OneDrive for Business Update

OneDrive for Business is one of those products still wriggling to feel comfortable in its own skin. Until recently known as SkyDrive Pro, it can trace its roots back through SharePoint Workspace and, of course, Groove. These days it’s part of every Office 365 Plan and is included with the SharePoint Online plans too. From 1 April 2014 it will also be available as a standalone service and will include access to Office Online and 25GB of storage. There will be some promotional pricing with discounts of up to 50% available until the end of September 2014. Get the full story on the OneDrive Blog: http://bit.ly/1doMJem

SQL Server 2014 GA announced for 1 April

Microsoft announce that SQL Server 2014 will be generally available on 1st April 2014.

The blog post’s main theme is the deployment flexibility that spans on-premises and cloud solutions, and as well as being available for download, SQL Server 2014 will also be available in a Windows Azure virtual machine image on 1st April.

The full post is here: http://bit.ly/1ehWLMn.

March 2014 Product List Re-issued

Note that the March 2014 Product List has been re-issued, so if you were super keen and downloaded it on March 1st, make sure you re-download it.

This new version corrects the end date that customers may purchase OEM/FPP Windows Pro licences and then add SA to them (within 90 days) to 1 July 2014.

Office 365 Personal Announced

Microsoft announce Office 365 Personal which is expected in the “Spring”. The key facts:

  • One PC or Mac and one tablet may be connected to the service;
  • It will include 60 minutes of Skype calling per month as well as 20 GB of OneDrive storage; and
  • The ERP is expected to be $69.99/year or $6.99/month.

Office 365 Home Premium will continue to be available but will be renamed to Office 365 Home. Read the full announcement here: http://bit.ly/1d9wmwt.

 

Intro to Azure Licensing: UK TechNet article

If you want an introduction to buying Windows Azure Services through the EA, then this article from the UK TechNet team is a good start. It covers the three ways Azure can be acquired:

  • as an Additional Product in an EA,
  • as an added service in an SCE,
  • or through an Azure-only SCE.

Read the article here: http://bit.ly/1qBXZqZ.

CRM Online Pricing and Licensing

 

Changes announced to CRM Online licensing for the second quarter of 2014. Key takeaways: CRM Online Professional gains Microsoft Social Listening at no extra cost; and CRM Online Enterprise is announced which will include Dynamics Marketing (formerly MarketingPilot), Unified Service Desk (an application for call centres) and, for a limited time in the US and Canada, free Parature seats (a recent acquisition which will enable more customer self-service capabilities). See the full blog post here: http://bit.ly/1crqmUP

Microsoft VL Blog: When do you need a CAL?

When are CALs required? There’s a jolly useful article on the Microsoft Volume Licensing blog covering some of the most tricky scenarios. The top 7 questions are considered (clearly the writers don’t suffer from any form of OCD) and include CAL requirements for: multifunction printers, servers themselves, external users, RDS in VDI scenarios, web workloads, accessing another organisation’s servers, and administrators. It’s worth a read at: http://bit.ly/1i7zPkc.

Volume Licensing Briefs Updated for March 2014

Licensing Windows Intune

  • Updated to reflect licensing changes for Windows 8.1 Enterprise
  • Previous brief: November 2013
  • http://bit.ly/17mQhUo

Self-Hosted Applications

Downgrade Rights

  • Updated to reflect licensing changes for Windows 8.1 Enterprise
  • Previous brief: October 2013
  • http://bit.ly/17o1yEf

Introduction to Per Core Licensing and Basic Definitions

Microsoft Licensing for the Consumerisation of IT

  • Updated to reflect licensing changes for Windows 8.1 Enterprise
  • Previous brief: October 2013
  • http://bit.ly/16yZOfE

Microsoft Licensing for the Consumerisation of IT – Academic Licensing Scenarios

  • Updated to reflect licensing changes for Windows 8.1 Enterprise
  • Previous brief: October 2013
  • http://bit.ly/1hEr6CS

Reimaging Rights

  • Updated to reflect licensing changes for Windows 8.1 Enterprise
  • Previous brief: November 2013
  • http://bit.ly/1a8GtyG

Licensing Microsoft SharePoint Server 2013

Licensing Windows and Microsoft Office to use with the Apple Mac

  • Updated to reflect licensing changes for Windows 8.1 Enterprise
  • Previous brief: November 2013
  • http://bit.ly/Hkv3BM

Licensing Windows Client and Server Operating Systems in Multiuser Scenarios

  • Updated to reflect licensing changes for Windows 8.1 Enterprise
  • Previous brief: November 2013
  • http://bit.ly/18nXNAC

Operating System Licence Requirements: Initial Operating System and Transfer of Licence

  • Updated to reflect licensing changes for Windows 8.1 Enterprise
  • Previous brief: November 2013
  • http://bit.ly/1jNIsjQ

Licensing Windows Desktop Operating Systems for Use with Virtual Machines

Update on Microsoft Products and Services Agreement

Microsoft give an update on their new Microsoft Products and Services Agreement (MPSA). As a reminder, this is the new agreement that allows customers to license both on-premises and Online Services through a single agreement. The update gives details of new countries that the agreement will shortly be available in (France, Poland, Netherlands, Denmark, Italy and Switzerland) as well as some screenshots of the all new Volume Licensing Center. Check out the full post here: http://bit.ly/MKqQt7

Changes to Windows 8.1 Licensing

So, 1 March 2014 heralds a new dawn for Windows client licensing. OK, that might be overstating it, but the licensing that we’re familiar with has undergone a change. Here’s a summary of the differences, compiled from the March 2014 Product List.

What are the changes?

  • There’s a new standalone Windows Enterprise Upgrade SKU – that’s right, no need to buy SA to get access to the Windows Enterprise feature set
  • The Windows Enterprise Upgrade SKU is only available through the Volume Licensing programs
  • SA can now ONLY be added to the Windows Enterprise Upgrade SKU – therefore, you can’t add SA to FPP or OEM licences any more

What doesn’t change?

  • The Windows licences available through Volume Licensing programs are still Upgrade licences and require an underlying Qualifying Licence – the list of which doesn’t change

What are the offerings?

  • Windows Pro Upgrade
  • Windows Enterprise Upgrade
  • Windows Enterprise Upgrade + SA

What’s the availability?

  • The Windows Pro Upgrade is available through Open and Select Plus programs
  • The Windows Enterprise Upgrade is available through all Volume Licensing programs with SA being mandatory in EA and Open Value agreements and optional in Open and Select Plus

What happens to existing customers?

  • Customers with Windows Pro Upgrade + SA licences purchased before 1 March 2014 may renew the SA on those licences at the relevant time
  • Customers with an existing enrolment with Windows Pro Upgrade + SA may continue to purchase Windows Pro Upgrade + SA licences until the end of the enrolment
  • Customers with Select Plus or Open agreements who purchased Windows 7 or 8 through FPP or OEM before 1 March 2014 may attach SA to those licences within 90 days of the licence purchase date