VLSC Software Assurance Guide

December 2018

VLSC Software Assurance Guide

Topics in this guide include:

Get to know your benefits .......................................................................................................................................... 2

Establish Software Assurance Managers ................................................................................................................... 2

Claim Your Benefits through the VLSC ............................................................................................................... 3

Get Help in the VLSC .................................................................................................................................................... 11

Welcome to Software Assurance
Software Assurance for Volume Licensing offers a range of tools and resources to help your company
deploy, manage, and maximize your Volume Licensing purchases. The program covers Microsoft
technologies and services and includes new product version rights, technical and end-user training,
deployment planning, and support.

This guide will show you how to administer your Software Assurance benefit activation, download,
and implementation procedures.

Step 1: Get to know your benefits

Familiarize yourself with Software Assurance
Software Assurance offers support, deployment planning services, training, updated software releases, and
unique technologies. This guide supplies fundamental information; you can learn more about each benefit on the
Software Assurance website.

Check your benefits through the Volume Licensing Service Center (VLSC)
Your Software Assurance benefits are determined by your Volume Licensing agreement (such as an Enterprise
Agreement or Open Value agreement) and the number of qualifying licenses that you have with Software
Assurance. To determine your Software Assurance benefits, use the Volume Licensing Service Center. (VLSC). You
must be registered to use this application (see Step 3: Claim your benefits through the VLSC for more details).

Does your organization have a Microsoft Products and Services Agreement (MPSA)? With the MPSA, your
Software Assurance benefits are managed through the Microsoft Business Center. Sign in to the Microsoft
Business Center for instructions on how to access and use your Software Assurance benefits through your MPSA.

Step 2: Establish Software Assurance Managers

Before you can use your Software Assurance benefits, your organization needs to identify and establish one or
more individuals as Software Assurance Managers using the VLSC. If you already have Manager Permissions,
skip ahead to Step 3: Claim Your Benefits through the VLSC.

If you do not have Manager Permissions, you can request these by first registering to use the VLSC and then
requesting Software Assurance Manager Permissions. The VLSC routes such requests to your organization’s VLSC
Administrator. You can review the training videos for complete instructions

Tips for choosing Software Assurance Managers

A consideration when choosing whether to have one or more individuals manage your organization’s Software
Assurance Benefits is the size of your organization and the scope of benefits available to you. A large enterprise that
will access multiple benefits across multiple organizations may find decentralized benefits management most effective.
A midsize organization may find it more efficient to centralize benefits management with one individual
or department. Here are some typical manager recommendations for Software Assurance:

IT Manager
• New products and unique license rights (for example, New Product Versions, Step-up Licenses, Windows
to Go Use Rights)
• Deployment resources and tools (for example, Planning Services, Microsoft Desktop Optimization
Pack, License Mobility)
• Training for IT staff and end users (for example, Training Vouchers)
• Support (for example, 24x7 Problem Resolution Support)

Staff Development/Training Managers/HR Manager/IT Manager

• Home Use Program

Register Software Assurance Managers

To begin, register and sign in to the VLSC. After you are registered and signed in, you will need appropriate
permissions granted by your organization’s VLSC Administrator. The VLSC Administrator grants permission either
by approving permission requests submitted by individuals or by proactively assigning permissions to
individuals. Visit the VLSC Training and Resources page to review the “Managing Permissions” demo, or
download the VLSC User Guide for detailed instructions.

How to register
Users must sign in to the VLSC with a Microsoft account and associate their Microsoft account with a valid
business email address. If you do not have a Microsoft account, you can sign up for one. After you obtain
your Microsoft account, go to the VLSC.

1. Select Sign In, and then enter your Microsoft account and password.
2. First-time users must associate their Microsoft account with a valid business email address. You will be
asked to register by using a valid business email address, which must match the email address that
was provided on your Volume Licensing agreement or Open License order.
3. You will receive an email message asking you to validate your information.
4. Your business email address may be different from your Microsoft account.
5. Check your SPAM filters to ensure that you receive the validation email.
6. Confirm your email address, create a password and select the password reset option, and then type
the characters from the picture into the field to validate your information. It may take up to 24
hours for registration to be complete.

Step 3: Claim your benefits through the VLSC

Follow these steps for specific benefits. Whether you want to download the latest version of Windows
software, get 24/7 Problem Resolution Support, or give employees access to Office training, you will need to
claim your benefits through the VLSC.

After you are signed in, select the Software Assurance tab at the top of the home page. You will see a complete
list of all the benefits that are available to you. An overview of the Software Assurance benefits can be found
on the Software Assurance website. Note that you will follow different steps depending on the specific benefit.

