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If I would start to focus on the .NET platform and be self-employed, then I probably would like to have some Windows 7, Windows Server 2008, Visual Studio 2010 licenses just for the development environment and for testing, and then a few licenses for the production environment (a Windows Server 2008 Web) and added to that upgrades when new versions is available. This will end up in a quite big amount of money.

Is there any kind of bundle discount that I can get from Microsoft in such a case? And what is the requirement to be able to get that discount?

gnat
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Jonas
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    This question appears to be off-topic because it is [about] support for Microsoft products. – gnat Sep 17 '13 at 07:40

6 Answers6

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How about a 100% discount? If you are making software you intend to sell, you qualify for BizSpark, which gives all your developers MSDN subscriptions.

If you intend instead to offer your services, you don't qualify for BizSpark, but you still don't need to buy separate licenses for dev, staging etc. You can get an MSDN subscription, which covers one developer across any number of machines other than production. You don't install dev tools on production, and your clients are responsible for the Windows, SQL etc licenses they need.

It is generally useful to join the partner program. The Registered level is free and lets you buy an MSDN subscription at a dramatically reduced price, 80-90% off or so. The program names vary over time - Empower, Action Pack, etc so you would need to check the partner program to be sure what they are and what they cost at the moment.

Finally, back to the free angle, don't rule out Visual Studio Express, SQL Express etc - absolutely no cost ever and almost all the features of the full products.

TheLQ
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Kate Gregory
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  • Even if you don't qualify for the BizSpark program, as Kate says there are lots of free resources available for doing development. Most any programming task you need to accomplish can be done with the Express editions and VMs of the various platforms are usually available with 90 day trials. As long as you keep your repository outside of the VM you can save your work out and just roll forward. If you get enough traction then you could further pursue something like BizSpark or one of the less expensive MSDN options. – Todd Williamson Sep 29 '10 at 02:00
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    There's also the Webspark programme. – Murph Sep 29 '10 at 08:18
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    Just for clarification: The Webspark Murph is referring to is called "WebsiteSpark" – Marek Oct 26 '10 at 08:08
  • Out of curiosity, what's the 'catch' for BizSpark? From the website I couldn't see any, and all it says is it wants to help small businesses - why? (Maybe I'm just being skeptical, but there has to be _something_ in it for Microsoft) – Rob Nov 21 '11 at 02:05
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    @Rob There is no catch. Imagine you're a startup. If you choose your tools based only on cost, you might not choose Microsoft tools. By making them free during the first few years when money is tight, they increase the chance you'll choose them. After all, they are good tools. Then someday you might pay for them (or not, there are other legit ways to never pay for the tools) and of course you'll probably be writing for Windows, for IIS, for SQL Server and for other products Microsoft can sell to your customers. It's a simple and transparent business model. They don't need to trick you. – Kate Gregory Nov 21 '11 at 03:18
  • @KateGregory Thanks for the reply, honestly didn't expect one since this answer is over a year old :D. I wasn't implying that they were trying to trick anyone, I just couldn't see what they were getting out of it, but it makes a bit more sense now – Rob Nov 21 '11 at 03:22
  • WebsiteSpark has now been scrapped. – ajbeaven Apr 14 '13 at 21:29
  • @Rob Do look out for SAM Reviews though. – Anuj Pandey Aug 18 '15 at 09:57
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If you are a student you should check out dreamspark. It allows students to get basically any professional level tool for free. Last I checked there was VS 2010, Windows Server 2008 R2, SQL Server 2008 Developer, Expression Studio Ultimate, and a bunch of others.

Morgan Herlocker
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8

There's also an Action Pack Subscription in addition to the MSDN subscription and BizSpark program.

Walter
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    the link in your answer lead me to page that says nothing about "action pack", would you mind expanding a bit on that? – gnat Sep 18 '13 at 06:41
  • Action Pack subscription basics in 2 minutes: http://youtu.be/SGSmScJ3H-0 – Benoit Blanchon Sep 09 '14 at 12:06
  • Bear in mind the Action Pack VS licenses are "Internal Usage Rights" only, so are intended to be used for development for internal purposes only not for external revenue products. – Schneider May 16 '17 at 08:03
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You should look into getting an MSDN subscription. The "free" software you get can/will pay for itself pretty quickly.

Muad'Dib
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  • would you mind explaining more on what it does and why do you recommend it as answering the question asked? ["Link-only answers"](http://meta.stackoverflow.com/tags/link-only-answers/info "what's this") are not quite welcome at Stack Exchange – gnat Sep 18 '13 at 06:42
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You could also get a free MSDN Ultimate Subscription and Technet by contributing enough to the community to become qualified as a Microsoft MVP. It takes a bit of time though, but it's definitely well invested time especially if you want to be independent. Building your personal brand should be one of your highest priorities before you embark on self-employment.

Michael Brown
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    I have to say this is absolutely the most expensive way to get free software I can think of. I could earn the money for an MSDN Ultimate in a fraction of the time I've given away doing the things that earned my MVP. Of course the trick is I would do those things even without the award. – Kate Gregory Mar 24 '11 at 15:29
  • Oh I wasn't saying it was the most efficient way of doing it. But honestly if you're interested in growing your career, it's what you'd do anyway. – Michael Brown Mar 26 '11 at 18:56
  • agreed. – Kate Gregory Mar 26 '11 at 19:15
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    Without access to the Microsoft suite of dev tools it is harder for one to become an MVP in order to gain access to aforementioned tools. – Ed James Jun 09 '11 at 12:41
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    My answer was a bit tongue in cheek. There are several programs Microsoft offers to help get you started with their ecosystem. If you're a student, there is DreamSpark. If you're a website developer/consultant there's WebsiteSpark. And if you're starting a software business, there's Bizspark. – Michael Brown Jun 09 '11 at 16:37
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The recommendations here for BizSpark and MSDN are great recommendations, in addition something that would be helpful is to look into becoming a "Microsoft Certified Partner", the process is quite simple, and you get a multi-tenant MSDN license for development/test installations. I did this for my consulting business three years ago and it was the best investment ever, and the price is right. ($1,500 a year).

Mitchel Sellers
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