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EA to MCA and CSP: Costs and Risks May 8, 2026 Midsize customers are being forced out of Enterprise Agreements and steered toward Microsoft Customer Agreements...more Transitioning Microsoft 365 from an EA to an MCA Updated: April 24, 2026 Enterprise Agreement customers transitioning to Microsoft Customer Agreements will have to reassess how they license...more Transitioning Microsoft 365 from an EA to an MCA Updated: April 24, 2026 Enterprise Agreement customers transitioning to Microsoft Customer Agreements will have to reassess how they license...more Microsoft 365 Government: What’s in the Box? Updated: April 12, 2026 Microsoft 365 Government offers U.S. governmental organizations more regulatory compliance capabilities than Microsoft 365 commercial...more Azure: Know Reservations Updated: April 10, 2026 Azure reservations allow customers to reduce Azure costs in exchange for a one- or three-year...more EA to MCA: Spot Legal Traps Updated: March 18, 2026 Finding the Most Common Pain Points Comparing the EA contract stack (fig. 1) and the...more Microsoft Azure Consumption Commitment (MACC) Brings Discounts, Negotiation Leverage Updated: October 23, 2025 Microsoft Azure Consumption Commitment is an agreement to spend a specified amount on Azure, typically...more Trust but Verify Your Data in Microsoft’s AI Services July 10, 2025 The Microsoft Generative AI Services clause explains Microsoft’s terms for customers using its AI services,...more Understanding Pricing: Consumption Versus Capacity April 10, 2025 For customers accustomed to on-premises licensing, aspects of Microsoft’s cloud pricing models can feel unfamiliar....more New License Rule for Contractor Access Updated: August 27, 2024 Contractors and other nonemployees who access an organization’s Microsoft systems face new licensing rules in...more Executive Focus: Negotiating Microsoft Licensing Agreements Updated: April 15, 2024 Licensing and negotiations favor Microsoft, but adopting the right approach allows customers to negotiate from...more Executive Focus: Understanding Microsoft Licensing Updated: January 22, 2024 Microsoft licensing challenges can increase business risk, impacting budgets, cash flow, and daily business activities....more Time to Walk Away from Some Microsoft Products Updated: June 2, 2023 Microsoft is dropping development, cutting support, and raising prices for many on-premises products. These dead-end...more Windows Client OS VDI Licensing Relaxed Updated: May 31, 2023 Windows 10 and 11 will cost less to license in some virtual desktop infrastructures. The...more Windows Server Licensing Head-to-Head for Azure Stack HCI Updated: May 31, 2023   Enterprise Agreement customers have four major options to license the Azure Stack HCI OS...more Software Assurance Support and Training Benefits Cut Updated: May 31, 2023 Some accrued Software Assurance benefits will be modified or eliminated starting in 2020. Planning and...more

Available Azure Reservations Updated: April 10, 2026

  Licensing Reference Version Designates a significant release of an on-premises product; use of a newer version almost always...more   Licensing Reference Version Downgrade A form of substitution, whereby a customer owning a license for a specific version and...more   Licensing Reference Edition downgrade A form of substitution, whereby a customer owning a license for a specific product edition...more   Licensing Reference User SL Provides the (non-perpetual) right for a user to access a particular online service, server-based product,...more   Licensing Reference Software Microsoft code that customers install on hardware used by the organization, or within VMs (virtual...more   Licensing Reference Subscription Describes a program or license that grants rights for a specific term (timeframe).   Licensing Reference Generally available Denotes the date a particular product is deemed suitable for production use and officially released...more   Licensing Reference Downgrade A form of substitution, whereby a customer owning a license for a specific version and...more   Licensing Reference On-Premises A term generally use to describe Microsoft software that is installed and executed on customer-controlled...more   Licensing Reference Edition Used to distinguish the various SKUs within a software product line, with differences including technical...more   Licensing Reference Down edition A form of substitution, whereby a customer owning a license for a specific product edition...more   Licensing Reference New Version Rights This SA (Software Assurance) benefit provides the right to deploy new product versions that become...more   Licensing Reference Online service A subscription-based product offering with at least some critical component hosted in Microsoft’s data centers.   Licensing Reference Device SL Provides the (non-perpetual) right for a device to be used to access a particular online...more   Licensing Reference KMS Key Management Service (KMS) is an activation method that allows organizations to deploy and use...more   Licensing Reference Activation A validation process built into many Microsoft products that must be successfully completed to access...more

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