End-Customer SAB Help Guide
A. Things End-Customer should know before Administering their Benefits
B. What is SAB and how to qualify – understand the overall program
C. How to login to MVLS and administer these benefits – understand how to get started
D. Quick tips on MVLS Navigation – understand the site and how to get around effectively
E. Support – understand where to find help
A. Things End-Customer Should Know Before Administering their Benefits
Communication from Microsoft to End-Customer
Microsoft would have faxed a copy of the Acceptance Letter (AL) to the Volume Licensing End-Customer when their Agreement was processed. A copy of the AL would also be faxed to Large Account Reseller (LAR) of the End-Customer. A hardcopy of the AL would have accompanied the End-Customer’s licensing agreement. The AL contains the agreement number, enrolment number, pools (i.e. Application, System and/or Server), Volume Licensing Keys & etc. Additionally, the End-Customer would have received an email from Microsoft requesting them to register on the Microsoft Volume Licensing Services (MVLS) site at https://licensing.microsoft.com. The email header would have read “Microsoft Volume Licensing Services (9999999)”.
What’s the End-Customer’s enrolment number?
There are various numbers listed on the AL. The enrolment number is the 7 digit number. This number is used to uniquely identify the licenses purchased. When eligible licenses are purchased under this particular enrolment number, it will be qualified for certain benefits which can be administered via MVLS. Additional details about Software Assurance Benefits (SAB) are explained later in the guide.
What happens when Software Assurance Membership (SAM) is chosen on your Select agreement?
If the SAM option was ticked in the Select agreement against the respective pools the End-Customer signed up for, the End-Customer will receive more benefits (e.g. Employee Purchase Plan, Training Vouchers, etc). By selecting SAM, the End-customer committed to purchase either License & Software Assurance (L/SA) and/or Software Assurance (SA). The End-Customer will not be able to make License only (L) purchases. If an End-Customer signed an Enterprise Agreement, they would automatically qualify for SAM. If the End-Customer signed up for Open Value License (OLV), and chose the Company-Wide option, they will automatically qualify for SAM.
Who’s a Primary Contact?
The Primary Contact is the person in the End-Customer’s organization who signed the agreement with Microsoft.
Who’s a Notices Contact (NC)?
The NC is the person appointed in the End-Customer’s organization, who will be receiving occasional written and on-line notifications and updates from Microsoft. The NC will receive an email notification to register on MVLS. The NC is responsible for registering on MVLS & grants access to others to enter this site.
Who’s an MVLS Administrator?
This is defaulted to the NC. The NC will then register on MVLS and assign a Benefit Administrator.
Who’s a Software Assurance Benefits Administrator (SAB Admin)?
The SAB Admin is assigned on the agreement when it is signed. He or she will have access to MVLS and can function as a Benefit Administrator. Their role depends on the permissions assigned by the NC.
Who’s a Benefit Administrator (BA)?
The BA would be the SAB Admin or someone appointed by the NC to help administer the benefits the company has been entitled to. This person will require MVLS access to view and administer benefits. The person appointed as the BA is often tasked to oversee the benefits for the entire organization. And in some organizations, this function is outsourced to their Large Account Reseller (LAR) – in such instances, the MVLS Admin must grant MVLS access to their LAR.
Who’s a Benefit Contact (BC)?
The person identified as the contact point for the benefit. This person is assigned by the BA when the benefit is activated. They will receive media kits, communication emails, and the necessary information to use the benefit websites. The benefit contact can be the same person as the Benefit Administrator, however, it is not required that they are the same person.
B. What is SAB and How End-Customers Qualify
What is SAB?
Software Assurance Benefit (SAB) provides Microsoft Volume Licensing customers with support and tools to help maintain both server and desktop efficiency – and the latest software upgrades to keep your business flexible and competitive.
Software Assurance Features and Benefits
Productivity: Acquire the latest software automatically, spread payments annually, and extend the workplace to the home.
• New Version Rights
• Spread Payments
• Home Use Program (Office systems software only)
• Employee Purchase Program (productivity and consumer products only)
Support: Access resources that help keep business systems running smoothly
• TechNet Online Concierge Chat
• TechNet Plus (server software only)
• Problem Resolution Support (server software only)
• Extended Lifecycle Hotfix Support (server software only)
Tools: Deploy software efficiently, monitor errors, and access Microsoft® Windows® source code.
