Tag Archives: Windows 11

Copilot and friends: the summary

Here’s the licensing summary of the latest AI-ification that Microsoft is enabling in products.

First, Windows Copilot will be included in Windows 11 and available in preview this year – find out more about that here: https://bit.ly/45BkJzz.

Next, Bing Chat Enterprise is currently in preview and will be included in Microsoft 365 E3/E5 and Microsoft 365 Business Standard/Premium licences. On release it’ll also be available as a standalone offering for $5 per user per month, and will be accessible from Windows Copilot. Microsoft 365 Copilot is also in preview and will be a $30 per user per month Add-on for Microsoft 365 E3/E5 and Microsoft 365 Business Standard/Premium licensed users. Find out more about Bing Chat Enterprise and Microsoft 365 Copilot here: https://bit.ly/457xWQC.

And finally, Sales Copilot includes the Viva Sales capabilities and is generally available both as a standalone licence and included for users licensed for Dynamics 365 Sales Enterprise/Premium. Find out more about that here: https://bit.ly/3DWd0jL.

Windows 11 Licensing Guide

There’s an updated-for-Windows 11 (April 2023) Desktop Operating Systems Licensing Guide. It’s a useful document covering the different Windows editions, device and user licensing options, as well as downgrade rights and Volume Licensing Activation.

Find this updated guide here: https://bit.ly/3B8xvZb.

Licensing Brief for virtual desktops

There’s an updated (March 2023) Licensing Brief to explain the options for virtualising Windows 11 and remotely accessing it. Changes include the addition of Windows 365 and the Flexible Virtualization Benefit. Overall, it’s a good summary of the licences you need for each of the different virtualisation options, and you can find this updated Licensing Brief here: http://bit.ly/3Jm6fv4.

Windows 11 licensing for Virtual Desktops

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.

Microsoft 365 E3 – Unattended Licensing Brief

There’s an updated (June 2022) Microsoft 365 E3 – Unattended Licensing Brief. This document helps you to understand how the Microsoft 365 E3 – Unattended licence allows a bot to run repetitive tasks in a Windows client/Office app without user intervention, with a useful FAQ section at the end.

This updated version has minor changes updating it for Windows 11, and you can find it here: https://bit.ly/3QcSijt.

Windows 11

Microsoft announce that Windows 11 will start to become available on 5 October, 2021, and that it is now available in preview on Azure Virtual Desktop.

Find the availability announcement with 11 highlights of Windows 11 here: https://bit.ly/3yBK8YG, and information on the different Windows 11 images available for AVD here: https://bit.ly/2WVl0PM.

Windows 11

Microsoft announce Windows 11, available later in 2021. There aren’t any licensing implications – if your PC will support Windows 11 then it’s a free upgrade. However, there are changes to the servicing and support schedules.

Security updates remain on a monthly cadence, but feature updates will be delivered just once a year in the second half of the year. In terms of support, Home and Pro editions will receive 24 months of support from the General Availability date, and Enterprise edition will be supported for 36 months.

Find the announcement here: https://bit.ly/3eaECF1, and servicing and support information here: https://bit.ly/3AWKZ8X.