Server-Side Licensing Changes for SharePoint 2013

Server-side licensing changes for SharePoint Server 2013 affect both overall costs and the types of licenses needed for deployments. The consolidation of multiple SharePoint server-side license types will generally reduce licensing costs. However, an increase in the base server license price, modifications to license reassignment rules, and requirements to use newer versions of Windows Server and SQL Server will increase overall licensing spend for most customers. (SharePoint 2013 also introduces a variety of client-side licensing changes as well, which will be covered in an upcoming report.)

For internal use of the software, SharePoint 2013 employs the same licensing model as prior versions did. Each client accessing SharePoint Server 2013 requires one or two SharePoint 2013 Client Access Licenses (CALs), and CALs are available on a per-user or per-device basis. The Standard CAL (SCAL) is always required and licenses access to the core SharePoint features, while the Enterprise CAL (ECAL) is optional and additive to the SCAL. The ECAL licenses access to various business intelligence, application development, search, and legal discovery features. Each server running SharePoint Server 2013 components, called an instance, requires a server license. There is only one general purpose server-side license, unlike other Microsoft server products that have multiple editions such as Standard, Enterprise, or Datacenter. (Confusingly, Microsoft literature often refers to “SharePoint Server Standard” and “SharePoint Server Enterprise,” with the errant terminology referring to the types of CALs owned—SCAL alone or both the SCAL and ECAL—rather than the edition of the server software.)