New Microsoft ‘Mobility Licensing’–great for MSPs but not for desktops

Microsoft is changing its volume licensing rules to allow customers to move existing servers to the clouds without paying extra for the privilege to do so.

he changes dubbed “License Mobility” will allow customers with volume license deals through Software Assurance to move their software to a cloud services provider without paying a premium for the added flexibility this will bring.

On the face of it this sounds like a smart move for Microsoft. Cloud services are high on the agenda for every CIO this year and Microsoft reckon alittle flexibility now may pay off later in the form of addition revenue from Microsoft’s own Azure cloud offering. No surprise then that Microsoft chose to announce this news at the Microsoft Hosting Summit in March this year.

Microsoft is making enhancements to license mobility because our customers and partners have asked us to enhance the flexibility of our licensing to support the range of IT deployment options that are available to them today, including on-premises, Microsoft delivered cloud services and partner delivered cloud services.

True to its word, Microsoft’s announcements also provide benefits to service providers.  Microsoft’s old rules that forced service providers to use dedicated hardware for each separate customer have been eliminated, Microsoft is also reducing the pricing for some Subscriber Access Licenses for Software Assurance (“SALs for SA” no less) and offering new SALs for SA to cover Enterprise SAL licenses for Exchange Server, Lync Server and SharePoint Server. At the same time, a new Core Infrastructure Suite SPLA  and the elimination of  the Windows Server Outsourcers SKUs should cut the cost of licensing for service providers across the board.

Source: http://blog.simonbramfitt.com/2011/06/microsoft-finds-new-way-to-accelerate-transition-to-the-post-windows-workplace/

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