Licensing a Windows-Based VDI Infrastructure

Deploying a virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) using Microsoft technology requires licensing a half-dozen different products and technologies. The accompanying chart explains the role of each product or technology in VDI along with the available licensing options. Unless otherwise noted, prices listed are the highest a business customer would pay through a volume purchasing program (the Open License program). Note that Microsoft’s VDI Standard Suite and VDI Premium Suite, the topic of the accompanying article, do not license the first three products in the chart (the hypervisor, Windows client OS, or base Windows Server services).