1503
Microsoft licensing is a complex, multi-faceted und......
Microsoft’s Auditors Are Not Infallible
Microsoft licensing is a complex, multi-faceted und......
2801
Microsoft does not make licensing SQL Server easy, either under SPLA or under volume licensing agre......
SQL Server Licensing Challenges in Hosting Environments
Microsoft does not make licensing SQL Server easy, either under SPLA or under volume licensing agre......
0501
Most Microsoft software products – especially server products – can be licensed un......
Avoid Mixed-Mode Microsoft Licensing Whenever Possible
Most Microsoft software products – especially server products – can be licensed un......
1211
CTOs who have read Microsoft’s volume license agreements and product use r......
Avoid Ambiguity in Microsoft Licensing Agreements
CTOs who have read Microsoft’s volume license agreements and product use r......
2909
In recent years, Microsoft seems to have been shifting an increas......
To SAM or Not to SAM? The Differences Between a Microsoft SAM Engagement and an Audit
In recent years, Microsoft seems to have been shifting an increas......
2906
Many businesses have teams of third-party vendors to assist with t......
Licensing Non-Employees to Access Microsoft Products on Your Servers
Many businesses have teams of third-party vendors to assist with t......
2904
Microsoft’s Services Provider License Agreement (SPLA) is the principal licensing agre......
Top Three Ways to Sabotage Your Licensing Compliance Under SPLA
Microsoft’s Services Provider License Agreement (SPLA) is the principal licensing agre......
0104
Many businesses that identify a need to acquire “commercial hosting rights” in connection with ......
Which is Better: Microsoft SPLA or Microsoft Self-Hosted Applications?
Many businesses that identify a need to acquire “commercial hosting rights” in connection with ......
3112
If your business model involves hosting applications, websites or data, chances are that Microsoft w......
Do You Need a Microsoft Service Provider License (SPLA)?
If your business model involves hosting applications, websites or data, chances are that Microsoft w......
Like......
1809
Most providers of hosted software solutions traditionally have delivered those solutions over the Intern......
Is Hosting Microsoft Products via Third Parties a Good Option?
Most providers of hosted software solutions traditionally have delivered those solutions over the Intern......
2506
Many of our clients contact us regarding notices they received from Microsoft requesting an internal self-a......
Microsoft SPLA Self-Assessment – What It Is, and How to Respond
Many of our clients contact us regarding notices they received from Microsoft requesting an internal self-a......
1806
Companies with experience licensing Microsoft software and services through Enterprise Agreements know that small......
Be Cautious in Navigating Microsoft’s Forest of EA Documents
Companies with experience licensing Microsoft software and services through Enterprise Agreements know that small......
1508
Is Flexera’s Initiative with Microsoft a Silver Bullet for Software Audits?
Microsoft and Flexera recently announced a joint initiative that the two companies have touted as a way to transform “the software supply chain” through the use of a standard set of software asset management (SAM) solutions. By deploying Flexera’s FlexNetManager Suite ......
2211
Microsoft Clarifies Rules Related to Self-Hosting
I previously presented my thoughts here regarding changes Microsoft made to its Product Terms pertaining to the Self-Hosted Applications benefit under Software Assurance.
After publishing th......
1309
Is Microsoft Trying to Kill Self-Hosting?
Earlier this year, with no fanfare (which is perhaps unsurprising), Microsoft implemented a significant change to its Product Terms pertaining to Software Assurance (SA) benefits that likely will have a significant licensing impact for companies that have taken advantage of ......
2403
Identifying and Understanding Microsoft License Verification Audits
Microsoft, like other software publishers, routinely audits customers to help ensure that it is protecting the value of its intellectual property. Microsoft verifies its customers’ compliance using several methods.
1. Microsoft Licens......
1403
Be Wary of Changes in New SPLA Contracts
Companies that have long relationships with Microsoft know that the company’s form licensing agreements have steadily evolved over time, and typically for the worse. If software licensing can be said to have any “natural laws,” certainly the First Law could be paraphra......
2402
Microsoft Updates Volume Licensing Use Rights Documents
In the past, business consumers of Microsoft’s products and services have needed to reference at least two documents – the Product List and the Product Use Rights – to help determine the purchasing requirements and licensing rules applicable to those products and servi......
2402
Be Mindful of Historical Usage When Licensing Microsoft Products Under SPLA
The Services Provider License Agreement (SPLA) is Microsoft’s preferred licensing option for businesses wanting to use Microsoft products in support of hosted software solutions made available to end users over the Internet. For many companies, SPLA is a good fit, in that ......
2402
Microsoft Enterprise Agreements May Be a Poor Choice for Many Companies
Microsoft Enterprise Agreements may represent attractive licensing options for larger companies with dynamic IT environments for which steady growth can be projected over a three-year term. However, smaller or mid-size companies with relatively static IT environments may exp......
2402
Consider Microsoft’s Enterprise Cloud Suite with Eyes Wide Open
Companies licensing Microsoft software under Enterprise Agreements (EAs) likely have familiarity with the default requirement to true up EA Enterprise Products based on any increase either in the number of “Qualified Devices” (generally, workstations capable of running o......
2402
Innovative Solutions to Circumvent Burdensome SPLA Requirements
Many online service providers are well aware that Microsoft’s Services Provider License Agreement (SPLA) entails a licensing framework that can be difficult to manage. SPLA may be a great model for businesses seeking to “float” their license expenditures from month to ......
2402
Customer Access Under Microsoft MSDN Developer Licenses
Microsoft’s MSDN subscription licenses often create license compliance problems. These problems arise because it is extremely easy to over deploy Microsoft software using MSDN media because it includes a vast array of Microsoft products with limited deployment controls.......
