SPLA : Services Provider License Agreement.

Make the right choice with Bechtle Comsoft.

Besides being an experienced and qualified licensing specialist and a Microsoft LSP (Licensing Solution Provider), Bechtle Comsoft is also an official SPLA reseller. We aim at providing a great reliability and quality in the field of licensing and software consulting as a cloud services provider.

Our services :

• We sign the SPLA (Services Provider License Agreement).
• We support you by sending you documents to help you create monthly reports.
• We receive and check monthly usage and non-usage reports and forward them to Microsoft.
• We collect payment for monthly licences used.
• We help you with all questions about the SPLA programme relating to licensing rights and your customers.
• We proactively inform you about all new products and current pricing for the SPLA programme.

Is SPLA the right choice for your business?

The SPLA program allows your company to buy Microsoft software licenses and use these products to deliver software services to your customers. Software services are essentially services for your customers aimed at making licensed products available, presenting them or running them, accessing them or interacting with them in a specific way. These services can be provided on a per-invoice basis or under rental or service contracts, from one or more computer centres across the Internet, a telephone network or a private network.

SPLA can be implemented in a wide variety of companies and usage scenarios.

For instance, following hosting providers and suppliers are eligible for the SPLA programme offer:

• Web hosts
• Application Service Providers (Application Service Providers)
• Messaging and/or collaboration service providers
• Platform infrastructure providers
• Streaming media providers
• Internet Service Providers
• Independent software publishers offering hosted applications
• External IT service providers issuing software licences
• Specialists in Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) providing software licences
• Consultants offering software services
• Franchisees and franchisors

When does SPLA become essential for hosting or service providers?

When you want to provide commercial web hosting services

While other Microsoft volume licensing programs such as the Enterprise Agreement, Select Plus, and Open License programs do not allow commercial hosting of Microsoft software products, the SPLA program does. It also allows you to deliver software services to your customers (or others).

When you want to provide software services on a rental basis

The SPLA license program allows you to lease software services from third parties when customers don’t want to acquire licenses themselves.

Shared hosting - when you want to provide your services on shared servers

SPLA gives you the flexibility you need to license Microsoft products for your customers in a dedicated or shared hosting environment. Your customers can now leave Microsoft service and product user rights management chores to you.

If you only want to pay for your actual use of the software

SPLA provides licence fees on a monthly basis. You only pay for software usage during the previous month as allocated to your customer, i.e. for the software that your customer is allowed to use. This enables you to reduce the number of licences every month (running a true-down). Licence registration is based on the terms and conditions of the SPUR (Services Provider Use Rights).

Additional benefits

• No installation costs: There are no setup costs, no monthly sales targets and no long-term commitments.
• Easy to budget: Prices are usually updated once a year (in January).
• Wide choice of Microsoft products: You enjoy access to an extensive selection of server products as well as desktop applications.
• Latest product versions: SPLA gives you access to the most up-to-date versions of Microsoft products, providing you and your customers with the latest security features and updates.
• Try before you buy: You can test and evaluate the products in-house before making them available to your customers. Your customers can also test the Microsoft software that you offer them free of charge for 60 days.
• International business: You can use Microsoft software products to sell services to your customers anywhere in the world.
• Prices for educational institutions: Service providers may also provide software services to educational institutions like schools and universities. The SPLA programme delivers advantageous packages for customers in the education sector.

SPLA licenses can be purchased on a limited time basis or by subscription, and can be used during the term of the agreement.

You can choose from two models to provide your customers with licensed Microsoft products:

Subscriber Access License (SAL)

Per user:

A Subscriber Access License is required for each user or device authorised to access or otherwise use the licensed Microsoft products. With the SAL option, you do not need a separate server license.

Advantages 

• Users can access an indefinite number of servers from an unlimited number of terminals
• Scale-out (load distribution across several servers)
• No setup costs
• Established, consistent monthly user fees

Per Processor License (PL)

Per processor:

Each per processor/core licensed product authorises an unlimited number of users to access the software installed on the processor.

Advantages

• Unlimited number of end-user connections allowed per processor licence
• Easier to manage and measure than with "simultaneous use"
• Eliminates confusion in the case of Internet Connector licenses.
• Correlated with software use

SPLA contract term

Three years, renewable

Requirements

To join the SPLA programme, your organisation must meet the following requirements:

• Microsoft Certified Partner or Registered Member
• Signed Microsoft Business SPLA contract
• Monthly reporting: Service providers must submit a monthly report on use (including non-use) of all licenses their customers were allowed to use in the previous month.
• Technical support: Service providers are responsible for providing technical support for the licensed Microsoft products they provide to their customers.