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Microsoft 365 Government: What’s in the Box? Updated: May 11, 2025 Microsoft 365 Government offers better regulatory compliance for U.S. governmental organizations than Microsoft 365 commercial...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 Transitioning Microsoft 365 from an EA to an MCA Updated: March 11, 2025 Enterprise Agreement customers transitioning to Microsoft Customer Agreements will have to reassess how they license...more Azure: Know Reservations Updated: February 15, 2025 Azure reservations allow customers to reduce Azure costs in exchange for a one- or three-year...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 Additional Azure Reservation Categories Available Updated: May 31, 2023 Additional types of Azure reservations became available in Nov. 2019. Azure Licensing: One Phrase, Many Meanings Updated: May 31, 2023 Azure licensing is a multifaceted, complex process involving multiple roles within an organization. Understanding the...more Negotiating a Microsoft EA Updated: May 31, 2023 In this episode, Mary Jo Foley talks to veteran negotiator Dean Bedwell about Microsoft Enterprise...more Dedicated Host Licensing Favors Azure Updated: November 23, 2020 New licensing rules for dedicated hosting favor Azure over competing cloud platforms from Amazon, Google,...more SA Supports Legacy Hardware Updated: August 4, 2020 A specialized version of Windows XP Embedded is now available for Software Assurance customers, allowing...more

Available Azure Reservations Updated: February 16, 2025

  Licensing Reference VDI Virtual Desktop Infrastructure is most often used to refer to virtual desktops running the Windows...more   Licensing Reference Windows Enterprise SA Benefits Summary of SA (Software Assurance) benefits associated with Windows Enterprise and VDA licenses, organized by...more   Licensing Reference Disaster Recovery Rights A SA (Software Assurance) benefit offered for most on-premises server licenses that waives the need...more   Licensing Reference Windows Subscription Activation An activation method specific to Windows Enterprise when licensed Per-User.   Licensing Reference Virtual core (updated 5/9/25) Virtual Core A unit of processing power allocated to a “virtual hardware system,”...more   Licensing Reference Hyper-threading A hardware performance enhancement technology that allows each physical core within a physical processor to...more   Licensing Reference Edition downgrade   Licensing Reference Downgrade A form of substitution, whereby a customer owning a license for a specific version and...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 Hardware thread A discrete computational unit to which the operating system can assign an independent instruction stream;...more   Licensing Reference Client device PCs, Macs, tablets, smartphones, and other end-user devices people use to interact with Microsoft software...more   Licensing Reference Business and Services Agreement   Licensing Reference Core An independent processing unit contained on a physical processor chip.   Licensing Reference Client Access License   Licensing Reference Client Refers to an end-user (person) or an end-user’s client device, or other types of non-server...more

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