2402
Windows Desktop Licensing Can Be As Perilous As Any Other Microsoft Product
In any software audit, there are two over-arching categories of information that must be collected: data regarding what products are deployed on a business’ computers and records demonstrating the licenses that the business has acquired to use those products. With regard t......
2402
SQL Server Licensing Strategies for SPLA
Licensing Microsoft server products in any environment can be a challenging undertaking, given the complexity of some of Microsoft’s licensing rules. However, licensing Microsoft products for commercial hosting environments under a Services Provider License Agreement (SPLA......
2302
Microsoft SPLA Audit Look-Back Periods
In a typical Microsoft audit of software licensed under perpetual licenses, the auditors usually will compare installations of Microsoft products against licenses owned, and Microsoft will require the audited business to purchase additional licenses required to cover any gap......
2302
Microsoft Audit Roadmap
Microsoft offers an array of software licensing options for its business customers. However, during an audit, the timing and course of the project typically follows a fairly well-worn path:
2302
Changes for Microsoft Fail-Over and Disaster Recovery Rights
With the April 2014 versions of the Product Use Rights (PUR) (for volume licensees) and the Services Provider Use Rights (SPUR) (for services providers under SPLA), Microsoft has implemented significant changes to several usage rights associated with fail-over or disaster-re......
2302
For Hosting Providers Running Microsoft Products, “Dedicated” Means “Dedicated”
As discussed previously, providers of software hosting services may deploy on their servers Microsoft products licensed by their customer......
2302
Hosting Providers Have Two Options For Customer-Supplied Licenses
Like any good business, many providers of hosted IT solutions prefer to demonstrate flexibility in offering services to their customers. For example, a company that offers hosted Exchange services may want to allow their customers to use perpetual licenses the customers purc......
2302
Beware the Mandatory SAM Engagement
For several years now, Microsoft has offered some of its customers the “opportunity” to have third-party licensing consultants (selected by Microsoft) review those customers’ Microsoft product deployments and determine whether those customers have all of the licenses n......
2302
Running Windows Server in Clustered VMs Carries Risks
Many businesses running virtual servers with shared physical infrastructures have encountered significant audit exposure arising from the fact that, according to Microsoft, the physical machines in a clustered arrangement may be “running” any number of Windows Server ins......
2302
Client-Licensed Microsoft Software in Hosted Environments
Hosting services customers often want to use licenses that they have acquired to deploy Microsoft software on a service provider’s servers. Those customers need to be wary about such deployments, as applicable license terms may restrict their ability to deploy the products......
2302
SPLA-Audit Exposure Difficult to Estimate
One of the first steps we typically recommend to businesses facing software audits from any source is to try to estimate the financial exposure related to those audits. Doing so allows a company to allocate its resources more efficiently and to set aside reserves or make oth......
2302
Proper Microsoft Licensing in Hosted Environments is a Two-Part Question
Businesses wanting to license Microsoft products for use in connection with solutions delivered to customers over the Internet need to remember proper licensing involves answering two questions:
• Are users “accessing” the software?
• Is that access “commercial ......
2302
Top Three Decisions for Microsoft Enrollment for Application Platform
An increasing number of enterprises are considering the value of Microsoft’s enterprise-level licensing models. The model with which companies are most familiar likely is the Enterprise Agreement (“EA”), under which a business licenses all of its desktops for Windows, ......
2302
Cost-Effective SQL Server Client Licensing Can Be A Difficult Target To Hit
Most business owners are familiar with the “traditional” server-plus-client licensing scheme for many Microsoft server software products, such as Windows Server operating systems, Exchange messaging software and SQL Server database software. That is, you purchase one lic......
2302
Challenges of Microsoft Server-Client Licensing
The basic model for licensing Microsoft server software – both for operating systems and for applications – is to purchase a license permitting the installation of the software on a server and a number of client-access licenses (CALs) equal to the number of users or devi......
2302
Licensing Microsoft Applications in a Citrix Environment
Many organizations allow their users to access desktop applications like Microsoft Office through Citrix, which is often used to control the number of users who can access the software at any one time. These organizations need to carefully evaluate whether they are legally a......
2302
Client-Licensing Basics for Microsoft Server Products
Many businesses struggle with the task of determining what kinds and quantities of licenses are needed in order to deploy Microsoft operating systems and client-accessed applications on their servers. The first step in that process often is the most difficult: deciding wheth......
2302
Microsoft Certificates of Authenticity May Not Constitute Proof of Licensing
The Business Software Alliance (“BSA”) and Software Industry & Information Association (“SIIA”) work on behalf of their members (the lists of which include Microsoft (for the BSA), Adobe, and Autodesk, among others) to enforce copyrights and the terms of end user......
2302
Licensing Old Microsoft Products
Businesses seeking to license older versions of Microsoft products may encounter challenges acquiring valid licenses. This is a particular concern for some companies that utilize Microsoft products as the basis for their IT infrastructure and that want to avoid a costly mi......
2302
Microsoft Licensing Considerations
Generally when purchasing new software online, or upgrading existing software, a box pops up on the computer that says “Agree to Terms”. Most people simply check the appropriate box and click next without reading the fine print. This can be troublesome when the Busin......
2302
Microsoft SQL Server, Processor Licensing, and Virtual Servers
Use terms of Microsoft server products can be complex and difficult to interpret. Microsoft SQL Server licensing rules for use in virtual environments demonstrate that a careful review of the use terms is necessary to avoiding copyright or contract violatio......
2102
Big Changes for Microsoft System Center Licensing
Business software buyers increasingly are aware of the significant changes that Microsoft will be implementing to the license metrics for SQL Server when version 2012 of the popular database solution is released this April. However, of potentially equal or even greater signi......