• Exchange Intelligent Message Filter
• Corporate Error Reporting (CER)
• Enterprise Source Licensing Program (ESLP) (Windows client only)
• Microsoft Windows Pre-installation Environment (Windows PE)
Training: Bring employees up to speed quickly on new products and keep IT staff up-to-date on the latest technical information.
• eLearning
• Training Vouchers (desktop software only)
More details about each benefit can be found on: http://www.microsoft.com/licensing/programs/sa/default.mspx
How does the End-Customer qualify for SAB?
Purchases of eligible L/SA or SA have to be made under your newly processed agreement. Benefits are allocated based on the program type, the products and quantity purchased (see below) Software Assurance Desktop and Server Offerings Charts.
The following Software Assurance offerings are available through Microsoft Volume License programs.
Desktop Offerings Availability
* Academic programs use Microsoft Research Source Licensing Program and Work at Home rights. They do not include Enterprise Source Licensing Program, Home Use Program, Training Vouchers, or Employee Purchase Program.
Server Offerings Availability
Software Assurance is required on both Server and Client Access Licenses (CALs).
1 This option is not included with Academic Open/Select.
2 Open License Value customers with at least five server SA licenses receive two incidents per agreement.
3 TechNet Subscription Media requires five servers and Managed News Groups receive IDs starting with the fifth server.
4 Available for Microsoft Exchange Servers with Software Assurance on both the server and the CALs.
Eligibility for SAB varies by offering and region and is subject to change. The terms and conditions of your volume license agreement and the terms and conditions under which any specific SAB are offered will take precedence in the case of any conflict with the information provided here. For information about the terms and conditions of your volume license, contact your Microsoft account manager or reseller. Find out more here: http://www.microsoft.com/licensing/programs/sa/offerings_chart.mspx
How does the End-Customer know they have any benefits? What benefits did they receive?
If the End-Customers purchased qualifying L/SA and/or SA, they would be entitled to benefits listed above in the charts based on the volume licensing program they signed up. To view the benefits, the End-Customer has to register and log on to the Microsoft Volume License Services (MVLS) site at: https://licensing.microsoft.com.
C. How End-Customers login to MVLS and Administer Benefits
Accessing & Activating Benefits
The NC is required to register on MVLS before the agreement expires so the SAB Admin can administer these benefits before they expire.
Step 1: Obtain Passport ID & password. Go to the Microsoft Volume Licensing Services site (MVLS) at https://licensing.microsoft.com and obtain a passport id & password. Please do not forget your id & password. Kindly record it and store it in a secure place. Please refer to Appendix A on how to create a Passport ID and password.
Step 2: Register on MVLS by using 3 pieces of information:
(1) enrolment number (2) last name of the NC (3) email address of the NC.
More detailed information can be found on the “MVLS Registration Quick Start Guide” at the end of this document in Appendix B, which can also be accessed via https://licensing.microsoft.com.
Step 3: Assign a Benefit by clicking on the Software Assurance Benefits link (circled below).
Step 4: Click on the benefit you want to activate. Benefits displayed that are hyperlinked mean that you are entitled to those benefits. For this example, we have selected the Home Use Program (HUP) benefit. Where you see “Terms and Conditions” (Ts & Cs) as “Not Accepted”, please accept it in order to administer that particular benefit. Only Employee Purchase Program (EPP), HUP & Problem Resolution Support (PRS) have Ts & Cs.
Step 5: Enter details of the BC.
Step 6: Enter the domain name(s) of your company in order for the employees of this organization(s) to utilize this benefit. You are DONE!
The assignment of EPP and other benefits are very similar to the Home Use Program.
Need Help Activating Benefits?
Please refer to “Help Guides on MVLS” section of this document.
D. Quick Tips on MVLS Navigation
If the End-customer doesn’t have Benefits, why should they still register on MVLS?
End-Customers should still access MVLS at https://licensing.microsoft.com, even if they may not have benefits as they will be able to view their purchase history, download certain software and obtain their Volume License Keys (VLKs).
