Author Archives: Louise Ulrick

SSRS and Power BI Report Server

Microsoft announce that there won’t be a new version of SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS) for SQL Server 2025 and that Power BI Report Server will become the default reporting solution. Power BI Report Server has long been available for customers with SQL Server Enterprise Core licences with SA but with the launch of SQL Server 2025 the eligibility rules change. Any customer with a licence for a paid-for edition of SQL Server 2025 (with or without SA) will be able to use their SQL Server keys to install both SQL Server 2025 and Power BI Report Server. For customers who want to continue using SSRS 2022, that product remains supported until 11 January, 2033.

Find the announcement here: https://bit.ly/45cID6T, and a useful FAQ here: https://bit.ly/4lWjVx2.

Power Platform Licensing Guide

There’s an updated (July 2025) Power Platform Licensing Guide. There aren’t major changes – a table added on page 3 of the document gives a summary of purchasing options, and a few errors are corrected in the Power Automate summary table on page 16.

Keep your Licensing Guide collection up to date and help yourself to this July 2025 guide here: https://bit.ly/4knUaEY.

Azure AI Foundry Pricing Guide

There’s a new (June 2025) Azure AI Foundry Pricing Guide from Microsoft. Azure AI Foundry is a platform for developers and IT administrators to build and manage AI applications and agents and there are a LOT of moving parts. This 20-page guide does a useful job of explaining the different licensing models going through, for example, Pay-As-You-Go options, Provisioned Throughput Units (PTUs) and Azure AI Foundry Reservations.

Find this guide here: https://bit.ly/4lYpQlq.

Security Copilot capacity calculator

Microsoft announce the availability of the Security Copilot capacity calculator to help organisations estimate their SCU capacity needs.

You can find the announcement here: https://bit.ly/3Izx4hr, and try out the calculator here: https://bit.ly/3IuSts6.

Microsoft Purview licensing guidance document

There’s a new (May 2025) Microsoft Purview licensing guidance document from Microsoft. It is, however, a trifle disappointing being as it is a bit light on detail and only focussing on the user licensing options. There is a potentially useful table on pages 4/5 showing the components of the Compliance mini suites, but there are a couple of errors in it. Find this new guide here: https://bit.ly/4nYV2CJ and, if you’re a subscriber, come to this week’s training and let’s talk about the errors and where you can find them documented in LicenseVerse.

Not a subscriber? Email info@licensingschool.co.uk.

Hotpatching for Windows Server 2025 GA

Microsoft announce that hotpatching for Windows Server 2025 is generally available as a subscription service from 16 July, 2025, costing $1.50 per CPU core per month. This new way of installing updates that doesn’t require a reboot after installation has been available for the Azure Edition of Windows Server Datacenter, but is now available to servers running outside of Azure, as long as they’re connected to Azure Arc.

Find the announcement article here: https://bit.ly/44B2vQY.

ESUs for Exchange Server and Skype for Business Server

Microsoft announce that there WILL be a limited Extended Security Updates program for Exchange 2016/2019 and Skype for Business Server 2015/2019, all of which come to end of support on 14 October, 2025. It will be a mini program – lasting just 6 months – and customers are told to reach out to their Microsoft account teams after 1 August, 2025 for details on the per server cost and how to purchase and receive the ESUs.

Find the Exchange Server announcement here: https://bit.ly/3Ue9Y2b, and the one for Skype for Business Server here: https://bit.ly/4lXCgdg.

Outsourcing Software Management licensing guidance document

There’s an updated (June 2025) Outsourcing Software Management licensing guidance document from Microsoft. It’s an update to the previous October 2024 version and there’s information added on CSP-Hoster solutions. Unfortunately, however, some of the information is wrong with a bit of confusion between the Flexible Virtualization Benefit and the Outsourcing on Cloud Solution Provider-Hosters rights. If you’re a Licensing School subscriber we’ll take a look at the errors and the correct licensing in our next Did You See…? training session.

Grab this new guide (with caution) here: https://bit.ly/4lDa0fQ.

Windows 10 ESUs

Microsoft release some more details about Extended Security Updates for Windows 10. Organisations can already purchase them through an Enterprise Agreement, and they’ll be available through CSP from 1 September, 2025. However, the biggest news is for consumers – we know that they’ll be available for consumers for the first time and that they’ll cost $30 for the year, but the latest article reveals that if you’re using Windows Backup to sync your settings to the cloud you’ll get ESUs at no charge. Alternatively, if you’ve got Microsoft Rewards points you can pay for the ESUs with 1,000 of them. Whichever way you choose, you’re covered for up to ten devices. Find the relevant article here: https://bit.ly/46FfB0M.

Dynamics 365 Licensing Guide

There’s an updated (July 2025) Dynamics 365 Licensing Guide with just a couple of minor changes. Firstly, there’s confirmation added on page 27 that the Expense Mobile Role only requires a Team Members licence. Secondly, the Copilot Studio Paid Offers section that formed Appendix G has been removed and now just appears in the Copilot Studio Licensing Guide. Help yourself to this updated guide here: https://bit.ly/44tjkvQ.