Microsoft introduces Coem and MSPP in Bangladesh

(Above) KM Imran Al-Amin, left, education programme manager of Microsoft Bangladesh, makes a presentation during the Coem launch. (Below) Sarwar Alam, president of Basis, speaks at the event where Microsoft launched its MSPP

Microsoft urged the end users of their products to adopt original software as this will benefit them with online validation of their product and additional support for security and download along with improved capabilities of personal and portable computers.

In this regard they have classified the OS licensing system into three categories, which are preinstalled original equipment manufacturer built on machines purchased; full packaged product (FPP) containing a media kit, manual and guide and lastly volume licensing i.e. paper licensing registered against the name of a company or individual and under an agreement with Microsoft.

When asked about the price for their operating systems, the officials referred to their distributor IngramMicro as Microsoft here is not yet marketing their product themselves but through distributors. Technics Computers, another reseller of Microsoft informed the price for Windows XP Professional FPP is Taka 15,000 while its OEM costs Taka 10,500.

A genuine Windows will have four components of which are certificate of authenticity, end user license agreement (Eula), hologram and documentation, explained Tanim Aziz, partner account manager and technical specialist, Microsoft Bangladesh.

Microsoft has classified its software licensing into two criterions, which are Eula and software assurance. Software assurance is an agreement for two years of free upgrade of the operating system.

KM Imran Al-Amin, education programme manager, Microsoft, Bangladesh informed, Microsoft has a 'Partners in Learning' programme, which if implemented would offer the educational institutions free OS and Microsoft Office in less then USD 5, which is the same product available for USD 300 otherwise, but it is still under evaluation by the ministry of science and ICT.

"Microsoft has come here being aware of the risk of their market witnessing existing international brands like IBM quit from this country", Amin told the audience.

In another programme with the Basis on the same day they have introduced the Microsoft Partner Programme (MSPP) competency for Independent Software Vendors (ISVs), which said local software developers and organisations can take Microsoft certification on their product for compatibility on Windows platform.

This will increase their product reliability to their consumers and will enlist them in the MSPP website for Bangladeshi software under specific fields like business intelligence, accounting inventories, HR management and many more.

Microsoft has some criterions that are measured on the basis of points system, which can further upgrade the software vendors to Microsoft Certified Partner and then Microsoft Gold Certified Partner. A partner having 70 to 120 points under the Microsoft criterions is eligible to apply for Microsoft gold certification whereas points 50 to 70 is considered as Microsoft certified partner.

Under this programme as Arif Hasan, partner technical specialist, Microsoft, informed, registration for ISVs is open and free but an annual fee of USD 375 is charged to them for Microsoft certification.

Feroz Mahmud, country manager, Microsoft Bangladesh and Sarwar Alam, president Bangladesh association for software and information services (Basis) also spoke on the occasion.