Author Archives: licensingschool

June 2015 License Verification Form

The License Verification Form is used to record which server application licences with SA have been assigned to Azure virtual machines or to Service Provider’s shared hardware.

The latest form is dated June 2015 and has been updated for Skype for Business: http://bit.ly/1E6vPsV.

If you want to learn more about the whole licence verification process then this customer guide is a useful resource: http://bit.ly/1o9hNAQ.

Advanced Threat Analytics Licensing Datasheet

Advanced Threat Analytics has been added to the Enterprise CAL Suite, the ECAL Bridges, as well as the Enterprise Mobility Suite and the Enterprise Cloud Suite. However, it’s also available as a standalone offering and there’s a new licensing datasheet explaining all. Essentially it’s a Client Management Licence model which can be purchased, as usual, by user or OSE.

The licensing datasheet also has a useful FAQ page – find it here in the Core Infrastructure section: http://bit.ly/MSlicensingguides.

August 2015 Updated Volume Licensing Briefs

Due to the arrival of Windows 10 in July 2015, four of the existing Microsoft Volume Licensing Briefs have been updated for August 2015. Read on to find out what’s changed in each document.

“Licensing Windows desktop operating system for use with virtual machines” (http://bit.ly/IKPKXE)

  • Updated for Windows 10 Pro, Enterprise and Education throughout
  • Remote access of VOSEs is no longer on “device(s) in your datacenter” but on “device(s) dedicated to Customer’s use” (page 3)

“Windows desktop operating system license requirements” (http://bit.ly/1jNIsjQ)

  • Updated for Windows 10 throughout
  • Wording changed to clarify that an assignment of a Volume Licensing Upgrade license is permanent UNLESS there is active SA and a couple of other conditions are satisfied (page 2)

“Licensing Windows and Microsoft Office for use on the Macintosh” (http://bit.ly/Hkv3BM)

  • Updated for Windows 10 and Office 2016 for Mac throughout
  • Note added that when licensing Office on a per user basis through Office 365, the licence must be assigned to a single user before using the software (page 4)
  • Office 365 ProPlus and Office 365 Business are added to the list of equivalent editions allowed under platform independence rights and there’s a note that Office 365 click-to run automatically installs the Mac versions of the Office applications (page 5)

“Downgrade rights for Microsoft Volume Licensing, OEM, and full-package product licenses” (http://bit.ly/17o1yEf)

  • Updated for Windows 10 throughout
  • A frequently asked question is added confirming that users licensed with Windows SA per User receive downgrade rights for all of their devices (page 4)
  • Another question is added confirming the downgrade path for Skype for Business CALs (page 5)

Visual Studio 2015 Licensing Guide

An updated Licensing Guide is available for Visual Studio 2015, so here’s an overview of the changes to the licensing which are all documented in the guide

Visual Studio Editions

  • Two editions remain unchanged (Visual Studio Professional and Test Professional), and two editions (Premium and Ultimate) are replaced with a single Visual Studio Enterprise edition (page 7)
  • These editions come with an MSDN subscription, although Visual Studio Professional is available without MSDN in some Volume Licensing programs
  • These products are no longer available as Full Packaged Product
  • Customers with active Visual Studio Ultimate/Premium with MSDN subscriptions are automatically converted to Visual Studio Enterprise with MSDN (page 31)

MSDN Subscriptions

  • The MSDN Operating Systems subscription is discontinued, and MSDN Platforms remains (page 7)
  • Extra functionality is added into the MSDN Platforms subscription – Lab Management and IntelliTrace (page 15)
  • Active MSDN Operating Systems subscribers can renew into Visual Studio Professional with MSDN (page 31)

Team Foundation Server

  • Team Foundation Server is licensed with the Server/CAL model but there are some tasks that actually require users to be licensed with more than a CAL ie with Visual Studio Enterprise or Test Professional, or with an MSDN Platforms subscription. The list of features that are available with only a CAL is increased and you can find the list on page 25. If you want a bit more detail and explanation, then Microsoft’s Brian Harry’s blog is a great place to go (http://bit.ly/1MclcwM)

Visual Studio Team Explorer

  • Visual Studio Team Explorer is no longer available as a standalone product (page 27) and again, Brian Harry’s blog gives some great background to this decision and also recommends some alternative ways of working

You can download the Visual Studio 2015 Licensing Guide here: http://bit.ly/1hkf7gn.

Extension to RDS rights date

Native RDS support for Office 365 ProPlus arrived in September 2014 meaning that Office 365 ProPlus could be installed in an RDS environment – previously, customers were given a right to use corresponding Office 2013 Volume Licensing media to make this work.

In September, customers were given until 31 August 2015 to make the change to the Office 365 ProPlus software, but page 57 of the August 2015 Product Terms document extends this date to 31 March 2016.

Microsoft Sway General Availability

General Availability is announced for Sway, the Microsoft digital storytelling app. It’s available to customers with an Office 365 plan that includes Office Online, Office 365 Business, or Office 365 ProPlus, although some Office 365 plans that are no longer in market will apparently not give access to Sway.

See some examples of “Sways” and find full details here: http://bit.ly/1DuJAGP.

Windows SA per User Reference Guide

Licensing Windows on a user basis was introduced in December 2014, and this 2-page Microsoft reference guide gives you the low down on the licensing options.

There’s a comparison table showing the Windows SA per User and VDA per User licences, and a list of the benefits that user licensing gives.

Grab this useful document here: http://bit.ly/1N98njQ.

“Product Terms Explained” Guide

If you’re new to Microsoft licensing then you may find this just-released introductory guide from Microsoft useful. It goes through some of the licensing basics (what is a licence, what is SA etc) and introduces the new Product Terms document. Then you meet Wendy, the Director of IT for Trey Research, and look at the projects she’s working on and see what licences she’s going to need. It’s a different way of introducing licensing and worth a look through: http://bit.ly/1SJDo4F.