Overview of MSDN Subscription benefits 1

An MSDN Subscription acts as a lifeline for software developers, testers, architects, IT professionals, database engineers, and others. It provides priority access to new and earlier versions of Microsoft products, including developer tools, operating systems, server software, and productivity applications.

One person can use the software to design, develop, test, or demonstrate his or her programs on any number of devices. An MSDN subscription also allows the licensed user to evaluate the software and to simulate customer environments in order to diagnose issues related to his or her programs.

Additionally, subscribers can use the software on as many PCs and devices as needed, which saves a great deal of expenses on software license costs during development.

Subscriptions can include technical support incidents, Store developer accounts, Windows Azure, Microsoft E-Learning, access to MSDN Forums with a guaranteed response by Microsoft engineers, MSDN Magazine, and more.1

Overview of MSDN Subscription benefits1

Comprehensive offering for software development: MSDN subscriptions provide access to virtually all Microsoft software for development and test purposes. By being able to test on everything Microsoft has to offer, you help reduce the cost of your development environment and reduce the risks of custom development projects.Simple, cost-effective, per-user licensing: MSDN subscriptions are easy to license – one license per user is all that is needed. The alternative - which is to purchase individual licenses for operating systems, servers, and tools - is less cost-efficient and harder to manage.One-stop shop: By having access to all the software, support, and information they need in one location, developers can be more productive and deliver higher-quality code.Past, present, and future: MSDN subscriptions provides the latest editions of Microsoft products, many versions dating back for more than a decade, and prerelease versions to try out so that subscribers are always prepared for what’s next. Connect across your team: MSDN subscriptions includes Visual Studio Team Foundation Server and one Client Access License, providing the solid communication, collaboration, and application lifecycle management tools your developers need to ensure that software gets built fast and gets built right. Or store your work and collaborate with your project team in the cloud with Team Foundation Service. Cloud development: Windows Azure enables you to develop and test applications faster, at reduced cost, and with the flexibility to deploy in the cloud or on-premises. MSDN subscribers get up to $150 in credit per month to use on any Azure service they want, plus discounted dev/test rates, access to pre-configured virtual machines, and the ability to upload their own virtual machines. Marketplaces: MSDN subscriptions include access to Windows and Windows Phone Stores so your developers can post their free or paid apps for the world to try and buy. And with an Office 365 Developer Subscription, subscribers have all the tools to develop, test, and deploy apps for Office and SharePoint, including a one-tenant SharePoint Online Developer Site and access to the Office.Training: MSDN subscriptions training resources can be used to expand your development teams’ skills, while reducing your training costs.Help & Support: With tech support incidents, priority support in the MSDN Forum, and the online concierge, your developers will have all the help & support they need at their fingertips.

Licensing informationVisual Studio and MSDN subscriptions are licensed on a per-user basis. One person can use the software to design, develop, test, or demonstrate programs on any number of devices. In addition, starting on June 1, 2013, any current MSDN subscriber who has activated their subscription is licensed to run the MSDN software (except for Windows and Windows Server) on Windows Azure Virtual Machines, providing greater flexibility for developing and testing applications. More information is available in the Visual Studio 2012 and MSDN Licensing Whitepaper.

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Subscription Level

Software and services for production use

Primary Development/Testing Tool - - Visual Studio Professional

Visual Studio Test Professional

Visual Studio Premium

Visual Studio Ultimate

Visual Studio Team Foundation Server 2012 and one CAL   ● ● ● ● ●

Team Foundation Service   ●   ● ● ●

Microsoft Office Professional Plus 2013       ● ●Software and services for development and testingWindows, Windows Server ● ● ● ● ● ●

Windows Azure   $100/month $50/month  $50/month $100/month $150/monthMicrosoft SQL Server   ● ● ● ● ●

Microsoft Office       ● ●

Microsoft Dynamics   ●     ● ●

All other servers (including SharePoint and Exchange)   ●     ● ●

Windows Embedded   ● ●   ● ●

Additional BenefitsTechnical support incidents 2 2 2 2 4 4Priority support in MSDN Forums ● ● ● ● ● ●

Priority support in TechNet Forums ●

Windows Store and Windows Phone developer accounts1   ● ● ● ●

Office 365 Developer Subscription1 ● ●Microsoft E-Learning course collections (typically 20 hours each; per calendar year) 1 2 1 1 2 2

MSDN Magazine ● ● ● ● ● ●

MSDN Flash newsletter ● ● ● ● ● ●

MSDN Online Concierge ● ● ● ● ● ●

Special offers from Microsoft and partners ● ● ● ● ● ●1 One-time 12 month benefit