Government Licensing

Government licenses help government employees collaborate securely. This improves mission outcomes, protects infrastructure and sensitive data, and enhances coordination and communication within and between agencies.

What is Government Licensing?

Government licenses are designed to meet strict security and compliance requirements. Federal government, local agencies, state governments, defense industry, contractors, and sponsored tribal entities that store controlled information are eligible to acquire these licenses. In addition to the features and capabilities offered by Microsoft, there are several features specific to government licenses. Firstly, customer content from the organization can be logically separated from customer content in Microsoft's commercial Office services. Furthermore, the organization’s customer content can be stored in the United States. The GCC environment provides compliance with federal requirements for cloud services, including FedRAMP High. It also accounts for requirements for criminal justice and federal tax information systems (data types CJI and FTI).

Collaborating with Government Licensing

It is important for government employees to collaborate effectively to achieve or improve results. Collaboration between agencies is made easier with a Government License. Below are the possibilities with a Government License.

Centralizing

• A central hub can be created to coordinate documents, initiatives, and incidents without the need for IT involvement.
• Communication can be simplified through chats, calls, meetings, and shared files from one place.
• Co-creation and review of memoranda, joint initiatives, regulations, and public announcements can be simplified.
• Real-time data allows for informed decision-making and reporting to leaders.

Connecting

• Access updates and submit reports, audits, and notes from any device.
• Staying connected with the team through chat, meetings, and calls can save users time.
• Connect from any available device.

Sharing and Protecting

• Helps protect confidential information.
• Chat messages and documents can be retained to respond to audits and FOIA requests.

Government Licenses: Eligibility

Eligibility requirements for volume licenses for government organizations depend on the region as they may vary. Some healthcare organizations may also be eligible for government licenses if they:

• Provide healthcare services and coverage,
• Determine or decide healthcare policy for a country or state,
• Provide funding for healthcare services and coverage,
• Have a regulatory role in healthcare services and coverage.

Additionally, Microsoft offers government licenses for eligible organizations, such as small to medium-sized government organizations or medium to large government organizations. Below are the benefits for these two sectors.

For Small to Medium-Sized Government Organizations

• Open Value for Government: Offers simplified asset management, predictable software costs, and spread payments. Software Assurance is also included.
• Open Value Subscription for Government: Offers the same benefits as Open Value for Government but with lower initial costs. The program provides access to Microsoft software licenses and cloud services for the duration of the agreement through subscription licenses.
• Microsoft Cloud Solution Provider: Through a pay-as-you-go model, cloud services and software licenses can be acquired with the help of a Microsoft Cloud Solution Provider. A Cloud Solution Provider can help determine the best cloud solution and support the user throughout the process from acquisition to implementation and usage.

For Medium to Large Government Organizations

• Enterprise Agreement for Government: With the latest Microsoft products and cloud services, technology can be standardized across the organization. It offers simplified license management with a single agreement, predictable software and service costs, and spread payments. Software Assurance is also included. The subscription option has lower initial costs and only access during the agreement term.
• Microsoft Products and Services Agreement (MPSA): The MPSA consolidates all purchases into one simplified agreement for acquiring online services and software. The purchase account structure offers flexible purchasing options and more control over the way of buying. Software Assurance is also optional.
• Select Plus for Government: If the MPSA is not an option for the organization, Select Plus can be used to acquire Microsoft software licenses at any departmental level. Select Plus offers flexibility in acquiring licenses. Through a single agreement without a specific end date, a Lead Affiliate customer ID is used to streamline account management. Software Assurance is optional.

Software Assurance

Microsoft Software Assurance is a comprehensive maintenance program that helps users get the most out of their software investment. It offers 24/7 phone support, partner services, training, and IT tools to help customers plan, deploy, manage, and support their IT needs. Learn more about Software Assurance.