We've been out of Microsoft's Corporate licensing model for quite a while and it's been good, no, it's been GREAT. Whenever I've needed a Microsoft Product, I've wandered down to the local retail outlet and purchased it. Sure, sometimes I've been a little annoyed when it's not in stock and I've had to wait a day or two but on the whole, it's been glorious. We haven't bothered with maintenance on our Microsoft products because we don't want to upgrade. Not within 3-4 years. Our standards so far have been Windows NT + Office 97, then Windows XP + Office 2003 and now Windows 7 + Office 2010. Because we update so infrequently (and all at once), it's easier to simply purchase new computers once every four years and buy the software at the same time. It's not like you save anything much on the volume licensing -- in fact, it's quite the opposite, buying a new licence every four years is much cheaper than paying