Microsoft Services Provider License Agreement (SPLA)

About the program

The Service Provider License Agreement (SPLA) program gives the chance to Microsoft partners to offer end users access to software of corporation on a subscription on the basis of monthly payments. Delivery of software of Microsoft in lease is performed with monthly payment of licenses upon their use.

The program is focused mainly on the companies offering services in the market of a corporate hosting (for the small and medium organizations) though it can be used also in the market of a hosting for private users or the large organizations.

Especially profitable in Microsoft consider the SPLA program for such categories of partners as:

• service companies of large holdings
• telecom operators, Internet service providers
• the companies leasing the IT equipment
• system integrators
• IT outsourcers
• suppliers of a web hosting
• independent software developers

The agreement of SPLA is signed between Microsoft and service provider by means of the partner of corporation having the status of the SPLA reseller. In each region, as a rule, of such resellers is from one to three.

SPLA resellers are authorized to perform document management connected with agreement signature of SPLA, to set the prices of software of Microsoft on SPLA, to accept reports from service of providers, to make out bills on the basis of reports and to accept payments.

Microsoft partners in Russia (Microsoft Partner Network)

Основная статья: Microsoft partners in Russia (Microsoft Partner Network)

SPLA resellers in Russia

As of summer of 2013, according to the website of Microsoft, in Russia three partners have the status of the SPLA reseller: 1C,Mont and Softline. The last received this status in 2010 and in two years of work, according to the company, the number of her partners in this direction passed for two hundred. At the end of June, 2013 obtaining the status of the SPLA reseller was also announced by Svet Computers company.

A number of the companies in Russia had the status of the SPLA reseller earlier, but afterwards lost it. Like those, in particular, are OCS Distribution and Asbis. The first of them decided to wind down the work on this program together with the termination of distribution and boxed solutions of Microsoft after in 2012 the software giant selected at the company the partner status according to corporate licenses on software. In the summer of 2013 in Asbis told TAdviser that stopped work on the SPLA program even more than a year ago. The reasons of it in the company were not explained.

Softline

SPLA Softline summed up the first results of work on the program in a year after obtaining the status of the SPLA reseller: during this time the company involved 60 partners among whom - representatives of the telecom industry and the sphere of a hosting, system integrators and Internet service providers. Besides, several holdings rendering services of access to software for the not affiliated child structures within the SPLA program became partners of Softline: cloud licensing allows holdings to optimize corporate costs for ownership of software, its maintenance and updating.

Thanks to the SPLA program partners of Softline had an opportunity to develop private and public clouds based on products of Microsoft and also to develop business on leasing of the PC and servers with solutions of Microsoft, noted in the company. Cooperation with Softline on SPLA also allowed a number of the companies to provide to clients access to own software products created on the basis of software of Microsoft.

As the SPLA reseller Softline provides to partners complex support at all stages of participation in the program: from registration on resources of Microsoft before conclusion of an agreement and filling of the reporting under the program.

In addition to the main consulting support of current partners of Softline in the first year of work on SPLA performed active information maintenance of a cloud trend. So, in the large cities of Russia – Moscow, St. Petersburg, Novosibirsk, Kazan, Samara and others – there took place a series of the seminars devoted to cloud licensing; also the information materials covering the topic SPLA both for acting, and for potential partners were prepared and released.

"Together with popularity of cloud computing also the number of the companies proposing to the clients cloud solutions – services of access to software products in the SaaS and IaaS models grows. Becoming cloud service provider, the company can expand a range of the offered services or begin new business, optimize corporate work with software or create own niche in the software market. Clouds give really ample opportunities, and a task of Softline here – to give full support to service providers, to help them to take a step to a cloud – a step to successful and effective business", – Igor Balashov, the director of Softline of business development sums up the results of the first year of work on SPLA.

1C increased network of partners in leasing of software of Microsoft

By April, 2014 the partner network of 1C according to the Microsoft SPLA program (Service Provider License Agreement) extended approximately up to 70 companies. As of August, 2013 like those there was only 18.

The SPLA program allows to lease to end users of software of Microsoft C monthly payment of licenses. In its framework server and desktop applications of Microsoft, the solution of the Dynamics family, etc. are available. At the same time providers of service can both organize separate "cloud" services, and to provide virtual work places. Also there is an opportunity to create customized applications in the form of services for automation of business challenges of a certain company.

It is impossible to sign the agreement on accession to the program with Microsoft directly: it can be done only through the partners of corporation having the status of the SPLA reseller. This status, among other, authorizes the company to set the prices of software of Microsoft according to this program for partners.

As told TAdviser in 1C, the status of the SPLA reseller their company received at the end of 2012, but at the same time really began to involve partners in this direction only since May, 2013.

"Before we studied a situation and experience of the first partners who began work on this direction. When we decided that "critical mass" is gained, began to advance synchronously our partners in lease of software of 1C and in Microsoft SPLA", - the representative of 1CAlexey Kharitonov explained TAdviser.

Due to receiving 1C of the status of the SPLA reseller partners of the company can offer at the same time the clients of service in lease of software of 1C and Microsoft, working at the same time on standard partner model, speak in the company.

Revenue of partners from leasing of software of 1C in 2012 grew by 96.1% in comparison with 2011, and in 2013 - almost for 65%, data brought TAdviser into the companies. Believe in 1C that the possibility of providing also services of lease of software Microsoft from the uniform supplier can become for her partners the additional driver of business development.