What is the Microsoft Business Desktop Platform?
The Microsoft Business Desktop Platform is a simplified method of licensing the computers your employees use with the core Microsoft Software products.
What is included in the Microsoft Business Desktop Platform?
The Microsoft Business Desktop Platform includes:
- Microsoft Office 2007
- An upgrade to Microsft Vista Business
- Client Access Licence(s) for the core Server Platform(s)
- All the additional benefits of Volume Licensing
- All the additional benefits of Software Assurance
How can I buy the Microsoft Business Desktop Platform?
The Microsoft Business Desktop Platform is available as part of the Open Value Company-Wide or Open Value Subscription programmes.
Open Value Company-Wide is for customers who prefer to own the rights to the software as "perpetual licensing" even after the licence agreement has expired. Open Value Subscription is for customers who want to minimise upfront costs and maybe want to increase and reduce the number of licenses over the period of the licence agreement.
What are the two versions of the Microsoft Business Desktop Platform?
The Microsoft Business Desktop Platform is available in two versions, Small Business and Professional.
The Small Business Desktop Platform is intended for small businesses who either use (or plan on using) Microsoft Small Business Server. The Professional Desktop Platform is intended for businesses who use the standard Server Platforms including Microsoft Windows Server and Microsoft Exchange.
What do the two versions of the Microsoft Business Desktop Platform include?

Which operating systems verisions may I upgrade with the Vista Business Upgrade Licence?
At the time of entering the Open Value agreement your existing computers maybe ugraded to Window Vista Business from the following operating systems:
- Windows Vista Business
- Windows Vista Ultimate
- Windows XP Professional
- Windows XP Tablet PC Edition
- Windows 2000 Professional
- Windows NT® Workstation 4.0
- Windows 98 (including Second Edition)
- IBM OS/2
- Apple Macintosh
Once the agreement is in place, new or replacement computers must be bought with one of the following operating systems:
- Windows Vista Business
- Windows Vista Ultimate
- Windows XP Professional
- Windows XP Tablet PC Edition
We have a mixture of computers of different ages and we are not ready to upgrade to Windows Vista Business and Office 2007, what can we do?
No problem. One of the key Volume Licensing benefits is the right to downgrade your licenses to any previous version of the software. Still need to standardise your business on Windows 2000 Professional and Office XP, go ahead. You can then upgrade your whole business to the latest version of the software in a controlled way when you are ready.
How do Office Small Business and Office Professional Plus differ?

We use Microsoft Small Business Server, so I need the Small Business Desktop Platform, but I also need Office Professsional 2007 on some computers?
If you have a requirement for both the Small Business Desktop Platform and need the additional functionality and benefits of Office Professional Plus 2007 you can buy as few or as many "step-up" licenses to Office Professional Plus as you require.
What is a CAL?
A Client Access License (CAL) is a licence allowing a PC on a business network to access the resources of a Server,
What is the Microsoft Small Business Server (SBS) CAL
The Microsoft SBS CAL is for businesses using either the Standard or Professional versions of Microsoft Small Business Server. This single CAL allows a computer to access all the resources made available by Small Business Server.
What is the Microsoft Core CAL?
The Microsoft Core CAL is for businesses using standard Microsoft Server platforms. The Core CAL Suite consists of the:
- Windows CAL
- Exchange Server Standard CAL
- Office SharePoint® Server Standard CAL
- System Server Configuration Manager CML