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One of the largest proponents of the software as a service model, software giant Microsoft (microsoft.com) announced it has launched another program to help independent software vendors and Web hosts more easily move into the SaaS market

Microsoft says the SaaS On-Ramp program is currently available in North America and Europe and will be launched in Asia in February 2007. To get involved in the program, ISVs have to sign a service provider licensing agreement with Microsoft or a Microsoft reseller.A Michael van Dijken, lead marketing manager for hosted solutions at Microsoft's Communications sector, adds that within the next couple of months, Web hosting providers will be able to provide the licensing directly to the ISVs with a single packaged price, so that ISVs won't have to sign a SPLA with Microsoft.

Van Dijken says Microsoft's SaaS On-Ramp program is just one component of a broader set of initiatives from Microsoft surrounding software as a service, and that the company is following the natural evolution of the software industry.

Microsoft says its program helps lower initial set-up risks and costs by offering two of its core components of software, Widows Server and Microsoft SQL Server, at a reduced price for the first 12 months after signing up, which delivers a total of approximately 80 percent in savings.

The hosting partner program is called the Microsoft SaaS Incubation Center Program, while the ISV program is called the Microsoft SaaS On-Ramp Program.A