Amazon EC2 will support Windows Server Enterprise Agreements (EAs) under a new Windows pilot program. You have a short window of opportunity to take advantage.
The Cloud is getting bigger which means rain, but I can’t stretch that analogy so, let’s stick with the facts. Amazon is going to let you take your Enterprise Agreements for Windows Server and migrate to its EC2 services.
It isn’t as simple as that, of course, according to Amazon’s EC2 blog:
“Under a new Microsoft pilot program, you can bring your EA Windows Server licenses into the cloud, activate them, and then launch Amazon EC2 instances running Microsoft Windows Server for the same price as Linux/UNIX On-Demand or Reserved Instance .
Enrollment starts today and will continue until September 23, 2010, so it is important to act fast. Your participation and feedback will have a definite impact on the long-term prospects for this pilot program.
To participate in the pilot, Microsoft requires that your company meets the following criteria:
* Your company must be based (or have a legal entity) in the United States.
* Your company must have an existing Microsoft Enterprise Agreement that does not expire within 12 months of your entry into the Pilot.
* You must already have purchased Software Assurance from Microsoft for your EA Windows Server licenses.
* You must be an Enterprise customer (Academic and Government institutions are not covered by this pilot).”
Of course, Microsoft has its Windows Azure, which competes directly withe Amazon in this instance, but no one has anything to say about why Redmond went bookseller first. Obviously, Amazon is working harder. There, I said it.
