Microsoft Software Assurance offers a broad range of benefits in one program, combining the latest software with tools and resources to help you deploy, manage, and migrate software. Benefits such as consulting services, Web support, technical resources, and training help you increase the return on your technology investment by supporting budget predictability, reduced operating expenses, improved productivity, and minimized downtime.

By activating and using the Software Assurance training benefits, you can optimize key performance criteria, including business productivity, the application platform, and the core infrastructure. These benefits may include Software Assurance training vouchers and select Microsoft E-Learning courses, depending on the type of licenses purchased from Microsoft. Training benefits included with your Software Assurance coverage carry no additional cost.

Software Assurance E-Learning and training vouchers offer the following.

Follow these six easy steps to activate and use your Microsoft® Software Assurance training voucher benefit.

Activate your training voucher benefit
To activate your training voucher benefit, go to the Microsoft Volume License Services Web site at https://licensing.microsoft.com and sign in by using your Windows Live™ ID benefits manager credentials. If you do not have the administrative permissions necessary to activate the benefit, get in touch with your Notices contact. After you have obtained the permissions and sign in, click Software Assurance on the left side of the page. On the Benefit Summary page, click Training Voucher. On the next page, click Activate Benefit.

Review the list of eligible courses
Before creating a training voucher, review the course list from a Microsoft Certified Partner for Learning Solutions (Learning Solutions partner) and identify those courses that interest your employee. You can create training vouchers that cover training for one to five days, so it is important that you know the duration of the course your employee wants to take.

The course list can be found on the Learning Manager site at http://www.microsoft.com/learning/sa-vl-catalog/savldefault.aspx.
Under Offer Type, select SA Training Voucher.

Gather and enter voucher requirements
Gather the following employee information:

1.  First name
2.  Last name
3.  Work e-mail address
4.  Voucher length (one to five days)

On the Benefit Summary page, click Training Voucher. Then click Create Training Voucher, and enter all necessary information.
The training voucher will be sent to the work e-mail address that you just entered. Refer to the customer Software Assurance FAQ for information about using an e-mail address other than that of the employee or about creating training vouchers that cover a different duration than the course length.

Locate a Learning Solutions partner
Training vouchers can only be used at participating Learning Solutions partner locations. To find a location in your area, visit the Class Locator page at http://www.microsoft.com/Learning/classlocator, and select the Software Assurance vouchers only check box. This step can be done by you or your employee.

Reserve the training voucher
You or your employee must contact the Learning Solutions partner to reserve the training voucher. The Learning Solutions partner will need the e-mail address that you entered when creating the training voucher, as well as the voucher ID number. Training must be completed before the voucher expiration date.

Have your employee take the training
For more information on Software Assurance, please visit http://www.microsoft.com/learning/en/us/business/software-assurance.aspx#tab1