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New MSDN Subscription Offerings and You

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MSDN Subscriptions recently announced several changes to the MSDN Subscriptions program to better align the subscription products with Visual Studio 2005 Team System.

 

Many of you may have reviewed the press accounts, read additional information from the MSDN or Visual Studio 2005 Web sites, and read or commented on the changes in community forums.  Based on some of the feedback I’ve seen so far and for the benefit of those who may not yet be aware of the upcoming changes, I thought I’d offer you my take on the changes and how the new offerings may affect you.

 

First and foremost, active MSDN subscribers are in a great place, especially those of you at the MSDN Professional, MSDN Enterprise, or MSDN Universal Subscription levels.  While nothing is changing at the MSDN Library and MSDN Operating Systems Subscription levels, current subscribers at these levels should actively consider upgrading to one of the higher levels to receive all of the advantages of the new Visual Studio 2005 Team System as part of their subscription.

 

Active MSDN Professional subscribers will be transitioned to the new Visual Studio Professional Edition with MSDN Professional Subscription, a renamed offering that better aligns us with the Visual Studio naming.  Subscribers at the MSDN Professional level may also be interested in upgrading to the new Visual Studio Professional Edition with MSDN Premium Subscription that provides all of the tools and technologies currently available only within an MSDN Universal Subscription, and at a lower price point than MSDN Universal today.

 

Active MSDN Enterprise subscribers will be transitioned to the new Visual Studio Team Edition for Software Developers with MSDN Premium Subscription.  Here again, this MSDN Premium Subscription content provides all of the tools and technologies currently available only within an MSDN Universal Subscription.  MSDN Enterprise subscribers may also choose to upgrade to one of the other role-based products, including Visual Studio Team Edition for Software Architects, Visual Studio Team Edition for Software Testers, or further upgrade to Visual Studio Team Suite, each with an MSDN Premium Subscription.

 

Active MSDN Universal subscribers sit in the proverbial catbird’s seat.  MSDN Universal subscribers will transition to their choice of the new role-based Visual Studio Team Editions: Visual Studio Team Edition for Software Architects, Visual Studio Team Edition for Software Developers, or Visual Studio Team Edition for Software Testers, each with an MSDN Premium Subscription.  In addition, interested MSDN Universal subscribers may prefer to upgrade to Visual Studio Team Suite with MSDN Premium Subscription to enjoy the benefits of all three of these role-based products.

 

MSDN Universal subscribers should begin to consider their preferences for the new role-based tools.  In addition, you may wish to visit the transition Web site at https://msdn.microsoft.com/howtobuy/vs2005/transition/ for more information, including links to address many of your questions.

 

For those of you still weighing an MSDN Subscriptions purchase or who may have passed on a recent renewal or upgrade offer, there’s never been a better time to be an active MSDN subscriber.

 

Regards,

 

Seth Adams

Program Manager, MSDN Subscriptions

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    April 10, 2005
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