Category: Microsoft

Microsoft Software Assurance and Microsoft

There is little that can be discussed about Microsoft software licensing without mentioning Software Assurance. And, of course, this applies to virtualization rights. In citing two of the examples above, we now explore Microsoft continues to evolve Software Assurance. In order to permit the primary user of a licensed instance of Windows Desktop to access that instance remotely – such as a from a kiosk, a rented device, or a personal device (i.e., tablets, smartphones) – the device must be […]

SQL Server Virtualization

In addition to Per Core licensing, replacing Per Processor licensing, SQL Server 2012 also introduced new virtualization rights. For SQL Server Standard Edition, the only method of licensing virtual machines is by licensing each individual virtual core (up to the 64-core technical maximum). For the new SQL Server Enterprise Edition – Microsoft’s top-of-the-line database software (replacing Datacenter Edition) – allows for the number of virtual instances equal to number of licensed cores. Thus, a dual-CPU, quad-core server – that is, […]

Microsoft Windows Server Virtualization

Infrastructure grows and its mission evolves. To accommodate increasing workloads, faster, denser (i.e., more cores) processors are deployed, translating into additional investment in software. When Windows Server 2008R2 was released, Microsoft introduced new virtualization rights: – For Standard Edition, one (1) physical operating system environment (“OSE”) and one (1) virtual OSE. This is known as the “1+1” rule. – For Enterprise Edition, one (1) physical OSE and up to four (4) virtual OSEs. This is known as the “1+4” rule. […]

Microsoft Enterprise Agreement: Watch That True-up

If you have 250 computers in your organization, you probably have a Microsoft Enterprise Agreement (EA). A perpetual license, the EA is designed to standardize the Microsoft products enterprise-wide, while providing the most current version. Microsoft and its resellers love EAs because it brings recurring revenue with its three-year agreement and maintenance fees. Under an EA, the organization has a standard yearly “True-up”, where full payment is required for any new usage on products included in the EA for the […]

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