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About MSDN Subscriptions
MSDN Subscriptions are the ultimate resource for professional Developers, teams, and organizations engaged in application development. Comprehensive access to Microsoft tools and technologies enable teams to confidently design, develop and test software solutions; professional support services and expert information resources ensure Developers can rise to the biggest challenges.
Developer Tools
MSDN Professional and Premium subscriptions are sold alongside Visual Studio. When customers choose to subscribe to MSDN they also receive rights to other Developer tools—including Visual Studio SourceSafe, Software and Driver Development Kits (SDKs/DDKs), and other components of the Microsoft Developer platform. Customers of Visual Studio Team System with MSDN Premium also receive an exclusive Workgroup Edition of Visual Studio Team Foundation Server, limited to five users.
Development and Test Licenses
Beyond tools for creating applications, Developers must be able to simulate production environments for iterative development and test. A core benefit of being an MSDN Subscriber is the exclusive access to the widest range of Microsoft products for creating these development and test environments.
Exclusive Access to Pre-Release Products
To stay ahead of the curve, Developers need access to new products and technologies before they reach general availability. MSDN Subscriptions provides access to pre-release versions of future Microsoft products and technologies not available outside closed programs such as the Technical Adoption or Rapid Deployment Programs (TAP/RDP). This includes most Betas, Community Technology Previews (CTPs), and occasional Alpha releases. For example, MSDN Subscribers received their first build of what became Windows Vista over three years before general availability.
Licenses for General Business Use
In addition to Developer tools and licenses limited to Development & Test, MSDN Premium subscribers may also install and use one copy of Microsoft Office for any purpose. This benefit extends to the full range of desktop Office System products (with the exception of Project Professional).