There’s an updated (October 2022) “Introduction to Microsoft Core licensing models” Licensing Brief from Microsoft. The main changes are for the new Windows Server per virtual machine licensing option, as well as the change for SQL Server and BizTalk Server where licensing by virtual machine is now a Software Assurance benefit.
Find this updated Licensing Brief here: https://bit.ly/3SWTn0u.
Microsoft announce that the existing Common Area Phone licence will be rebranded to the Teams Shared Device licence to enable more scenarios involving shared devices. This licence will still be used for Teams Phones deployed in shared areas, but will also be used to support a hotdesking experience on a Teams Display, and for a standalone Teams Panel not tied to a Microsoft Teams Room.
Find the announcement here: http://bit.ly/3TZLk2I.
There’s an updated (November 2022) “Windows 11 licensing for Virtual Desktops” Licensing Brief from Microsoft with two main changes.
Firstly, there’s the inclusion of the Flexible Virtualization Benefit showing the additional options customers can now have for using Windows 11 virtual machines with an Authorized Outsourcer’s shared hardware.
Secondly, the Qualifying Operating System requirements are updated, removing the need for one when a user is licensed with a Microsoft 365 licence. Find this updated guide here: http://bit.ly/3gpVmg7.
There’s a change to BizTalk Server 2020 licensing where the option to license at a virtual machine level becomes a Software Assurance benefit. Find the updated language in the Product Terms here: http://bit.ly/3AyCCSk.
There’s an updated (October 2022) “Licensing Microsoft server products in virtual environments” Licensing Brief from Microsoft.
There are updates for the new per virtual machine licensing model for Windows Server, the introduction of the Flexible Virtualization Benefit, and the changes for SQL Server 2022 where licensing by virtual machine becomes an SA/Software Subscription benefit.
Find this updated Licensing Brief here: https://bit.ly/3fG3BUw.
There’s a new SQL Server 2022 Licensing Guide (http://bit.ly/3OeDYqT) and Datasheet (http://bit.ly/3V0dETI), and the Product Terms is also updated (http://bit.ly/3prduoo) for SQL Server 2022. Here are the key licensing changes to be aware of:
SQL Server 2022 licenses with SA or purchased as Software Subscriptions are also eligible for the Flexible Virtualization Benefit, introduced in October 2022, enabling customers to use their licences with any Authorized Outsourcer’s shared hardware. Find the Flexible Virtualization Benefit Licensing Guide here: http://bit.ly/3hGOJ9l.
And finally, there’s the new PAYG option where customers can pay for SQL Server on a consumption basis from $0.1 per hour for a Standard Core, and $0.375 for an Enterprise Core for Azure Arc-enabled servers. Find out more about how that all works here: http://bit.ly/3Arq2UP.
Microsoft announce that SQL Server 2022 is generally available. Volume Licensing customers can download it immediately, and customers purchasing via CSP, OEM, and SPLA will be able to begin purchasing SQL Server 2022 in January 2023. This announcement article (http://bit.ly/3GmU8ww) gives lots of detail on the new features, as well as introducing a new PAYG purchasing model for SQL Server. The new licensing model is enabled by Azure Arc, and allows customers using either Standard or Enterprise edition to pay only when they use SQL Server.
Find out more about how it all works in this article: http://bit.ly/3Arq2UP.
If you’re using an older version of Visual Studio, then this website has a useful reminder of key support lifecycle dates: http://bit.ly/3O4SnGh.
There’s an updated (November 2022) Flexible Virtualization Benefit Licensing Guide. There are some diagrams added, and the requirement for multiple Windows Server Core licenses when a virtual core is mapped to more than one hardware thread, is removed.
Find this updated guide here: http://bit.ly/3hGOJ9l.
There’s an updated (October 2022) Dynamics 365 Business Central On-premises Licensing Guide. On page 6 you’ll find information added about the compatibility of the Dynamics 365 Business Central Device licence, and there are some additional tables added to the Team Members Included Tables list on page 13. Find this updated guide here: https://bit.ly/3tl0yoa.