Get Genuine Windows Agreement
Microsoft’s new Get Genuine Windows Agreement (GGWA see http://www.microsoft.com/genuine/) allows big companies that are discovered to be intentionally or accidentally pirating Windows XP Professional to quickly purchases copies via a reseller.
GGWA is part of a recent wave of antipiracy and license compliance efforts that Microsoft is targeting at big corporations, its most profitable segment.
Organisations have largely been exempt from past antipiracy efforts, which focused on software crackers and pirates distributing stolen license keys, resellers trying to save money by reusing the same licence key with multiple customers and consumers.
But in the past several years, Microsoft has started to target companies with programs such as Software Protection Platform (SPP), which requires organisations to tighten up how they install software and manage volume licence keys, and Software Asset Management (SAM)/audit programs.
Microsoft says audits are necessary to see if a company is either intentionally pirating the software or, more likely, inadvertently doing so. For instance, a company might have bought PCs from an unscrupulous reseller. Or a company may have lost count of how many computers have a particular software installed upon them.
It is never a problem buying Microsoft licenses(or any other vendor). The bigger problem is tracking them and the devices the software is installed on.
Centennial Software have been working with Microsoft and other vendors to develop and enhance Centennial Discovery and Centennial License Manager to make the job of tracking and managing installed software and licence entitlement both easier and dynamic. (see http://www.centennial-software.com/products/license_manager/index.html)
For more information on GGWA see the Microsoft press release at http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/features/2007/oct07/10-02ggwa.mspx
For more information on Microsoft’s Software Protection Platform see the Microsoft press release at http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/features/2006/oct06/10-04SoftwareProtection.mspx
