Ingram, Microsoft Extend SPLA To VARs

Microsoft's usage-based Software+Service (S+S) offering allows solution providers to license Microsoft products through Ingram Micro on a monthly basis through a dedicated or shared hosting environment. The program essentially removes the maximum cap of 250 licenses that VARs could previously sell to each customer, according to Jodi Honore, vice president of vendor management for Ingram Micro U.S.

"In SPLA, there's no limit on seats. It allows a VAR to sell any number of seats on a worldwide basis. If you have a customer in the U.K. that needs 5,000 seats, they can do it," Honore said. "It provides VARs with a solution and it costs them less to procure with more profit and services potential."

Microsoft products available through SPLA from Ingram include:

-- Microsoft Dynamics business software -- Microsoft Exchange Hosted Services

-- Microsoft Exchange Server 2007

-- Microsoft Forefront Client Security

-- Microsoft Office System

-- Microsoft SharePoint Server

-- Microsoft SQL Server

-- Microsoft System Center

-- Microsoft Windows Server 2008 operating system

Ingram Micro is the only distributor in North America to be able to offer Microsoft through a SPLA model. In essence, it could allow solution providers to better compete with VARs on large deals.

VARs can either host the licenses themselves in a data center or use a third-party.

"We're targeting small to midmarket VARs. Today, the small-to-medium guy has had license limitations, but their customers had no limitations. This provides an opportunity for guys that have started SaaS and want to add Microsoft to their services capability," Honore said.

Ingram Micro also offers a usage-based model with Trend Micro, and Honore predicts that it won't be long before the distributor adds more developers to that model.

"We're already getting tons of calls from resellers. Some people have been waiting for Microsoft to offer this type of model," she said.