License Activation for Purchasing and Procurement Personnel

[Oct. 26, 2016 note: A more recent version of this report, updated to reflect licensing changes, can be found at www.directionsonmicrosoft.com/licensing/secured/2015/10/product-activation-licensing-professionals.]

All customers, including those using volume licensing media, must properly activate Windows desktop clients, Windows servers, and the Office suite, including Visio and Project, to ensure the products remain fully operational. Activation requires that procurement personnel acquire the necessary licenses, software, and activation keys and work with the IT personnel who install, configure, and maintain the organization’s activation infrastructure and deploy the software. Although activation requires a dedicated effort, its sole purpose is to help Microsoft address its piracy problem, and it plays no role in either software asset management or license compliance.

What Is Activation?

Activation is the process of associating a product key with an installation of Windows or Office. Consumers must activate to limit end-user copying and other forms of piracy. Corporations have to activate to limit improper use of volume license software outside the organization entitled to it. Software that requires activation will eventually lose functionality and stop running if it is not activated, regardless of whether it is installed on physical hardware or in a virtual machine. Most organizations can reduce any negative impact of activation by ensuring that procurement and IT understand their roles in activation and work together.