MSDN Subscription Levels

MSDN Subscriptions are the ultimate resource for professional Developers, teams, and organizations engaged in application development.

Comprehensive access to Microsoft tools and technologies enable teams to confidently design, develop and test software solutions; professional support services and expert information resources ensure Developers can rise to the biggest challenges.

For current Visual Studio with MSDN pricing, please contact Grey Matter on 01364 655155 or e-mail vbug@greymatter.com.

Subscription Benefits
MSDN Subscriptions include the following benefits:

Developer Tools
Development and Test licenses
Exclusive access to pre-release products
Licenses for general business use
Technical Support Incidents
Managed Newsgroups Support
Online Concierge
MSDN Library
MSDN Magazine
MSDN Flash
Discounted Microsoft and MSDN events tickets
Partner offerings

Developer Tools
MSDN Professional and Premium subscriptions are sold alongside Visual Studio. When customers choose to subscribe to MSDN they also receive rights to other Developer tools—including Visual Studio SourceSafe, Software and Driver Development Kits (SDKs/DDKs), and other components of the Microsoft Developer platform. Customers of Visual Studio Team System with MSDN Premium also receive an exclusive Workgroup Edition of Visual Studio Team Foundation Server, limited to five users.

Development and Test Licenses
Beyond tools for creating applications, Developers must be able to simulate production environments for iterative development and test. A core benefit of being an MSDN Subscriber is the exclusive access to the widest range of Microsoft products for creating these development and test environments.

Exclusive Access to Pre-Release Products
To stay ahead of the curve, Developers need access to new products and technologies before they reach general availability. MSDN Subscriptions provides access to pre-release versions of future Microsoft products and technologies not available outside closed programs such as the Technical Adoption or Rapid Deployment Programs (TAP/RDP). This includes most Betas, Community Technology Previews (CTPs), and occasional Alpha releases. For example, MSDN Subscribers received their first build of what became Windows Vista over three years before general availability.

Licenses for General Business Use
In addition to Developer tools and licenses limited to Development & Test, MSDN subscribers may also install and use one copy of Microsoft Office for any purpose. This benefit extends to the full range of desktop Office System products (with the exception of Project Professional).
Technical Support Incidents
To help with the greatest challenges of the development process, MSDN subscribers may turn to dedicated Microsoft support engineers for assistance. Every MSDN Subscription includes professional-grade, Developer-specific technical support incidents. With 24/7 Business-Critical service level, Support Incidents may be called upon for any situation.

Managed Newsgroups Support
For Developers the first port-of-call for answers is usually the community. Where the community cannot answer the toughest of questions, MSDN Subscribers have the exclusive guarantee of their question being answered. If not effectively answered by the community, posts to the MSDN Newsgroups from MSDN subscribers will be picked up by Microsoft engineers within 2 business days.

Online Concierge
MSDN.com is an incomparable online resource for Developer information. This depth of information can be a challenge to navigate. MSDN Online Concierge is a chat-based service, providing subscribers with an exclusive guide to the online world of MSDN.

MSDN Library
MSDN Library is the definitive reference for developing on the Microsoft platform. MSDN Subscribers have access to the complete online library, and periodic updates for installation and offline review.

MSDN Flash
Millions of Developers receive the MSDN Flash e-mail newsletter every other week, with news and information personalized to their areas of focus. Subscribers can choose to get news related to their subscription.

Discounted Microsoft and MSDN Events Tickets
Microsoft Developer events, such as TechEd and PDC, are an opportunity for Microsoft, partners, and the Developer community to learn and exchange the latest in development. MSDN subscribers are regularly offered an exclusive discount to attend these events.

Partner Offerings
Developing on the Microsoft platform is enabled by a rich ecosystem of partner products, technologies, and services. MSDN Subscribers have access to exclusive discounts, free trials, and offers from the Microsoft partner ecosystem.

Customer Service
A dedicated network of customer service professionals in every region ensures subscribers can get any help they need with their subscription in their language and locale.

Compare MSDN Subscriptions
MSDN Subscriptions are available at three different levels, offering developers, teams and organizations a choice of offerings:

MSDN Premium: Available to purchase with Visual Studio Professional and included with Visual Studio Team System
MSDN Professional: Available to purchase with Visual Studio Professional
MSDN Operating Systems: Available as a standalone Subscription purchase

Click to access the complete MSDN Subscription overview chart

Legal stuff!

Software included in MSDN Subscriptions is provided with rights to design, develop, test and demonstrate your software applications.

Licensed users may install included content on any number of devices for these purposes only. Only the licensed subscriber may use the included products. Please see the product use rights or license terms for MSDN for more details.

MSDN Subscriptions offers current, pre-release and certain older versions of these products to download. Selected contents are also available on DVD media subscriptions.

The information is representative and not comprehensive. Products, versions, and availability are subject to change.

[1] Visual Studio Team Foundation Server Workgroup Edition is limited to five designated users. One Client Access License is provided for use of the full version of Team Foundation Server.

[2] One copy of the indicated applications may be used on one device for any purpose.
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