In this section, we’ll show where to:
1. Locate the Volume Licensing Keys (VLKs)
2. View the licenses purchased and
3. Locate the Download software link
1. Locate VLKs
Click on “Volume License Product Keys” (circled below).
Note: If there is more than one enrolment, click on the appropriate enrolment number and the VLKs will be displated for that enrolment number.
2. Viewing your Licenses
Click on the “License Summary” or “Orders” (the two options below “Agreement Profile”) link of the enrolment number. Please note that “License Summary” is grouped by Product Family, whereas “Orders” are grouped by part numbers.
License Summary:
3. Product Download link
Click on the Product Download link, (circled below), to reveal products available for download.
Help Guides on MVLS
Need more help? Click on the appropriate help guides (circled below) that would need your specific needs
E. Support – Where to find help?
ALL LARS SHOULD EMAIL TO FOR ANY OPERATIONAL ENQUIRIES ON THE MS VOLUME LICENSING PROGRAMS or CONTACT THEIR CHANNEL OPERATIONS MANAGER.
In this section, we list down different help options on:
1. MVLS registration
2. Accessing SAB
3. Volume License Keys
4. Technical Support
1. Where can End-Customers get help on MVLS registration?
There are 3 options:
i) Quick Start Guide found on https://licensing.microsoft.com
ii) Interactive On-Line Demo found on http://www.microsoft.com/licensing/programs/sa/default.mspx
iii) Contact the SAB Call Centre via email or by calling the number listed under “SAB Call Centre Numbers” in this document.
2. Where can End-Customers get help on accessing SAB?
End-customer can email or contact the SAB Call Centre. The full list of SAB Call Centre numbers is located in this document or access the table via this link: https://licensing.microsoft.com (circled below) before you click on the Sign In button. The numbers for Asia-Pacific countries are also listed below.
End-Customers should contact the SAB Call Centre in their country or location nearest to them for assistance in accessing their Benefits.
SAB Call Centre Numbers
3. Where can End-Customer get help on Product Activation (VLKs)?
End-Customers can locate the latest Product Activation Centre number via this link: http://www.microsoft.com/licensing/resources/vol/numbers.mspx. End-customers should contact the Product Activation Centre in their country or location nearest to them for assistance to activate your software.
4. Where can I get Technical Support?
Please go to: http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx.
SAB Help Draft v1.0
APPENDIX A: CREATE PASSPORT ID & PASSWORD
Step 1: Go to https://licensing.microsoft.com and click on the “Sign In”
Step 2: Click on “Get a .NET Passport” Step 3: Click “Next”
Step 4: If you wish to use your company’s email address, choose “Yes” and Click “Next”. If you would like to create a hotmail account, click on the “No, ..” option and follow instructions on screen.
Step 5: If you haven’t registered with .NET Passport and wish to use your company’s email address, select “No” and Click “Next”
Step 6: Click “Next”
Step 7: Enter your:
a. Company E-mail address,
b. Password
c. Retype password.
d. Type in exact letters that you see on the screen (differs for each person).
Step 8: Type in the e-mail address you specified above and click on “I Agree” button
Step 9: Click on “Continue” button
Step 10: Congratulations! You have successfully registered on Passport! Please remember your Passport id & password to enter MVLS website in future. You can also use this Passport ID to enter other Microsoft websites that require Passport access. If you have issues creating your Passport ID & password, please contact the SAB Call Centre located nearest to you. You can find the numbers listed under section E,2 of this document.
SAB Help Draft v1.0
APPENDIX B: QUICK START GUIDE to MVLS Registration
SAB Help Draft v1.0
GLOSSARY
AL – Acceptance Letter
BA – Benefit Administrator
BC – Benefit Contact
EPP – Employee Purchase Program
HUP – Home Use Program
L – License
LAR – Large Account Reseller
L/SA – License & Software Assurance
MVLS – Microsoft Volume Licensing System
NC – Notices Contact
PRS – Problem Resolution Support
SA – Software Assurance
SAB – Software Assurance Benefit
SAB Admin – Software Assurance Benefit Administrator
SAM – Software Assurance Membership
SAB Help Draft v1.0