Benefit for Windows Azure Organizational Accounts

MSDN Benefit for Windows Azure Organizational Accounts

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

General

Q. What is the ‘MSDN Benefit for Windows Azure Organizational Account’?

The 'MSDN Benefit for Windows Azure Organizational Account' enables eligible MSDN subscribers who are members of an organization to use their Organizational Accounts to develop and test applications in the cloud, receiving the same Windows Azure MSDN benefits that they would have received had they used their Microsoft account.

Q. What is the difference between ‘Organizational Account’ and ‘Microsoft Account’?

Organizational Account is an account created by an organization’s administrator to enable a member of the organization access to all Microsoft cloud services such as Windows Azure, Windows Intune or Office 365. An Organizational Account can take the form of a user’s organizational email address, such as username@orgname.com, when an organization federates or synchronizes its Active Directory accounts with Windows Azure Active Directory. To learn about the process of administering organizational accounts by the organization’s administrator please refer to ‘What is the process to administer organizational accounts to eligible organizational members?’.

Microsoft Account, created by user for personal use, is the new name for what used to be called ‘Windows Live ID’. The Microsoft account is the combination of an email address and a password that a user uses to sign in to all consumer-oriented Microsoft products and cloud services such as Outlook (Hotmail), Messenger, SkyDrive, MSN, Windows Phone or Xbox LIVE. If a user uses an email address and password to sign in to these or other services, then the user already has a Microsoft account—but the user can also sign up for a new one at any time.

Q. What benefits do MSDN subscribers get when they use Windows Azure Organizational Account?

Eligible MSDN subscribers using their Windows Azure Organizational Account get the same MSDN benefits that they would have received had they used their Microsoft account.

Q. Can I use my Windows Azure Organizational Account for my MSDN development and test subscription to run production applications?  

Windows Azure MSDN subscriptions are specifically for development and test usage only. Production workloads must be run on regular subscriptions.

Eligibility

Q. Who would benefit from the ‘MSDN Benefit for Windows Azure Organizational Account’?

Organizations with MSDN subscriptions who need the flexibility to transfer Windows Azure account services and benefits between different employees of the same organization. This is relevant for organizations that are concerned that an MSDN subscriber in their organization creating Windows Azure assets under a Microsoft account could cause undue business risk when the person associated with that Microsoft account leaves the company.

Q. Who is able to use the ‘MSDN Benefit for Windows Azure Organizational Account’?

This benefit is available for new or existing MSDN subscribers who have not yet activated their Windows Azure MSDN benefit.

Q. Is this feature available for existing MSDN subscribers who have already activated their Windows Azure MSDN benefit?

No. This feature is only available to existing MSDN subscribers who haven’t yet activated their Windows Azure MSDN benefit. If you would like to transfer a Windows Azure MSDN subscription to an Organizational Account, contact the Windows Azure Customer Support.

Processes

Q. What is the process to administer organizational accounts to eligible organizational members?

1. The administrator signs up as an organization to a Microsoft cloud service such as Windows Azure, Windows Intune or Office 365.
2. A cloud based tenant is provisioned automatically in Windows Azure Active Directory to represent the organization.
3. Once this tenant has been provisioned, the administrator issues Organizational Accounts to each one of its members.

Q. How can eligible MSDN subscribers create an MSDN Windows Azure subscription with their Organizational Account?

Eligible MSDN subscribers can create an MSDN Windows Azure subscription with an Organizational Account by following the steps below:

1. Navigate to My Account (you’ll be prompted to sign in with a Microsoft account).

1. In ‘Subscription Benefits’ under ’Windows Azure’, choose ‘Link to your Organizational Account’. [pic 1]

1. Enter an Organizational Account (e.g. username@orgname.com) and select ‘Link’.

[pic 2]

1. Choose ‘Activate Windows Azure’.

 [pic 3]

1. Sign in to Windows Azure with the same Organizational Account entered in step ‎3.

[pic 4]

1. Sign up for Windows Azure.

[pic 5]

Q. When is the ‘MSDN Benefit for Windows Azure Organizational Account’ activated?

The benefit is activated when the user successfully completes the steps to sign up to their MSDN benefit for Windows Azure Organizational Account.  This validates the Organizational Account and ensures that the user accessing the benefit is the person who has been granted the benefit.