Licensing Office for Server-Based Desktops

[Sept. 7, 2015 note: A more recent version of this report, updated to reflect licensing changes, can be found at www.directionsonmicrosoft.com/licensing/secured/2015/09/licensing-server-based-desktops-licensing-office-server-based-desktops.]

Organizations often deploy centrally managed server-based desktops as part of a virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) to reduce support costs and better protect the organization’s data. Microsoft Office can be licensed as a key component of server-based desktops using either a traditional Office suite, which uses a per-device (and generally perpetual) license model, or the newer Office 365 ProPlus, which uses a per-user subscription model. When choosing between the two licensing alternatives, customers deploying server-based desktops will have to consider several factors, including license compliance, use rights termination, version downgrade rights, and end-user device mobility.

This report covers options for licensing Office suites in VDI and Remote Desktop Session Host (formerly called Terminal Server) scenarios. (For a brief description of these architectures, see the sidebar “What’s a Server-Based Desktop?“.) While the report focuses on Office suites, the same set of rules apply to two Office-branded applications—Project and Visio—as well. (See the sidebar “Project, Visio, and Server-Based Desktops“.)