More than 74 per cent of Software Assurance customers say they will not by the same level of maintenance again.

According to IDG, customers do not believe that the economics of the programme made sense.

IT procurement managers have found the programme, guarantees updates to new products along with support and training tools, did not save them money.

The problem has been that Microsoft hasn't stuck to a consistent release schedule. This means that companies have had to pay even more money than
simply buying new licenses as needed.

A four-page Forrester report, written by Julie Giera, a vice president at the research firm said that for desktops, Software Assurance (SA) is
29 percent the cost of an annual license. However if Microsoft goes at least four years in between releases it will cost the company 116
percent of a new desktop license.

More here.