Microsoft announce that the Enterprise Mobility Suite will be available through Open and Open Value licensing programs from 1 March 2015. From early March it will also be available to partners as part of the Internal Use Rights licences they receive through the Action Pack or Silver and Gold competencies. Read the announcement here: http://bit.ly/1LQ86lU.
Monthly Archives: February 2015
Updated Windows in VMs Volume Licensing Brief
There’s an updated (Dec 2014) Volume Licensing Brief for licensing Windows for use with virtual machines. The main changes, as you would expect, are for Windows per User licensing and all of the scenarios are updated which means, of course, that the Companion Subscription Licence is banished to obscurity. Get the document here: http://bit.ly/IKPKXE.
CRM in Open Partner FAQ
There’s a new FAQ document for partners selling Dynamics CRM Online through Open and Open Value programs. It covers minimums, existing tenants, how expiry dates work, mixing licence types, as well as partner-revenue related questions.
Find it here: http://bit.ly/1vq4se7.
Learning Path for 74-678
There’s a new Specialist learning path on Get Licensing Ready to help you to prepare for the 74-678 exam. When you’ve worked through all of the recommended GLR modules it’s a great idea to put it all into practice and take our Sample Exam to see if you’re ready to take the real thing.
Find it here: http://bit.ly/74-678
Updated Reimaging Rights Volume Licensing Brief
The Reimaging Rights Volume Licensing Brief is updated for February 2015. The changes are mainly around Windows SA per User and there’s confirmation added that Windows 8.1 Enterprise Volume Licensing media may be used to reimage an OEM PC licensed for Windows 8.1 Pro if the primary user of the PC is licensed for Windows SA per User (page 4).
There’s also a new question added on page 5 which confirms that if a PC is reimaged under Windows SA per User rights, it must be reverted to its original licensed operating system if the subscription expires, and it must be licensed with Windows SA per device if non-licensed users use the device.
Get the document here: http://bit.ly/1a8GtyG.
FAQ: Activation and Product Keys
This is a useful site if you want to learn more about product activation: http://bit.ly/1CoqHlm.
It includes good information on all the basics as well as answering less well-known questions such as: which activation method should be used for virtual computers, what key to use on PCs preinstalled with Windows when you want to downgrade to an earlier version, and why the amount of MAK activations doesn’t match the number of purchased licences.
Overview of the Changes to the February 2015 Volume Licensing Product List
It’s a relatively quiet month as far as updates to the February 2015 Product List are concerned, with the changes split into two main areas – some amendments to use rights, and some new products and offerings.
Amendments to use rights:
- It’s confirmed that customers with SQL Enterprise Core licences with active SA on 1 February 2014 can choose to deploy SQL Server Parallel Data Warehouse in place of SQL Server Enterprise – see page 26
- The use rights for the EMS and Office 365 Add-ons are extended; previously, the Office 365 Add-ons granted access rights equivalent to a Windows Server 2012 CAL, now both types of Add-ons grant access rights to ALL of the components in the qualifying licences from any device. This is obviously only for the user licensed with the Add-on USL and it does include downgrade rights for the server components, but not for Office Professional Plus. See pages 46 and 59
New products and offerings:
- The Lync Voice Add-on for the Enterprise Cloud Suite makes its (belated) appearance in the Enterprise Cloud Suite section and is confirmed as an Additional Product, rather than an Enterprise Online Service as the EMS and Office 365 Add-ons are. See page 47
- There’s a new services offering detailed on page 84 – the Sales Productivity Accelerator. This is a service provided by Microsoft Services over the course of a four week term to deliver a fixed-scope implementation of Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online
- CRM Online makes its debut in both the Open programs with its commercial offerings and also as a set of new education offerings through all of the Academic programs. See page 49 for what’s available through what program
- Customers receive Planning Services days based on the number of qualifying licences that they have, and the Dynamics AX products are added to the list of these qualifying licences on page 68
- Azure RemoteApp is added on page 47 with the “(Plan)” label indicating that it’s licensed with a USL and does not decrement any Azure Monetary Commitment a customer may have
74-678 – Discounted Exam Vouchers & Free Re-takes
Discounted MCP exam vouchers and free re-takes are available and include the 74-678 exam (http://bit.ly/1CoqiQ0). Team these with our self-study guide to give yourself the best chance of passing: (http://bit.ly/74-678-US-Kindle).
Changes to Visual Studio Online Licensing
There are further changes to Visual Studio Online licensing with additional rights being moved from the Visual Studio Online Advanced licence to the Basic one. These include user acceptance testing, all project management features, and the Team Rooms feature.
Read the full announcement here: http://bit.ly/1yZQYAE.
CRM Online now available through Open programs
Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online is available to purchase through Open and Open Value programs beginning 2 February 2015. Read the full announcement here: http://bit.ly/1KFcz8q.