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Category: Microsoft Licensing Compliance

Microsoft Tenant-Level Services Licensing Guidance

In a document published on August 13, 2019, Microsoft offered some “guidance” regarding licensing concerns around tenant-level services. “Guidance” is in quotes because the document is very unclear. Some background first: Microsoft defines “tenant-level services” as those online services that when licensed for any user in the tenant, it becomes available – activated, in Microsoft terms – becomes accessible for all users in that tenant. The Microsoft document includes the disclaimer: Some tenant services are not currently capable of limiting […]

Microsoft Announces New Restrictions on Licensing in the Cloud

Microsoft Cloud Service Provider Policy Change Microsoft has announced the availability of Dedicated Hosts. In conjunction with this announcement, Microsoft will implement new rules effective October 1, 2019 surrounding the use of traditional on-premise licenses with cloud-based dedicated hosts. Aimed at services which provide for single-tenant hosts, the move by Microsoft follows Oracle’s treatment of deployments at service providers and might be viewed as a revenue generating tactic. Policy Change Overview New or upgraded licenses purchased after October 1, 2019 […]

Expiration of Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2 and Windows Server 2008 R2 Extended Support Reminder

Although this blog is a reprise, it is important to remember that SQL Server 2008 R2 and Windows 2008 R2 Extended Support is expiring soon.  SQL Server 2008 R2 Extended Support will expire on July 9, 2019 and Windows Server 2008 R2 Extended Support will expire on January 14, 2020.  Migration from both Windows and SQL Server can be time consuming and tie up resources that cannot always be pulled quickly from other projects.  As a result customers can often […]

Extended Support ending for SQL Server 2008/2008 R2 and Windows Server 2008/2008 R2

Microsoft announced that Extended Support for SQL Server 2008/2008 R2 will end on July 9, 2019 and Extended Support for Windows Server 2008/2008 R2 will end on January 14, 2020. Customers that remain on these versions beyond the deadline will no longer receive patches or security updates and would be limited to Self-help Online Support. Self-help Online Support is usually available for a minimum of 12 months after the product reaches the end of Extended Support and is limited to […]

Will You be Forced to Use a Microsoft CSP?

Discontinuing Microsoft Software Assurance is no longer an option Microsoft is significantly advancing its cloud services by transitioning their existing customer base to Office 365, Exchange Online, and the various Azure offerings. It also involves upselling existing cloud customers on a broader range of services. The most notable of these is Microsoft 365, a suite of Office 365, Windows (client), and Enterprise Mobility + Security (“EMS”). Yet another strategy has emerged as Microsoft seeks to ramp up its smaller customers. […]

5 Unusual Ways to Save on Microsoft Licenses & Subscriptions

You know the basics, but do you know these advanced strategies for saving on your Microsoft spend? Your organization could save hundreds of thousands of dollars by taking advantage of these special techniques and Microsoft programs, but only if you know what to ask for. 1. Independent Contract Review When your contract is up for renewal, many organizations simply assume that there’s no need to review the details more than in the past. Unfortunately, a lack of diligence and oversight […]

Warning: Your Software Asset Management (SAM) Tool is NOT Certified

IT professionals must remember that a tool does not understand the rules Many software license management tools claim to be certified by Oracle, Microsoft, IBM and others, but none actually are. For example, Oracle’s LMS page does list a number of tools, but only as supplements, not as certified tools, and they often miss 90% of Oracle products. “Tools from the following vendors have been verified to provide the required data set to supplement a LMS engagement. The scope of […]

BYOD and IoT

In a January 5, 2016 report entitled “BYOD, WEARABLES AND IOT: Strategies, Security, Satisfaction” (click here for access to the report – requires a valid Tech Pro Research member account) Tech Pro Research released its findings of a survey in which there were 206 respondents from the U.S., Canada, Europe, India, Asia-Pacific, China, Australia and New Zealand. These findings were quite clear that BYOD (Bring-Your-Own-Device) is something of a new normal, especially for smaller companies. It is also clear from […]

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