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Author: Tim Hegedus

Microsoft Office Rebranding

For the first time in over 30 years, Microsoft Office will be no more. At least, the name. While the functionality of each component – Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, for example – will remain the same, the product will be referred to as Microsoft 365. Throughout the coming timeframe, these products as well as some others will absorb the new branding. However, the price will change. While Microsoft Office is a one-time, perpetual right-to-use, the new Microsoft 365 is a […]

Licensing by Virtual Core

Beginning in October 2022, Microsoft allows for licensing of certain products by virtual core. In this blog, we look at three (3) specific titles: Windows Server, System Center, and SQL Server.   Windows Server The announcement reads: “When licensing either edition of Windows Server by virtual machine…”   But there’s other parts of this statement – caveats, if you will: “The licensed server must be assigned a minimum of 8 core licenses per virtual machine.” – So four (4) 2-pack […]

Java Licensing & Audit Guide 2022 – Free Java vs Paid Java Types

Java Licensing can be a challenge for organizations looking to avoid an audit failure All commercial entities are required to have a Java Subscription for every devices that uses Java, which is probably every server, desktop and laptop Oracle has halted its free maintenance for Oracle Java to commercial users effective after the January 2019 update In Oracle’s view, every desktop and server uses Java. This could translate into hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars annually for subscriptions […]

Microsoft’s Bundling Strategy: Amassing Market Share While Hobbling Government IT

The new report addresses the question that nearly every IT professional must answer: Should my organization purchase a bundle of solutions from a single vendor or mix-and-match the “best-of-breed” services from multiple providers to meet our needs? Miro examined Microsoft, one of the IT industry’s most widespread software providers, and found a best-of-breed approach is superior, particularly when it comes to cost savings and security posture. This was particularly true for public sector customers (government agencies and departments), a major […]

Microsoft Products Reaching End-of-Life in 2025

It’s not that far away. 2025. That year (and into 2026) spells the end of some on-premises software and end-of-support dates. This could leave your organization with unsupported software. And if there are regulations imposed whereby that cannot be abided, then there’s some work to do. However, some of the alternatives could be limiting – or, at least, more costly. Microsoft has increased its focus on subscriptions be they on-premise or cloud-based. This blog intends to provide an overview of […]

Microsoft SQL Server Big Data Clusters

Early retirement. It’s something we all – well, most of us – dream about. But not when it comes to software features! Microsoft announced that it is retiring SQL Server 2019 Big Data Clusters on February 28, 2025. That’s right after Mainstream Support ends (currently scheduled for January 14, 2025), but nearly five (5) years before Extended Support ends. SQL Server Big Clusters – released as a feature of Version 2019 – is a deployment method allowing SQL Server to […]

Oracle Java 17 Is Free To Use

“Oracle is making the industry leading Oracle JDK available for free, including all quarterly security updates.  This includes commercial and production use.” That is a direct quote from Oracle’s Tuesday, September 14, 2021 announcement. What this means for you is that if you can, you might upgrade and then use Oracle Java 17 free of charge for internal applications. This is because all the versions preceding Oracle Java 17 are for-fee. For Java 8, the last free public release is […]

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