Microsoft Adds Disaster Recovery Rights

Microsoft on Wednesday added a disaster recovery feature to its controversial Software Assurance maintenance program.

As of June 1, subscribers to Software Assurance (SA) -- a two- or three-year plan where Microsoft gives free upgrades to customers in exchange for an annual fee -- have the right to install an additional copy of any licensed server software on a "cold" server dedicated to disaster recovery.

Microsoft's defining a cold server as one that is "turned off until a disaster arises" and is not used for production or processing purposes.

The new benefit is applicable for the remaining term of any SA contract, and is non-perpetual, said Microsoft.

Also as of June 1, Microsoft will add MapPoint Web Services to its volume pricing list, and in July, Microsoft Live Office Meeting.MapPoint Web Services targets developers integrating location-based services into their custom applications, while Live Office Meeting is Microsoft's collaboration and conferencing service.

The moves, said a Microsoft spokesman, are a continuation of its plan to "deliver enhancements of its volume licensing programs," and part of its overall strategy to convince customers that SA is more than just upgrades.

"We're continuing to add value and benefits to Software Assurance," said Sunny Charlebois, product manager for worldwide licensing and pricing, in an interview.

Last year, Microsoft added a number of new benefits to SA, including enhanced technical support, training, and at-home usage rights for Microsoft Office.

Microsoft has come under increasing fire from analysts and customers who claim that Software Assurance doesn't give them enough for the price they pay.This week, for instance, Jupiter Research slammed SA, saying that its surveys show more than half of enterprises and 40 percent of small- and medium-sized businesses reported they'd spent more on Software Assurance plans than they did previously on Microsoft software.