Additions to the April 2016 Product Terms

There are a couple of additions to the April 2016 Product Terms document: some add-ons for Dynamics AX and some USLs for Cloud App Security. Read on for the detail!

Dynamics AX – that’s Dynamics built on and for Azure – was made available in March 2016 and now we’ve got some extra licensing options. If you’re a Dynamics AX 2012 R3 on-premises customer and you have existing licences with active Software Assurance then you can now purchase For SA USLs to add on access to the cloud service. There’s a table on page 55 which lists the qualifying licences and the eligible For SA USLs you can purchase.

Cloud App Security, based on Microsoft’s recent acquisition of Adallom, helps IT and security teams gain deeper visibility and enhanced protection for cloud applications. How’s it licensed? Page 53 confirms it’s with a User Subscription Licence, and if you want more information and an intro to how it works, then head over to the Microsoft Cyber Trust Blog: http://bit.ly/23H7Fqq.

Microsoft Volume Licensing Newsletter – January 2016

The Microsoft VL Newsletter for January 2016 is released, with a focus on Windows 10.

There’s a reminder of the Windows 10 offerings available through Volume Licensing programs as well as links to the (very good) Licensing Guide, a useful Deployment Guide, and a Windows SA per User at-a-glance two-pager.

Read the archives and sign up for future issues here: http://bit.ly/1SPW0N8.

SA Roaming Rights

End of life for Roaming Rights!

The February 2016 Product Terms confirms that Roaming Rights are to be retired. These rights are often used to allow the primary user of a device licensed for Windows with SA to access a VDI desktop on a third party-owned device used off the customer’s premises. Page 43 confirms that customers with active SA for Windows Enterprise or VDA retain Roaming Rights until the end of their agreement or 31 January 2017 – whichever one comes later.

Mrs Lime (for those of you who know and love her) will be finding out costs for a Windows SA per User Add-on USL.

Windows SA per User Reference Guide

Licensing Windows on a user basis was introduced in December 2014, and this 2-page Microsoft reference guide gives you the low down on the licensing options.

There’s a comparison table showing the Windows SA per User and VDA per User licences, and a list of the benefits that user licensing gives.

Grab this useful document here: http://bit.ly/1N98njQ.

Overview of the Changes to the June 2015 Volume Licensing Product List

If you look at page 10 of the June 2015 Product List you’ll find that there are no changes listed for this month. So, we had to dig a bit deeper to find the (admittedly extraordinarily minor!) changes:

  • First of all, the Planning Services which used to include Lync Server and now include Skype for Business Server are indeed updated to be “Skype for Business and Exchange Deployment Planning Services (S&EDPS)” on page 68
  • Then there are some changes to the Microsoft Azure Services section on pages 41/42 with a slight amendment to the definition of “Consumption Rates” and the inclusion of MPSA as a qualifying agreement to set pricing for the Server pool and thus the Azure services in an EA
  • And finally, there’s wording added on page 58 for the purchase eligibility of the Office 365 From SA User SLs. This clarifies that EA customers who licensed Office 365 before 1 August 2014 may indeed also purchase From SA USLs at renewal for any additional Office 365 users that they added during their Enrolment term

From SA USL Exception: March 2015

There’s a new exception added to the March 2015 Product List for customers who have more users than devices and want to transition from device licences to Online Services via From SA USLs.

Typically they can only purchase From SA USLs up to the number of qualifying underlying licences, but this new one-time exception allows the customer to purchase more From SA USLs – as long as they purchase a From SA USL for all users of all licensed Qualified Devices. See pages 34, 45, 47 and 58.

Updated Windows in VMs Volume Licensing Brief

There’s an updated (Dec 2014) Volume Licensing Brief for licensing Windows for use with virtual machines. The main changes, as you would expect, are for Windows per User licensing and all of the scenarios are updated which means, of course, that the Companion Subscription Licence is banished to obscurity. Get the document here: http://bit.ly/IKPKXE.

December 2015 Updates to Licensing Windows/Office on a Mac VL Brief

The “Licensing Windows and Office for Use on a Mac” Volume Licensing Brief is updated for December 2015 to include Windows SA per User and VDA per User licensing.

There’s a new question added which sums up the changes: “Can a user licensed with Windows Software Assurance per User or Windows VDA per User access Windows Enterprise on or from a Mac?”

The answer – yes, through a VDI environment, or installed locally if the Mac is licensed with Windows 7/8/8.1 Pro. Get the document here: http://bit.ly/Hkv3BM.

Enterprise Cloud Suite FAQ

There’s a new (December 2014) Enterprise Cloud Suite FAQ document if you have access to the Partner Learning Center.

This link (http://bit.ly/1rZZovg) takes you to what appears to be recordings of the L100 to L300 training sessions but the FAQ document is there too. It’s 12 pages of licensing deliciousness and includes sections on Windows SA per User, Licensing for Enterprise Voice and Software Assurance in the context of the new Enterprise Cloud Suite.

Windows 8.1 Licensing Guide updated for Per User Licensing

The Windows 8.1 Licensing Guide from Microsoft is updated for Windows per User. This is a veritable treasure trove of information! Use it to find out about the new Windows SA per User Add-on and Full USLs, as well as their VDA counterparts.

There’s information on the retirement of the Companion Subscription Licence and how MDOP now extends across multiple devices if Windows is licensed by user.

You’ll also find the downgrade rights for both device and user Windows VL licences, and a useful table showing the SKU availability by VL program. Get this great document here: http://bit.ly/19WbhCI.