"Our main driver is customer and partner experience; it's not about selling," he said, adding that customers are not forced to accept recommendations made by partners or Microsoft and over-licensed customers may even be advised to downgrade.

"It's not about squeezing the customer and trying to get as much money as possible from them; it's about the benefits to the customer."But the bottom line is that Microsoft's SAM investments have paid off handsomely. In some countries, the company gains A$40 (US$30) for each dollar spent on the program.

And while a number of customers contacted by Computerworld said SAM participation has been a positive experience by improving inventory and making them more compliant, they still felt threatened when initial contact was made.

No matter how much Microsoft insists its SAM reviews are not audits, SunWest Management CIO Milton Bliss, said that's how customers perceive them.

This is partly due to heavy-handed licensing tactics Microsoft has used in the past.