Dynamics CRM Changes Self-Service Licensing

Dynamics CRM 2011 lowers on-premises licensing costs for custom portals and applications, especially self-service applications intended to broaden access to CRM data. It also raises costs for some small deployments and for some systems serving contractors. The Dynamics CRM (customer relationship management) software and service manages sales, marketing, and customer service and provides a platform for custom business applications. Licensing for the Microsoft-hosted Dynamics CRM Online service does not change in this version, but for the on-premises software, Dynamics CRM 2011 brings simplified packaging and a new system for licensing clients outside the organization that runs the software.

License Model Preserved

Dynamics CRM 2011 preserves the on-premises licensing models of earlier versions. For most purposes, it follows the server plus Client Access License (CAL) model, in which an organization buys a server license for each running instance of the server software on a computer and a CAL for every user or device that accesses the software on any licensed server. Small organizations can purchase a Dynamics CRM Workgroup server license, which permits up to five clients.