VMware - SSS Purchases = Maintenance or Subscription?

[dmathias]

Hi - relaying a very basic question that has my SAM team at odds.  Flexera has recognized VMware subscription and support purchase SKUs as Maintenance.  But, the SSS program operates very much like a subscription in many respects.  (In fact, I thought that VMware was trying to migrate old perpetual licenses to subscriptions anyway.) 

Where the original entitlement purchase information for vCenter and vSphere may not be at hand, is there any practical reason why we can't treat the SSS purchases as subscription licenses when processing the purchase line items?

Example SKUs:

VS5-RB-ES-P-SSS-C

VS6-STD-G-SSS-C

VS6-ENT-P-SSS-C

Thanks,

David Mathias - NTT DATA Services

[dmathias]

By the way, I am aware of the Flexera VMware Practice Guide, and I'm directing my SAM team to review it.  My question from above still stands, though.  Thanks.

[kclausen · Accepted solution]

Based on my friend Google, the part number of VS5-RB-ES-P-SSS-C at least is a 1-year subscription for maintenance/support - it is NOT an actual license entitlement.

https://www.cdw.com/product/vmware-support-and-subscription-production-technical-support-for-vmware/2471825

If you do not have a Base Purchase to apply this maintenance renewal to, then you would need to modify that Part Number so that Flexera does not recognize it.  You can add the part number to the end of the Item Description so that it is there is a reference and then blank out the SKU.  Or you can add an 'X' to the start of the part number.  Flexera is correctly recognizing this as a Maintenance SKU.  If you try to 'force'  FlexNet to process this is a true license entitlement, when it recognizes it as maintenance, you may not get the results that you require.

[dmathias]

OK - I think one of my SAM resources unintentionally underestimated the trade-offs when treating the SKUs as a subscription.  @kclausen , I appreciate the input.

Best, David