Updated: July 15, 2020 (August 24, 2015)

  Analyst Report

User Subscription Licenses: An Overview

My Atlas / Analyst Reports

1,132 wordsTime to read: 6 min
Rob Horwitz by
Rob Horwitz

Rob Horwitz analyzes and writes about Microsoft licensing programs and product licensing rules. He also trains organizations on best Microsoft... more

Most Microsoft online services and some on-premises software are sold on a Per-User subscription basis through purchase of User Subscription Licenses (SLs). For customers, the associated Per-User licensing model is generally simpler from a compliance perspective, in part because most organizations tend to have better Human Resources records than data-tracking software usage on client devices. However, these User SLs have their own set of licensing rules and compliance implications. The most notable is that, unlike perpetual licenses with which most customers are familiar, all rights associated with User SLs expire with the subscription.

User SL Overview

Online services and on-premises software licensed with User SLs include the following:

  • All Office 365-branded suites and stand-alone offerings (such as Exchange Online and Office 365 ProPlus), as well as related services such as Project Online
  • Enterprise Mobility Suite (EMS) and all its constituent components such as Intune
  • Windows

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