When I write these blogs I often find myself reminding the reader of the constant changes and complexity of Microsoft’s® licensing terms. There are a number of places to track product usage permissions and restrictions but the binding source is [...]
I recently wrote a blog in which I criticized Microsoft® for their aggressive attempts to get users to upgrade to Windows® 10 by ending support for legacy products, thereby forcing the user to upgrade as the only way to continue [...]
Why Wait to Practice Proactive SAM?
Jan 2016I have often written about the practice of regular licensing audits demanded by software vendors such as Microsoft®, Oracle™, IBM® and others. Even during our consulting engagements with longtime clients, some are unprepared when they receive the seemingly inevitable audit [...]
It’s no secret that Microsoft® frequently changes elements of their Enterprise Agreement (EA), but rarely do they announce a change that impacts which companies are eligible to purchase licenses under the program. Last week the software giant announced that beginning [...]
I find it interesting that while most users appear to be happy with Windows® 10, its release and subsequent pressure to upgrade from previous versions is resulting in an unfavorable reputation in the eyes of many. Microsoft is (wisely) trying [...]
Microsoft® has received a great deal of criticism from users who may not want to upgrade to Windows® 10. Most who have upgraded appear to be happy with the latest OS, but there has been widely publicized criticism about user [...]
Microsoft® recently announced that Windows Server® 2016 will be licensed on a per-core metric when it is released next year. Whereas Windows Server 2012 is licensed on a per-socket model, the next version of the server OS will be licensed [...]
What Triggers a Software Audit?
Dec 2015One of the most common misconceptions we see from our clients is concern and confusion surrounding software licensing audits. The “concern” part is always valid as audits are a legal right your organization agreed to when buying the license and [...]
Microsoft® PowerApps
Dec 2015Microsoft® has announced an invitation-only preview of their new tool which will let non-technical users create, deploy, and share business applications. The goal is to enable users to capture and present data residing on premises or in the cloud without writing a [...]
Microsoft® Product Terms Explained
Dec 2015The Microsoft® Product Terms document can be among the most confusing, and also the most important documents in the Volume Licensing (VL) program. It replaces the Product Use Rights and Product List which were retired in July, 2015 when the Product Terms document was introduced. Product [...]