New products and unique entitlements

New Version Rights
This benefit provides new software versions, when available, to help you stay up-to-date and take advantage
of productivity gains from the latest technology.

1. Sign in to the VLSC.

2. Select Downloads and Keys.
3. Select your chosen product link, and select Download to start the download process.
4. Choose Download Method, Language and Operating System Type from the drop-down boxes.
5. Select Continue.

Planning Services
Planning Services provide structured, on-site consulting engagements from qualified partners or Microsoft
Services to help you plan your deployment, whether on-premises or in the cloud. These structured
engagements help you plan your deployment of the latest Microsoft technology and are available for many
products and services.

1. Sign in to the VLSC.

2. Select Software Assurance from the top menu.
3. Select Planning Services. This will take you to the Manage Software Assurance Benefits page.
4. Select the LicenseID for which you want to manage Planning Services. This will take you to the
Benefit Summary page.
5. Select Planning Services.
6. Select the voucher type and service level (length of the engagement in days).
7. Assign the Planning Services voucher to a project manager within your organization by entering
their name and email address, and any special instructions.
8. Select Confirm Voucher Assignment.
9. After the voucher is created, select Assign Voucher. This takes you to a benefit details
page confirming voucher information, including voucher status and expiration date.
The project manager will receive an email message that provides information about the benefit. The email
message will also include a link to a list of Microsoft partners or Microsoft Services so that the project manager
can schedule the Planning Services engagement.

When the consulting partner confirms the engagement, the Planning Services voucher will show as “Reserved”
in the VLSC. When the engagement ends, the consulting partner works directly with Microsoft to redeem the
Planning Services voucher and receive payment.

Tip: You can increase the number of engagement days for Planning Services by converting unused Training
Vouchers on a 3-to-1 basis.
Converting unused Training Voucher Days into Planning Services Days
You can convert unused Training Voucher Days to extend your Planning Services engagement(s) with
the following steps:

Activate Training Vouchers

1. Sign in to VLSC.
2. Select Software Assurance from the top menu.
3. Select Training Vouchers. This will take you to the Manage Software Assurance Benefits page.
4. Click on the LicenseID under which you choose to activate your SA Training Voucher benefit and view
the “Benefits for Activation” pane. This will take you to the Manage Software Assurance Benefits page.

5. To activate the benefit, click on the SA Training Voucher benefit name and follow the instructions in
the subsequent screens.

The VLSC will report the number of Training Voucher Days available and confirm your Training Voucher
Days (Benefits status) as “Active.”

Convert Training Days to Planning Services Days

1. On the Training Voucher Benefit Details page, select Convert Training Days.
2. The VLSC will prompt you to choose the number of Training Days you want to convert and
confirm the conversion action.
3. After the Training Days are converted, you can use the VLSC to assign Planning Services Days to
a project manager within your organization.
4. Assign Planning Services Days as outlined above.

License Mobility through Software Assurance

License Mobility through Software Assurance gives you the ability to deploy certain server applications with active
Software Assurance on-premises or in the cloud, without having to buy additional licenses. For information on
using this benefit, visit License Mobility through Software Assurance.

Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack (MDOP)

MDOP offers innovative technologies, including application virtualization, asset management, policy control,
and device diagnostic and recovery tools.

1. Sign in to the VLSC.

2. Select Downloads and Keys.
3. Select the Windows check box under the All Products list.
4. Select your chosen MDOP product link, and select Download to start the download process.
5. Choose Download Method, Language and Operating System Type from the drop-down boxes.
Select Continue.
Training Vouchers
Training vouchers enable in-depth technical training for IT professionals and developers. You must be a
Software Assurance Benefits Administrator to manage vouchers. Visit the Software Assurance website for
more information about training benefits. You can also view a video on how to activate, create, assign, reserve,
and redeem a voucher.

Activate Training Voucher

1. Sign in to VLSC.
2. Select Software Assurance from the top menu.
3. Select Training Vouchers. This will take you to the Manage Software Assurance Benefits page.
4. Click on the LicenseID under which you choose to activate your SA Training Voucher benefit and view
the “Benefits for Activation” pane. This will take you to the Manage Software Assurance Benefits page.

5. To activate the benefit, click on the SA Training Voucher benefit name and follow the instructions in
the subsequent screens.
Once you have created, assigned and sent the voucher details to the Training Partner, your responsibility as the
customer have been completed. It will be the Training Partner’s responsibility to work directly with Microsoft to
reserve and redeem the vouchers to receive payment.

