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ESP Licensing Update
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Joy Murray
Director, IP Licensing, Corporate Intellectual Property & Licensing
Microsoft Corporation
It is my pleasure to update you on Microsoft’s licensing direction for the Microsoft ESP visual simulation software development platform. As announced in January, 2009 with the closure of ACES Studio, Microsoft has been exploring alternative means for licensing the ESP intellectual property (IP) to outside companies and the ESP team has worked closely with my group at Microsoft to find a successful solution. My team runs Microsoft’s IP Licensing program which licenses some of our IP to third-parties, including competitors, according to industry standard terms and royalty rates. This encourages continued innovation in our industry and has led to some remarkable business opportunities and technology breakthroughs for some of Microsoft’s IP licensees.
This fall we entered into source code and object code licensing agreements for ESP with third-party partners. Through the Microsoft ESP licensing program, partners can now build on ESP technology and create immersive experiences customized to their products and customers’ needs. As these agreements become public, you can read about them under “Partner News” on the ESP website. Because we have made this strategic shift, ESP volume licensing and single-license SKUs have been discontinued. However, product support for Microsoft ESP branded product will continue through December, 2012 and the Microsoft ESP™ Developer Center will remain active indefinitely.
We hope this collaborative program spurs new innovation and economic opportunities for our partners across the industry, which is especially important in the current global economic climate. We’re grateful for your interest in the ESP platform and if you would like to learn more about an ESP IP license, please email me at joymu@microsoft.com.
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Microsoft ESP News Update
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David Boker
Senior Director, Business Development Group, Microsoft ACES Studio
Microsoft Corp.
On January 22, 2009 Microsoft closed Aces Studio, the publishers of Microsoft® ESP™. This was done in response to the challenging economic climate and a sharpening of the company’s strategic focus.
Microsoft has ceased further development of Microsoft® ESP™, but ESP remains available to customers and partners. Microsoft is currently exploring 3rd party licensing options for the future of ESP and will announce details at the appropriate time.
- VOLUME LICENSING: Microsoft ESP Client and SDK SKUs will remain on Microsoft’s Select and Open Volume Licensing price lists through at least December 31, 2009. ESP is no longer available as an Enterprise Agreement (EA) license offering. ESP Software Assurance has been discontinued.
- SINGLE-LICENSE Full Packaged Product (FPP) SKUs (US and Canada only): The ESP Client and ESP SDK packaged product SKUs, targeted at customers seeking less than five licenses, will remain available through at least February 28, 2010 - available in the US and Canada only. They can be purchased directly from Microsoft through the online store located through the ESP Purchase web page at http://www.microsoft.com/esp/purchase_esp/overview.htm. Select either Canada or US, then below the listed reseller icons find and click the link in the text - To purchase quantities of less than five (5) licenses, please click here.
- SUPPORT: ESP support will be available through December, 2012 in accordance with Microsoft’s five-year product support policy. Visit the Microsoft Support website for more details.
- MSDN.COM/ESP: The ESP MSDN site will remain active for an indefinite period.
- MICROSOFT.COM/ESP WEBSITE: This site will remain active as long as ESP is available on Microsoft’s Volume Licensing price lists (currently through at least December 31, 2009).
We appreciate your interest and support for Microsoft ESP. Please contact me if you have any additional questions.
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I/ITSEC 2008 Trip Report
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David Boker
Senior Director, Business Development Group, Microsoft ACES Studio
Microsoft Corp.
For decades , enterprise-class simulations were stand-alone solutions designed to meet the specific needs of individual customers. These custom solutions were ex3pensive to build, purchase, and maintain and had lengthy lead times for delivery. The Microsoft ESP team had an opposite vision: to create a low-cost, PC-based software development platform upon which any simulation solution could be built. Our hope was that industry solution providers and training organizations would eventually come to see ESP as technology that empowers them, simplifies their jobs, and saves them significant time and money.
At the I/ITSEC 2008 conference in early-December in Orlando, we saw many encouraging signs that our strategy is quickly gaining supporters. If there’s one overall theme that emerged from all the amazing technology demos we saw this year, it is integration. Hardware and software companies are working together, combining existing solutions to create new ones. This shift is great news for Microsoft ESP, our partners and customers....Read More
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Microsoft ESP at I/ITSEC 2008
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Ed McCahill
Marketing Manager, ESP
Microsoft Corp.
A contingent from the Microsoft ESP team is in Orlando this week for the 2008 I/ITSEC (Interservice/Industry Training, Simulation, and Education Conference) event. I/ITSEC is an annual conference and trade show that “promotes cooperation among the Armed Services, Industry, Academia and various Government agencies in pursuit of improved training and education programs, identification of common training issues and development of multiservice programs.” In short, it’s the place to be if you work in the simulation and training industries. Check out the event website.
I/ITSEC runs from December 1-4 at the Orange County Convention Center, and we’re in booth 3718. If you’re planning to attend, be sure to stop by and say hello. Last year ESP made its public debut at I/ITSEC and our team has been hard at work since then continuing to build out the capabilities you’ve asked us to deliver....Read More
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Welcome to ESP Insider!
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David Boker
Senior Director, Business Development Group, Microsoft ACES Studio
Microsoft Corp.
If you’re reading this, then chances are good that you’ve already heard about Microsoft ESP and visited our new Web site. We believe that ESP is poised to revolutionize how people in all different fields learn, research, train, plan, and prepare. Thank you for your interest!
Our newly updated site has a new design that we feel does a much better job of conveying what ESP is all about, and what you can do with it. You’ll find videos, images, and a much easier way to locate an ESP reseller. The site will grow over time, and it’s your best source of information about the product itself: what it is, how to get it, and why you’d want to.
A wealth of information about using Microsoft ESP can be found in the Microsoft ESP Developer Center on MSDN. If you’re a developer, this is the place to go to connect with other people building solutions on ESP. You’ll find helpful articles, code samples, a developer blog, and a forum.
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