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Many businesses that identify a need to acquire “commercial hosting rights” in connection with ......
Which is Better: Microsoft SPLA or Microsoft Self-Hosted Applications?

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Many businesses contact Scott & Scott, LLP regarding Services P......
Defending SPLA Audits: Critical First Steps

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If your business model involves hosting applications, websites or data, chances are that Microsoft w......
Do You Need a Microsoft Service Provider License (SPLA)?

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If your company uses a Microsoft Service Provider License Agreement (SPLA)—and it pr......
Preparing for the Inevitable SPLA Audit

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If you provide commercial hosting services using Microsoft’s Service Provider Lice......
What is a Microsoft SPLA Verified Self-Audit?

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Most providers of hosted software solutions traditionally have delivered those solutions over the Intern......
Is Hosting Microsoft Products via Third Parties a Good Option?

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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

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Most software audits pertaining to products licensed under perpetual licenses (such......
For SPLA Audits, When Historical Data is Missing, Creativity May Be Required

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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......
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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 ......
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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 ......
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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......
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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......
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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......
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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......
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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......
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SPLA Road Map Outcomes
In a past entry, I mentioned the SPLA Qualification Road Map as a helpful document for companies to use when trying to determine the appropriate licen......
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SPLA Basics: Who Needs a SPLA?
We write extensively at this site about some of the finer points pertaining to licensing software under Microsoft’s Services Provider License Agreement (SPLA). However, some businesses new to the model often ask us much more basic questions, like: What is SPLA, and is it r......
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SPLA Audits and Anonymous / Authenticated / Outsourced / Non-Outsourced Windows Server Licenses
Businesses that have endured audits initiated by Microsoft in connection with Services Provider License Agreements (SPLAs) are all too aware that Microsoft’s auditors spare no effort in identifying opportunities to increase the total amount of the compliance purchases dema......
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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 ......
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What Is “Commercial Hosting” When It Comes To Microsoft Software?
Many companies using Microsoft products to deliver services to their customers are familiar with the “commercial hosting” prohibition included in most Microsoft license agreements:
You may not host the products for commercial hosting services.
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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, ......
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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......
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Non-SPLA Licensing for Hosted Microsoft Software
Most businesses seeking to license Microsoft software for the purpose of delivering hosted software solutions over the Internet turn first to the company’s Services Provider License Agreement (SPLA). SPLA is Microsoft’s flagship licensing model for commercial hosting ser......