To locate classroom training

1. To view the current list of Software Assurance–eligible Training Voucher courses, go to the Software
Assurance and Volume License Product Catalog
2. Under Program Type, select SA
 3. Under Training Type, select Classroom.
4. Use the Class Locator to find a Microsoft Learning Partner training site.

Converting unused Training Vouchers Days into Planning Services Days

You can easily convert unused Training Voucher Days to extend your Planning Services benefit engagement(s).
See the Planning Services section in this guide for instructions.

Details you should know about Training Vouchers

Eligible licenses: The Microsoft Product Terms details Software Assurance benefit eligibility and program rules.
Customers can find the most accurate statement of their current Software Assurance benefits in the VLSC.

Cancellation: If an employee reserves a Training Voucher and then cannot attend the scheduled course, the
employee must contact the Learning Partner to cancel. Note that the Learning Partner’s local cancellation policy
applies and the Learning Partner may impose a cancellation charge. After cancellation, the training voucher will revert
to “Assigned” status. A benefits manager cannot revoke a Training Voucher in “Reserved” status.

Revocation: If the Training Voucher is in “Assigned” status, the company benefits manager can revoke it so
that the training days can be reassigned. The benefits manager can then assign it to someone else.

Expiration: A Training Voucher is valid for 180 days after it is created and assigned. Training must be
completed before the voucher expires. When the organization’s licensing agreement expires, any unassigned
training days will expire.

Benefit days vs. course days: If the benefits manager creates a Training Voucher worth more days than the course
length, the extra days automatically revert to the organization’s account after the voucher is paid to the Learning
Partner. The benefits manager can also revoke the voucher if it has not been reserved by a Learning Partner, and then
recreate it for the employee with the exact number of days needed for the desired course. If the Training Voucher does
not cover all the course days, the employee must pay the difference to the Learning Partner.

Employee responsibility: The employee will receive an email confirmation that contains details about the
Training Voucher (including length, voucher number, and expiration date). For more information, visit Software
Assurance Training Vouchers.
Home Use Program (HUP)
The Home Use Program provides your employees with the latest version of Microsoft Office for use on their
home computer through a low-cost download. To learn more about the HUP benefit, review the Introduction to
the Home Use Program presentation.

1. Sign in to the VLSC.

2. Select Software Assurance from the top menu.
3. Select Home Use Program. This will take you to the Manage Software Assurance Benefits page.
4. Select the LicenseID for which you want to manage Home Use Program. This will take you to
the Benefit Summary page.
5. Select Home Use Program.
6. Enter a HUP Benefits Contact. The benefit contact is the person who will be Microsoft’s main
point of contact for HUP. It can be you (the SA Benefit Administrator) or someone else in your
company with a VLSC account.
7. Enter applicable domains for your organization, which will be used to authenticate your employees
who use this benefit. Do not enter a public email domain (such as outlook.com or gmail.com). Please
review the information below about Employee Authentication and Program Codes.
8. Select Activate Benefit.
9. After the benefit has been activated, you will see a 10-digit alphanumeric Program Code on the
Benefit Details page. This is not automatically used to authenticate your employees’ eligibility. Please
carefully read the information below to decide if you want to use the program code:

HUP Employee Authentication and Program Codes:

By default, employees are no longer required to enter a program code to validate their eligibility. Most organizations
prefer to only use the email domain as validation as it reduces escalations to IT departments from their employees. The
program code requirement can be reinstated within 24 hours upon email request from the SA Benefit Administrator or
the HUP Benefits Contact. Please send requests to VLSC Support with your agreement number and program code.
Please note:

• If you are part of an organization that does not offer the HUP benefit to all users with the
approved domains (example: schools where faculty and students have the same domain), we
recommend requiring the program code for authentication.
• If your organization has listed the same domain for more than one agreement with an active
HUP benefit, your employees will automatically be required to enter the program code to
specify the agreement from which the HUP license will be taken.
Tip: To share information with your employees, use pre-built email templates, banner ads, and
other downloadable marketing resources from HUP by visiting the HUP Marketing Portal.

To generate HUP Usage Reports in the VLSC

1. Sign in to the VLSC.
2. Select Software Assurance from the top menu.
3. Select Home Use Program. This will take you to the Manage Software Assurance Benefits page.
4. Select the LicenseID for which you want to manage the Home Use Program. This will take you to
the Benefit Summary page.
5. Under Activated Benefits, select Benefits Report Summary. This will take you to Benefits
Summary Report page.
6. Select Home Use Program.
7. Enter reporting parameters, and select OK.

