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

A guide to maximizing Student Advantage for Office 365 ProPlus

A useful guide for education customers who want to get to grips with the Student Advantage option (that’s free Office 365 ProPlus for students when 100% of Faculty/Staff are licensed for Office). It goes through ordering, activation, deployment and provisioning: http://bit.ly/1hiNWB4

Yammer Enterprise added to all Office 365 Education Plans

Microsoft announce that Yammer Enterprise will be added to all Office 365 Education Plans from 1 April 2014. The blog post also details how customers will get Yammer Enterprise once it’s available: http://bit.ly/1l9j0YY

Office Web Apps to Office Online

The Office Web Apps are renamed Office Online. Read the official announcement here: http://bit.ly/OhFz0c

Licensing Oracle software on Azure Virtual Machines

Useful page on licensing Oracle under Azure explains the two models available:

  • “Licence-Included” (pay a per hour rate for the Oracle software) or
  • “Bring-Your-Own-Licence” (apply an existing Oracle licence to an Azure-based VM).

Deployment governs the licensing model:

  • If you choose a Linux or Windows Server VM where Oracle has been pre-installed from the Windows Azure Gallery, it’s a BYOL model for the Linux machine and an LI model for the Windows one. Alternatively,
  • If you deploy a Windows or Linux VM and install Oracle software yourself then both are BYOL.

http://bit.ly/1bNWFgQ