Novell Worldwide Licensing Programs

Novell Worldwide Licensing Programs allow you to leverage the buying power of your organization on a global scale with options that simplify your software acquisition and software asset management. Novell provides multiple tiers of participation under a single umbrella licensing program.  Your initial purchase and level of commitment determine the tier that best fits your business needs.  The two tiers are the Volume License Agreement (VLA) and the Master License Agreement (MLA). 

All tiers of the Novell Worldwide Licensing Programs provide you with the following benefits:

• Discounted pricing available to your organization worldwide

• Cumulative purchasing allows you to move to higher discount levels

• Availability of Upgrade Protection or Maintenance (see program descriptions below)

• License rights to use prior versions of Novell software

• Immediate and convenient access to software via downloadable software media kits

• Discounts on Novell Technical Services

• Two year agreement terms

Volume License Agreement (VLA)

The VLA is the most basic tier of the Novell Worldwide Licensing Program. With any purchase amount, the VLA provides you with an easy and affordable way to purchase your Novell solutions without the commitment of a signed contract.  In addition to the benefits mentioned above, optional Upgrade Protection is available with the VLA on a per-product basis, which will automatically keep you upgraded to the latest version of product releases.  Upgrade Protection can be purchased for the entire term or annual basis.

Master License Agreement (MLA)

The MLA includes all the benefits of the VLA, but the discounts are even higher and Upgrade Protection is replaced with software Maintenance.  Maintenance is a combination of Upgrade Protection and Technical Support in a single annual fee, and is an integrated requirement of the MLA.  By having Maintenance, you are guaranteed the latest version of Novell products and provided with the comfort of built-in technical support directly with Novell.  The MLA provides Price Protection, which guarantees that product and Maintenance pricing will not increase over the two-year term.  If you want additional support beyond what is provided with your Maintenance, the MLA also offers you higher discounts on Novell Consulting Services and Novell Technical Services.  The MLA has a minimum up-front purchase requirement of $500,000 (U.S.).  Within a parent organization who has a MLA, any of their subsidiaries can participate for only $5,000 U.S. or 500 points.

Solutions Enterprise Addendum (SEA)

The SEA is simply an add-on option to the MLA designed to give you quick and easy license compliance, simple budgeting, and a customized Novell product solution. This option allows you to pay a single, discounted annual fee for a customized Novell bundle, which is licensed across your entire enterprise. This solution includes Novell Technical Support. You gain all the benefits of the underlying base Novell agreement, with the addition of a simple, bundled solution for your products and services.

Novell Academic Licensing Options

Novell allows qualified academic customers the option to pay for product usage on an annual basis, rather than buying the licenses outright.  With this option, you simply choose your products and pay a low annual fee.  You then have the right to use those products throughout your entire academic institution.  This program gives you the freedom to count once and pay once each year.  K-12 customers will sign the School License Agreement (SLA) and higher education institutions will sign the Academic License Agreement (ALA).  The SLA has a $1,000 U.S. minimum fee each year and a three product selection, while the ALA has a $5,000 U.S. minimum per year and four product selection.  If you wish to buy your licenses, you can participate in the VLA for Education.  This program is designed identically to the VLA as described above, but gives your academic institution a higher discount.

For further information on any of Novell's Licensing Programs, contact your SHI Account Team.