Procurement & Licensing

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 Dynamics 365 Compliance Change: Avoid the August 2025 Lock Out April 28, 2025 Dynamics 365 ERP is implementing a new compliance check to ensure users have a valid...more Azure Files Improves Performance, Syncing, and Pricing Flexibility April 20, 2025 Azure Files has gained meaningful speed improvements, particularly when accessing small files. File Sync improvements...more Security Services Roadmap April 18, 2025 A range of Microsoft-hosted security services are available to help organizations secure their infrastructure and...more Microsoft Entra: The Collected Services Updated: April 18, 2025 Entra is a family of services to help organizations manage identities and access to resources....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 Skype for Business Server SE: Subscriptions and a Short Migration Window Updated: March 11, 2025 Microsoft announced in June 2024 that Skype for Business Server SE is planned for general...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 Migrating from Power BI Premium P to Fabric: Our Guidance March 10, 2025 Most Power BI Premium P customers must migrate to Fabric at their next licensing renewal....more Demystifying Microsoft’s Copilots Updated: March 7, 2025 Copilot-branded technologies from Microsoft assist users in completing tasks, but Microsoft overstates ROI. Almost all...more Windows Server Endpoint Protection Options (2025) Updated: March 1, 2025 Endpoint protection for Windows Server requires layers of services that differ dramatically in terms of...more Intune Premium License Tiers Still Not Worth It Updated: March 1, 2025 Two premium Intune tiers are now available, along with multiple à la carte features. Intune...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 When Do Administrators Require Additional Licensing? Updated: February 8, 2025 Organizations typically provide administrators with separate sets of credentials for their user and administrative roles....more Power BI Licensing: Sharing Reports with Outside Users Updated: February 3, 2025 Power BI and Fabric customers can share Power BI reports outside of the organization while...more Power BI: Who Needs a User Subscription License? Updated: January 20, 2025 Power BI user licensing is determined by whether the user is a creator or consumer...more

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint Plans Updated: March 1, 2025 Available Azure Reservations Updated: February 16, 2025 Microsoft Defender for Servers Plans Updated: January 6, 2025

  Licensing Reference VDA User SL A Per-User subscription that allows an individual user to access Windows Client OSs running within...more   Licensing Reference VDA A Per-User or Per-Device subscription that licenses access to Windows Client OSs running within server-hosted...more   Licensing Reference VDI Virtual Desktop Infrastructure is most often used to refer to virtual desktops running the Windows...more   Licensing Reference Windows Enterprise The highest (most feature-laden) edition of the Windows client OS; distributed exclusively through volume licensing...more   Licensing Reference Windows Enterprise Per Device Per-Device licenses that provide the right to install and run Windows Enterprise edition on the...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 Windows Enterprise User SL A Per-User subscription that allows an individual user to install and run Windows Enterprise edition...more   Licensing Reference Windows Pro The lowest-level Windows client OS edition of relevance to organization customers; licensed Per-Device.   Licensing Reference Disaster Recovery Rights A SA (Software Assurance) benefit offered for most on-premises server licenses that waives the need...more   Licensing Reference Exchange Server CAL Types and Features Illustration outlines the technical features licensed by the Exchange Server Standard CAL (Client Access License)...more   Licensing Reference Exchange Server A Windows Server-based server application that provides e-mail, calendaring, contact management, voice mail, and other...more   Licensing Reference Windows Client OS Timeline Outlines major modifications to the Windows client OS’s license model and rules, edition and SKU...more   Licensing Reference VDA Device SL A Per-Device subscription license allowing a client device to be used by any user to...more   Licensing Reference Exchange Server Timeline Outlines major licensing and packaging changes to Exchange Server.   Licensing Reference Windows Pro for Workstations An edition of Windows 10/11 designed for compute-intensive workloads that sits between Windows Pro and...more   Licensing Reference Windows Subscription Activation An activation method specific to Windows Enterprise when licensed Per-User.

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