Microsoft Software Assurance - Wikipedia Microsoft Software Assurance Not to be confused with Software assurance. hide This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. ( Learn how and when to remove these template messages ) This article includes a list of references, but its sources remain unclear because it has insufficient inline citations. Please help to improve this article by introducing more precise citations. ( November 2011 ) This article relies too much on references to primary sources. Please improve this by adding secondary or tertiary sources. ( November 2011 ) This article needs to be updated. Please update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. ( October 2013 ) Microsoft Software Assurance ( SA ) is a Microsoft maintenance program aimed at business users who use Microsoft Windows, Microsoft Office, and other server and desktop applications. The core premise behind SA is to give users the ability to spread payments over several years, while offering `` free '' upgrades to newer versions during that time period. Contents 1 Overview 2 Features 3 Criticism 4 History 5 References 6 External links Overview Microsoft differentiates License and Software Assurance. Customers may purchase ( depending on the program ), a license without Software Assurance, Software Assurance only ( but only to be used in combination with an existing license ), both a License and Software Assurance together. The three possibilities are not always available, depending on the program ( single license or volume license ). Features The full list of benefits, effective March 2006, are as follows : Free upgrades : Subscribers may upgrade to newer versions of their Microsoft software Access to exclusive software products : Windows Fundamentals for Legacy PCs, Windows Vista Enterprise Edition, Windows 7 Enterprise Edition, Windows 8 Enterprise Edition and Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack are only available to Software Assurance customers Training : Free training from Microsoft and access to Microsoft E-Learning, a series of interactive online training tools for users. This training can only be taken at a Microsoft Certified Partner for Learning Solutions and can only be redeemed for training that is categorized as Microsoft Official Curriculum. Home use : Employees of a company with SA can use an additional copy of Microsoft software Access to source code for larger companies ( 1,500 + desktops ) 24x7 telephone and web support Additional error reporting tools Free licenses for additional servers provisioned as `` Cold backups '' of live servers Access to Microsoft TechNet managed newsgroups Access to Microsoft TechNet downloads for 1 user Extended Hotfix support : Typically Microsoft charges for non-security hotfixes after mainstream support for the product has ended ( e.g. 5 years for Windows ) ; this charge is waived for SA customers whose contracts started before 1 July 2017. As of 1 July 2017, Extended Hotfix support is no longer available through Software Assurance. All benefits are generated by a Benefits Administrator at the customer organization and can be managed on the Microsoft Volume Licensing Service Center. Criticism Software Assurance is often criticized for its expense and the lack of `` free '' software upgrades within the contract period. The development period between major operating system versions often exceeds three years, requiring customers to renew their software assurance for another contract period, in order to get the next upgrade for `` free ''. History Software Assurance was part of Licensing 6.0 and initially only provided upgrades, but around the time of the Microsoft Office 2003 release, more benefits were added. In March 2006, Microsoft added Windows Vista Enterprise Edition and Windows Fundamentals for Legacy PCs. In June 2011 Microsoft added Windows Thin PC, a desktop virtualization application that allows locked down versions of Windows 7 to run on older hardware. References Jump up ^ `` Microsoft Licensing Terms ''. OMTCO, omt - co Operations Management Technology Consulting GmbH. Retrieved 21 April 2013. Jump up ^ Richard Stiennon ( 2011 - 11 - 07 ). `` Microsoft Software Assurance : Insurance ? Or Extortion ? ''. Forbes. External links Microsoft Software Assurance home page An Independent View of Microsoft Software License Agreements, Network World, November, 2010 Top 75 Microsoft Licensing Terms -- A Glossary From A ( ntigen ) To Z ( une ) hide Microsoft History Outline People Founders Bill Gates Paul Allen Board of directors John W. Thompson ( Chairman ) Satya Nadella ( CEO ) Bill Gates Charles Noski Helmut Panke John W. Stanton Reid Hoffman Sandi Peterson Penny Pritzker Charles Scharf Arne Sorenson Padmasree Warrior Senior leadership team Satya Nadella ( CEO ) Scott Guthrie Amy Hood ( CFO ) Terry Myerson Harry Shum Phil Spencer Corporate VPs Gabe Aul ( VP ) Joe Belfiore Richard Rashid ( SVP ) S. Somasegar ( SVP ) Divisions Engineering groups Mobile Skype unit Digital Crimes Unit Garage Press Research Studios. NET Foundation Outercurve Foundation Estates Microsoft Redmond campus Microsoft Talo Microsoft Algeria Microsoft Egypt Microsoft India Microsoft Japan Product families Operating systems Windows Software Office Servers Visual Studio Hardware HoloLens Surface Xbox Web properties Azure Bing Channel 9 CodePlex Developer Network MSN Mixer Office.com OneDrive Outlook.com Store TechNet Conferences Build Inspire MIX PDC TechEd WinHEC Campaigns Where do you want to go today ? ( 1994 ) Champagne ( 2002 ) Mojave Experiment ( 2006 ) I 'm a PC ( 2008 ) Scroogled ( 2012 ) Criticism Bundling of Microsoft Windows Clippy iLoo Internet Explorer Microsoft Bob _NSAKEY Windows XP Vista 10 Litigation Alcatel - Lucent v. Microsoft Apple v. Microsoft European Union Microsoft competition case Microsoft v. Lindows Microsoft vs. MikeRoweSoft Microsoft v. Shah United States v. Microsoft ( 2001 antitrust case ) Microsoft Ireland case Acquisitions 6Wunderkinder Altamira Software AltspaceVR aQuantive Azyxxi The Blue Ribbon SoundWorks Beam Bungie Calista Technologies Colloquis Connectix Consumers Software Danger Farecast FASA Studio Fast Search & Transfer Firefly Forethought GIANT Company Software GreenButton Groove Networks High Heat Major League Baseball Hotmail Jellyfish.com LinkedIn LinkExchange Lionhead Studios Maluuba Massive Incorporated Mobile Data Labs Mojang Nokia Devices and Services Onfolio Pando Networks Perceptive Pixel PlaceWare Powerset ProClarity Rare Revolution Analytics ScreenTonic Secure Islands Simplygon Skype Sunrise Atelier SwiftKey Winternals Software Teleo Telekinesys Research Tellme Networks Twisted Pixel Games Vermeer Technologies Visio Corporation Vivaty VoloMetrix VXtreme WebTV Networks Xamarin Yammer Yupi Portal Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Microsoft_Software_Assurance&oldid=831791500 '' Categories : Microsoft initiatives Software maintenance Hidden categories : Articles lacking in - text citations from November 2011 All articles lacking in - text citations Articles lacking reliable references from November 2011 All articles lacking reliable references Wikipedia articles in need of updating from October 2013 All Wikipedia articles in need of updating Articles with multiple maintenance issues Talk Contents About Wikipedia Add links This page was last edited on 22 March 2018, at 06 : 15 ( UTC ). Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia ® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization. About Wikipedia

Question: which edition of windows 7 requires a software assurance agreement with microsoft
Answer: Windows 7 Enterprise Edition