Monthly Archives: March 2014

Microsoft Enterprise Mobility Suite

The Microsoft Enterprise Mobility Suite is announced. This includes Azure AD Premium (for hybrid identity management), Intune (for mobile device management) and Azure Rights Management (for information protection).

Key licensing facts:

  • It is licensed Per User
  • It will be available through Enterprise Volume Licensing programs from 1 May 2014
  • Businesses can add EMS to active SA on the Core CAL or Enterprise CAL Suites or the Bridge CAL for Office 365
  • Estimated retail price is $7.50 per month, and
  • It will not be purchased through an Azure Monetary Commitment

These Microsoft sites are useful: http://bit.ly/PcfXBY for pricing and a datasheet, and http://bit.ly/1pwPRqn for a good overview and availability information.

Office for iPad Licensing

Office for iPad – the licensing facts:

  • Free apps allow viewing and presenting of documents and an Office 365 subscription allows creation and editing;
  • Office 365 subscriptions that include Office for iPad – Home, Small Business Premium, Midsize Business, E/G/A3, E/G/A4, Office 365 ProPlus, and Office 365 University;
  • One subscription covers Office for iPad on up to 5 tablets and Office on up to 5 PCs or Macs;
  • Office Mobile for iPhone and Android phones is now free as it is on Windows Phone.

Read the full Office Blog post here: http://bit.ly/1h23WFi.

 

OneDrive for Business Update

OneDrive for Business is one of those products still wriggling to feel comfortable in its own skin. Until recently known as SkyDrive Pro, it can trace its roots back through SharePoint Workspace and, of course, Groove. These days it’s part of every Office 365 Plan and is included with the SharePoint Online plans too. From 1 April 2014 it will also be available as a standalone service and will include access to Office Online and 25GB of storage. There will be some promotional pricing with discounts of up to 50% available until the end of September 2014. Get the full story on the OneDrive Blog: http://bit.ly/1doMJem

SQL Server 2014 GA announced for 1 April

Microsoft announce that SQL Server 2014 will be generally available on 1st April 2014.

The blog post’s main theme is the deployment flexibility that spans on-premises and cloud solutions, and as well as being available for download, SQL Server 2014 will also be available in a Windows Azure virtual machine image on 1st April.

The full post is here: http://bit.ly/1ehWLMn.

Office 365 Personal Announced

Microsoft announce Office 365 Personal which is expected in the “Spring”. The key facts:

  • One PC or Mac and one tablet may be connected to the service;
  • It will include 60 minutes of Skype calling per month as well as 20 GB of OneDrive storage; and
  • The ERP is expected to be $69.99/year or $6.99/month.

Office 365 Home Premium will continue to be available but will be renamed to Office 365 Home. Read the full announcement here: http://bit.ly/1d9wmwt.

 

Intro to Azure Licensing: UK TechNet article

If you want an introduction to buying Windows Azure Services through the EA, then this article from the UK TechNet team is a good start. It covers the three ways Azure can be acquired:

  • as an Additional Product in an EA,
  • as an added service in an SCE,
  • or through an Azure-only SCE.

Read the article here: http://bit.ly/1qBXZqZ.

CRM Online Pricing and Licensing

 

Changes announced to CRM Online licensing for the second quarter of 2014. Key takeaways: CRM Online Professional gains Microsoft Social Listening at no extra cost; and CRM Online Enterprise is announced which will include Dynamics Marketing (formerly MarketingPilot), Unified Service Desk (an application for call centres) and, for a limited time in the US and Canada, free Parature seats (a recent acquisition which will enable more customer self-service capabilities). See the full blog post here: http://bit.ly/1crqmUP

Microsoft VL Blog: When do you need a CAL?

When are CALs required? There’s a jolly useful article on the Microsoft Volume Licensing blog covering some of the most tricky scenarios. The top 7 questions are considered (clearly the writers don’t suffer from any form of OCD) and include CAL requirements for: multifunction printers, servers themselves, external users, RDS in VDI scenarios, web workloads, accessing another organisation’s servers, and administrators. It’s worth a read at: http://bit.ly/1i7zPkc.

Volume Licensing Briefs Updated for March 2014

Licensing Windows Intune

  • Updated to reflect licensing changes for Windows 8.1 Enterprise
  • Previous brief: November 2013
  • http://bit.ly/17mQhUo

Self-Hosted Applications

Downgrade Rights

  • Updated to reflect licensing changes for Windows 8.1 Enterprise
  • Previous brief: October 2013
  • http://bit.ly/17o1yEf

Introduction to Per Core Licensing and Basic Definitions

Microsoft Licensing for the Consumerisation of IT

  • Updated to reflect licensing changes for Windows 8.1 Enterprise
  • Previous brief: October 2013
  • http://bit.ly/16yZOfE

Microsoft Licensing for the Consumerisation of IT – Academic Licensing Scenarios

  • Updated to reflect licensing changes for Windows 8.1 Enterprise
  • Previous brief: October 2013
  • http://bit.ly/1hEr6CS

Reimaging Rights

  • Updated to reflect licensing changes for Windows 8.1 Enterprise
  • Previous brief: November 2013
  • http://bit.ly/1a8GtyG

Licensing Microsoft SharePoint Server 2013

Licensing Windows and Microsoft Office to use with the Apple Mac

  • Updated to reflect licensing changes for Windows 8.1 Enterprise
  • Previous brief: November 2013
  • http://bit.ly/Hkv3BM

Licensing Windows Client and Server Operating Systems in Multiuser Scenarios

  • Updated to reflect licensing changes for Windows 8.1 Enterprise
  • Previous brief: November 2013
  • http://bit.ly/18nXNAC

Operating System Licence Requirements: Initial Operating System and Transfer of Licence

  • Updated to reflect licensing changes for Windows 8.1 Enterprise
  • Previous brief: November 2013
  • http://bit.ly/1jNIsjQ

Licensing Windows Desktop Operating Systems for Use with Virtual Machines