In a move to accredit additional Microsoft Licence Management Partners - partners who are empowered to conduct software audits - Microsoft SA has leveraged the recent reseller licensing training as the passport to the MLMP (Microsoft License Management Programme).
The first phase of the Microsoft Licensing Specialist training, conducted nationwide recently, saw over 1 000 delegates attend the training courses.
According to Ana Stark, newly-appointed legalisation manager for small and medium businesses at Microsoft`s anti-piracy and legalisation team, delegates could opt between a two-day intensive training course ending in an exam, or the breakfast overview sessions.
"We currently have 20 accredited MLMP partners, but are now looking for a more nationwide reach. With this in mind we hope to increase our partnership tally substantially in the next 12 months or so. Not all those people or companies taking part in the training and exams necessarily want to become MLMP partners, although there was a high degree of interest in this regard."
Stark is hoping for a 70% pass rate, adding that the training courses and exams were specifically sales-focused. "A lot of the delegates just wanted to gain more knowledge about Microsoft licensing, particularly around the new licensing model launched on 1 October 2001 with further changes on 1 March 2002 in SA, and to generally better understand the pro and cons of selling Microsoft software. These courses are also part of our overall anti-piracy educational drive," she said.
"Businesses need to know the risks of being non-complaint, which includes the legal as well as financial risks. To avoid these risks, we provide customers with a roadmap and resources to help them get compliant easily and cost-effectively. This is where our MLMP partners come in. If an end- user wants to ensure that he is using fully licensed software, any one of these partners are able to assist with in-depth software reviews.
"We know that software compliance can be a difficult and daunting task, and that businesses often don`t have the knowledge or tools to manage their software assets effectively. As a result, businesses inadvertently use unlicensed software. Our MLMP programme," she said, "is aimed at assisting the marketplace to ensure that compliancy is met."
The Licence Management Programme is being successfully run by a number of Microsoft subsidiaries worldwide.
For further information, readers are urged to visit www.microsoft.com/southafrica/licensing/lman
Share
Editorial contacts