Copyright Pica Communications, LLCMany customers are struggling to come up with millions of dollars to maintain support on Windows Server 2003. But if they looked at the frequency and nature of these incidents, they would notice a few things. For example, if your sys admins never use a server console to browse the Web, view Office documents, and the like, about 80% of the critical security updates would be unnecessary. If you don't use the .NET Franework for applications, you also cut off many exposures. Check out our list of Critical Security Updates for Windows Server 2003 since 2009.
Would you understand how to license remote access to virtual desktops if someone drew a picture of it? We've tried, although you may find that it's still pretty complicated. Check out our Pica Communications Microsoft Licensing Decision Chart for Remote and Virtual Desktop Infrastructures.
The Microsoft Product List covers all the products that Microsoft sells through volume licensing. It's updated every month and in addition to listing the products, it has useful information about product bundles, promotions, volume licensing rules, and Software Assurance. You can download the latest Product List from Microsoft here.
We've created a useful companion document, a history of changes to the Product List since about 2004. This can be a handy reference for old products you may not recognize or for determining just when a particular product was made available to volume licensees or deleted from the Product List.
Microsoft doesn't have a single list of SA benefits. The Product List has a list, the PUR has a slightly different list, and some rights are on either list. We've made an effort to pull all of these together in a single document.
Download the Software Licensing Advisors Guide to Microsoft Software Assurance Rights
We frequently explore the outer boundaries of Microsoft licsnsing in an effort to identify non-traditional, but legal strategies for licensing and supporting Microsoft products at lower cost. Some of those are available below.
With the end of support for Windows XP, Windows Servder 2003, and other products, many customers are stuck. They still have to use older versions for various reasons, but the only support they can get is a very costly Custom Support Agreement, which can cost as much as $100,000 per device per year. But there is an alternative, Custom Support Essentials, which is much less costly and will be a better choice for most customers.
Customer face very significant risks of non-compliance if the switch to per-core licenses is not done correctly. In our experience, Microsoft and its resellers usually do not get it right. At the same time, customers have some significant one-time cost-savings opportunities. We don't have time to include a full treatment of this very important topic in our workshop, but are making the deck available to workshop attendees separately.
You can also view the whole Webinar, with commentary by Paul DeGroot, by visiting the Software Licensing Advisors' Web site.
The new Server and Cloud Enrollment (SCE) makes significant changes to the short-lived Enrollment for Application Platform (EAP) and the Enrollment for Core Infrastructure. Replacing these enrollments with the SCE creates a new set of questions for companies considering this program or migrating off of their current EAP & ECI. DO NOT CONSIDER THE SCE UNTIL YOU HAVE REVIEWED THIS INFORMATION!
You can also view the whole Webinar, with commentary by Paul DeGroot, by visiting the Software Licensing Advisors' Web site.
Download the Server and Cloud Enrollment presentation
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