Windows 10 Licensing Details Emerge

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

Licensing changes coming with Windows 10 could influence when commercial and public sector organizations migrate, which editions they deploy, which hardware they purchase, whether they maintain Software Assurance (SA) coverage, and how they maintain license compliance. Some changes, such as a free Windows 10 Pro Upgrade, represent a considerable departure from previous policies, while others, such as making certain new features exclusive to Enterprise edition, are simply a continuation of previous trends. The significance of each change will vary widely by customer, and more changes could be announced before the release of Windows 10 on July 29, 2015.

Organizations Entitled to a Free Pro Upgrade, with Caveats

Version upgrade rights allow customers to deploy a more recent version of a product rather than the version they are currently using. With Windows 10, Microsoft will offer these rights for free in some cases.