[WinPartners] IS&T Renegotiates Campus Agreement, Offers Microsoft OS Core Server Platform to Faculty and Staff

[Deb Bowser]

Date:     January 18, 2011

To:        Members of the MIT Community

From:     Information Services and Technology (IS&T)

Subject:  IS&T Now Offers Microsoft Windows Server OS and SharePoint at No Cost to Departments

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Information Services and Technology (IS&T) is pleased to announce an additional centrally funded offering through the Microsoft Campus Agreement (MSCA), the Microsoft Campus Core Server Platform. The Core Server Platform includes the following:

 Windows Server OS Standard and Enterprise
 SharePoint Server Standard and Enterprise
 SharePoint Standard Client Access Licenses (CALs) for Faculty, Staff and Students
 SharePoint Enterprise CALs for Faculty and Staff

Until now, Windows Server OS and SharePoint Servers have been available and funded on a departmental basis through the Campus Agreement and through the Microsoft Select Agreement from GovConnection.  At the last MSCA renewal, IS&T negotiated with Microsoft to consolidate purchasing of these Servers (and associated CALs) under the Core Server Platform, reaping considerable savings for the Institute.

MIT is now able to offer the Core Server Platform at no direct cost to MIT departments. If your department, lab, or center (DLC) has been getting Windows or SharePoint Servers from IS&T under the MSCA, you will no longer be charged. To ensure that individuals don't pay for licenses already covered, IS&T will remove the Server Platform offerings from the GovConnection Select site.

Work is under way to make these products available to the MIT Software Liaisons <http://ist.mit.edu/services/software/msca/office-pro> on an MSCA Server Download site. Activation for these products will not require a product key; instead, they will be activated by the MIT Key Management Server (KMS) in the same way that Windows 7 is activated.

For additional information about Core Server Platform, send email to server-opt at mit.edu.

Regards,
Deb Bowser
IS&T
Network Operations
W91-209D
617-253-3879