24x7 Problem Resolution Support

Problem Resolution Support provides around-the-clock phone support for business critical issues or business
hours phone support for non-critical. Unlimited email support can be used for non-critical problems.

Phone incident award

You may submit your support request via the web or by phone to receive a call back from support. Your
phone support incident will be decremented from your Software Assurance total phone incident award
entitlements when you select phone as the contact method during support incident submission.

Unlimited email support

Email support is available for server products which have the required Software Assurance coverage for server
software and related CALS. Software Assurance coverage will be covered under your contract’s unlimited online
support request provision for non-critical support. You must submit your support request via the web and
select Email as the contact method during support incident submission. Responses to your email support
requests will occur during support team business hours which may be in a different time zone than your own.

Note: As a Software Assurance Manager, you will need to use the VLSC to set up a list of approved personnel who are
authorized to initiate support requests, and equip them with appropriate Software Assurance access IDs (SAIDs).
To set up 24x7 Problem Resolution Support through the VLSC
1. Sign in to the VLSC.
2. Select Software Assurance from the top menu.
3. Select 24x7 Problem Resolution Support. This will take you to the Manage Software Assurance
Benefits page.
4. Select the LicenseID for which you want to manage 24x7 Problem Resolution Support. This will take
you to the Benefit Summary page.
5. Select 24x7 Problem Resolution Support.
6. On the next screen, review the Terms and Conditions, enter your name, and select I Accept.
7. Set up a list of users approved to submit support incidents.
8. Find the SA Access ID (located near the top of the 24x7 Problem Resolution Support Benefits
Details page) and give this information to your IT staff.

To initiate a 24x7 support incident through Microsoft Support

1. Go to Microsoft Software Assurance Support page and click on Submit Request
2. Select the product and problem for which you need support.
3. On the Create an incident - select a payment option page, select Use my Software Assurance
Agreement.
4. Type your Software Assurance Access ID and email address you use to access the VLSC and
click continue.
5. Enter your incident details and contact information and select if you would like to receive email
support for non-critical server issues, or phone support for business-critical support for all products.

Tip: If you are a Microsoft Services Premier Support customer, you may convert your allotted Software
Assurance phone support incidents into Premier Problem Resolution Services to extend support from trusted
experts you already know.

To convert 24x7 phone support incidents to Premier Support

1. Sign in to the VLSC.
2. Select Software Assurance from the top menu.
3. Select 24x7 Problem Resolution Support. This will take you to the Manage Software Assurance
Benefits page.
4. Select the LicenseID for which you want to manage 24x7 Problem Resolution Support. This will take
you to the Benefit Summary page.
5. Select 24x7 Problem Resolution Support. This will take you to the Benefit Details page.
6. Select Reserve SA Incidents for Premier. This will take you to the Reserve SA Incidents to Be
Transferred to Premier page. Depending on your conversion preference choose one of the following
options:
a. Leave all SA Phone Support Incidents as “Available for SA.” Choose this default option
if you do not want to convert or reserve your 24x7 Problem Resolution Support incidents.
b. Reserve all current and upcoming SA phone incidents to be transferred to any Premier
 contract. Choose this options to convert all or reserve all 24x7 Problem Resolution
Support incidents.
c. Reserve Incidents for specific Premier contracts. Choose this option if you have more
than one Premier Support Agreement (assigned to different groups or company locations,
for example). This option allows you to assign or reserve 24x7 Problem Resolution Support.
7. After this is complete, you will need to contact your company’s Microsoft Technical
Account Manager (TAM) so that he or she can finalize the conversion process.

of creating the hotfix. After it is confirmed that a hotfix can be created and provided to you, the TAM will work
with you to establish an Extended Hotfix Support Account (EHSA) or add coverage to your existing EHSA for the
affected product.

Additional benefits
Software Assurance spans a broad range of Microsoft software and services, including Windows, Microsoft Office,
Exchange, System Center, SQL Server, and many others. For more details about each benefit, review the Microsoft
Product Terms or visit the Software Assurance website.

Get help in the VLSC

If you have questions or need help when you are using the VLSC, you can select the Help menu to view more
information, read the FAQ, and get Support Center contact details.

© 2018 Microsoft Corporation. Microsoft provides this material solely for informational purposes. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, IN THIS
DOCUMENT. Eligibility for Software Assurance benefits varies by offering and region and is subject to change. Customers should refer to the Terms and Conditions of their
Volume License Agreement for a full understanding of their rights and obligations under Microsoft Volume Licensing programs. (Publication 1218)