Operations Manager 2007 Packaging, Licensing, Pricing

Creation of a new, low-cost management license for desktops and other client devices makes it economically feasible for organizations to implement widespread monitoring of such devices with Operations Manager (OM) 2007. Inexpensive monitoring of client devices is a critical part of Microsoft’s long-range plans for more dynamic client management. However, because client monitoring imposes a burden on IT staff, some customers may resist the opening offered by OM 2007, and they may restrict active monitoring to “critical” desktops, point-of-sale systems, and ticketing kiosks.

OM 2007 has two types of licenses. An OM 2007 server license is required for each server device running the OM 2007 server software itself. An Operations Management License (OML) is required for each device-which can be another server or a client device-managed by OM. OMLs come in three editions: two (Standard and Enterprise) for servers and one Client OML. Every managed device connects to an OM server, which monitors its performance and overall health, and can alert administrators or operators when a managed device appears to be failing. (For an in-depth review of OM 2007, see “Operations Manager 2007 Explored“.)