want to do with regards for licensing. A few interesting points were brought up about this.

- yes you can buy 3 years worth of licensing at a time but as you have already mentioned, what happens in three years when there is not as much BSF money to spend.
- If you choose the EES route, if after the deal finishes you dont want it any more, you have to buy yourself out of the deal. I think its about a years payment.
- If like us, you are having a managed service, does the contract include upgrading machines? Its pointless to have the option to upgrade to the latest software if the company wont do it for the life of the managed service.

In the end, it was better for us to buy licenses for the machines individually.

This is something we have looked at but the idea of the BSF contract is a rollover cycle of the contract AND hardware every five years! The problem is 3s and 5s don't fit until 15! So a 6 year rollover or 3 yr roll over would have been better I suspect?

Who is your new provider? If its Capita have you any job descriptions yet? I cant get one for love nor money. The school want them so they can see just what they need to cover that we will no longer do and they cant get them. The LA HR says they cant get them and Capita say they have given them out! Draw your own conclusions but the terms "smoke and mirrors" or "divide and conquer" come into my mind along with "Mushroom Syndrome"!!! (Keep them in the Dark and feed them sh*te!)

If anyone has Capita Job descriptions for NWM and Techies can they pm me with copies attached?

Moriarty...