New Windows and Windows Server ESUs

Microsoft have announced that three products released in 2016 will receive Extended Security Updates for up to three years.

The first two are Windows 10 Enterprise LTSB 2016 and Windows 10 IoT Enterprise LTSB 2016, which have an End of Support date of 13 October 2026, and, finally, Windows Server 2016, with an End of Support date of 12 January 2027. The Windows 10 Enterprise LTSB 2016 Extended Security Updates will be available via Volume Licensing and CSP, while the Windows 10 IoT Enterprise LTSB 2016 Extended Security Updates will be offered only through IoT OEMs.

Pricing and availability details for Windows Server 2016 are forthcoming, but all the current information including some pricing can be found in the Windows IT Pro Blog: https://bit.ly/4spqXhm.

Microsoft Copilot Studio Licensing Guide

There’s a new (March 2026) Copilot Studio Licensing Guide. It has fleshed-out detail on the recently introduced Agent Pre-Purchase Plan, which covers use of Copilot Studio and Microsoft Foundry, making it feel front and centre of the available options.

The methods for purchasing Copilot Credits are now in the Licensing Overview section, rather than beside the purchasing channels in the How to Buy section. This change has resulted in a rather nice side-by-side summary of the purchasing options being removed and scattered elsewhere. Whilst most wording and phrasing tweaks are only minor, one change raises an eyebrow: the Copilot Credits Capacity Pack is now (mostly) referred to as the “Copilot Credit pack” – a term not consistently found in other documentation.

Grab your copy here: https://bit.ly/4rboIx4. Subscribers can now view the details of “What’s New” and read the “Cautionary Notes” in our Licensing Guides Gallery: https://bit.ly/GuidesGallery.

Fabric Capacity Overage

Microsoft announce that Fabric Capacity Overage will be an opt-in feature in Microsoft Fabric to automatically bill for excess capacity on a Pay-As-You-Go basis, and thus protect capacities from being throttled.

Expect to see this in public preview this quarter, and check out the Fabric roadmap for more details: https://bit.ly/4kFaAKV.

Agent Cost Management Whitepaper

There’s an updated (February 2026) Agent Cost Management Whitepaper – a useful document helping you to understand some of the key topics in getting started with Agents. There’s some good information on the different ways to buy and set up Copilot Credits, as well as help on monitoring costs and applying cost controls. This latest version is updated with the Copilot Credits Pre-Purchase Plan, including instructions on how to set this up and how it can be combined with other ways of purchasing Copilot Credits.

There’s also improved information on setting up who can create and use Agents in Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat. Find this updated guide here: https://bit.ly/4rJ0LOd.

Azure Purchasing Models Licensing Guide

There’s a new Azure Purchasing Models Licensing Guide available. Designed to make it easier to understand the different purchasing choices, it’s a great idea for a guide, but slightly misses the mark, with mixed up terms, sections, and incorrect facts throughout. We’re now documenting these “Cautionary Notes” in our Licensing Guides Gallery for subscribers, so you can grab the guide and see these details all in one place. Check out these new features here: https://bit.ly/GuidesGallery, or find a direct link to the guide here: https://bit.ly/49ZMTJw.

Understanding the right purchasing options in Azure is a really useful topic, and it’s inspired our training next month – watch this space!

SQL Server 2025 Editions Datasheet

We’ve uncovered a rather-useful SQL Server 2025 Editions Datasheet. It’s a three-page PDF with a history of additions throughout the versions, as well as edition comparisons for version 2025. It concisely covers how the Express, Standard, and Enterprise editions stack up, including their Developer counterparts. Summarised with a technical feature matrix on the final page, this is definitely a datasheet to keep handy. Grab your copy now: https://bit.ly/4s9yu3G.

Subscribers can, of course, find a copy in our complete collection, over at the Licensing Guides Gallery: https://bit.ly/GuidesGallery.

Microsoft 365 pricing and packaging changes

With the upcoming changes to Microsoft 365 pricing and features in July 2026, information and announcements have been scattered across blogs, PDFs, and website articles – which has certainly kept us on our toes! A new, more consolidated page has arrived, and it’s worth a view: https://bit.ly/3MEpnJe. This onslaught of changes inspired us to make understanding price adjustments much more intuitive. We’ve evolved our pricing pages in LicenseVerse, with interactive search and filter options to find exactly what you’re interested in. Why not give our Product Price Plotter a try today to discover how easy tracking these changes will be from now on? Subscribers can find it here: https://bit.ly/ProductPricePlotter. The Exchange Rate Price Plotter serves as its companion, helping you track exchange rate fluctuations: https://bit.ly/ExchangeRatePlotter.

If you’re not a subscriber and feel that this kind of resource would help your licensing life, please do get in touch: info@licensingschool.co.uk.

Enterprise Agreement Program Guide

There’s an updated (February 2026) Enterprise Agreement Program Guide. There are quite a few bits and pieces removed: FAQs, detail from the Core and Enterprise CAL Suites tables, information on Microsoft Payment Solutions, for example, as well as some updates: Azure’s removed from the SCE components table, and VLSC is replaced by the Microsoft 365 Admin Center. There are a couple of oddities too: Azure is listed as the sole Additional Online Services example, and the list of Software Assurance benefits on page 5 is somewhat out of date, with some discontinued benefits included.

For the full details on What’s New and the Cautionary Notes, subscribers should head to the Licensing Guides Gallery: https://bit.ly/GuidesGallery, otherwise grab this updated document here: https://bit.ly/4aiiRzo.

Microsoft 365 Enterprise Licensing Guide

There’s an updated (February 2026) Microsoft 365 Enterprise Licensing Guide. Although it’s designed to help you to see the difference between the Microsoft 365 plans, the chosen features listed are strange: Clipchamp and Loop are front and centre, with no mention at all of Power BI Pro and Teams Phone Standard… It’s a document that was useful when traditional, on-premises EA customers were first moving to Microsoft 365, and all the scenarios target this sort of customer. This version of the Licensing Guide sees the removal of the useful detail in the Extended Use Rights section, as well as the not-quite-so-useful, outdated FAQs.

Hard-core Licensing Guide enthusiasts can keep their Licensing Guide collection complete by grabbing the updated document here: https://bit.ly/4tg2eNo.

Teams Live Events retirement

Microsoft announce the retirement of Teams Live Events on 30 June, 2026, with Town Hall becoming the recommended broadcasting solution for large audiences. Full Town Hall functionality is currently limited to Teams Premium, although Teams Enterprise will receive feature parity on 1 April, 2026 – find the details in our Blog: https://bit.ly/4aV8Jy8. Whilst you can no longer schedule a Live Event beyond the retirement date, events already scheduled through 28 February, 2027 will be unaffected.

Find the Microsoft announcement, date details, and transition resources here: https://bit.ly/4rfZBKl.