There are some useful resources if you’re involved with Windows 10 ESUs.
Firstly, there’s a general article covering activation, and preparing your devices for ESUs: https://bit.ly/3LSpeBb, then there’s one focused on working with ESUs and Windows 365: https://bit.ly/4a7WrT0, and a final one for some hints and tips if you’re using ESUs with Azure Virtual Desktop: https://bit.ly/488GJEB.
With the introduction of the Copilot Credits Pre-Purchase Plan as a new way to buy Copilot Credits, we at Licensing School certainly needed a method to help us understand which option to use and when! Realising others would face the same predicament led to a new creation: the Copilot Credits Calculator. Our tool lets you enter a monthly prediction of Copilot Credits usage and instantly see which purchasing option will be most cost effective – PAYG, Copilot Credits Capacity Pack, or the Copilot Credits Pre-Purchase Plan. Interactive calculators are another tool we can add to your licensing arsenal, so watch this space for more to come. It’s now in LicenseVerse in Public Preview, so come and have a go: https://bit.ly/3X5yhkx.
If you’re not a subscriber and want access to this kind of resource, get in touch with us: info@licensingschool.co.uk.
Microsoft announce that Security Copilot Security Compute Units (SCUs) will be included with Microsoft 365 E5 licenses at a rate of 400 SCUs for every 1,000 licenses. Interestingly, the Learn documentation goes further and states that ALL E5 customers will be eligible for this benefit and gives a further example of a customer with 400 licenses who’ll get 160 SCUs. That’s 1 SCU for every 2.5 licenses, and of course it’s a monthly allowance with no rollover to the next month. Rollout starts in November 2025 with eligible customers receiving a 30-day notification before activation.
Find the announcement here: https://bit.ly/3XdUjl6, and the Learn documentation here: https://bit.ly/3MiDNOl.
We have been on the lookout for Licensing Guides again and discovered a few program-related resources, including some Licensing Guides that haven’t been refreshed in many years!
You’ll find new uploads for the Enterprise Agreement, Server and Cloud Enrollment, SPLA, and Select Plus in the Licensing Guides section of our website: https://bit.ly/MSLicensingGuides.
Microsoft Configuration Manager is moving from a semi-annual to an annual release cadence starting with version 2609 (September 2026). This shift aims to provide better long-term stability, with each version receiving 18 months of support. While Configuration Manager will continue to support on-premises devices, all new innovations will be focused on Microsoft Intune.
Check out the details and support lifecycle here: https://bit.ly/3K8HENk and a useful FAQ about Configuration Manager branches here: https://bit.ly/49xJdyL.
Agents Agents everywhere! It really does feel like there are new Agents being launched every day. From a licensing perspective, for the Agents that work with the Dynamics 365 products you need a license for the specific Dynamics 365 App as well as access to Copilot Credits. To that end, from November 25, 2025, Dynamics 365 Sales Enterprise, Customer Service Enterprise, Finance, and Supply Chain Management licenses will include 1,000 Copilot Credits per user. These will be pooled at the tenant level and customers will be notified that the Copilot Credits have been added.
Find the information in this Partner Alert: https://bit.ly/4poCsEh.
Oracle announce their new thing: Multicloud Universal Credits. Why’s it interesting? Well, it’s a new licensing option that will enable customers to procure Oracle services more easily in the cloud of their choice. So, you’ll be able to use these Multicloud Universal Credits for Oracle Database in Azure, AWS, or Google Cloud.
Find out more in the Oracle press release here: https://bit.ly/4rdFWv4.
Microsoft announce the general availability of SQL Server 2025! Unsurprisingly, there’s a heavy focus on its AI-powered enterprise database capabilities, and important updates to security and performance. Other key changes include Power BI Report Server becoming the default reporting solution, no 2025 version of the Web edition, and a new Standard Developer Edition joining the lineup.
The long-awaited announcement can be found here: https://bit.ly/47N1XsO.
The general availability of Visual Studio 2026 is accompanied by an updated Licensing Guide. There aren’t big changes to the licensing so there are just a couple of small corresponding updates to the guide. For example, the Visual Studio Cloud subscriptions that you pay for through an Azure Subscription were previously called Cloud subscriptions, and now they’re known as Monthly subscriptions. Other changes include clarification where you’re not allowed to use Listed Providers’ infrastructure, and the removal of references to Team Explorer Everywhere since it’s no longer maintained by Microsoft.
You can help yourself to this updated guide here: https://bit.ly/4pan1PY.
Microsoft announce the end of support for Office Online Server, effective December 31, 2026. The software, which lets an organisation use browser-based Office applications from an on-premises server host, won’t receive any more security updates, bug fixes, or technical support from this date. The recommended alternative is, of course, Microsoft 365, for its collaboration, security, and integration with other Microsoft services.
Read the announcement here: https://bit.ly/3JTnTJK.