Comparing Azure Stack HCI License Options and Scenarios

Windows Server Datacenter with Software Assurance (SA) will be the most cost-effective licensing option for Azure Stack HCI in most scenarios for Enterprise Agreement (EA) customers. The accompanying chart shows five licensing scenarios for a 16-core host computer running Azure Stack HCI as the host OS and Windows Server as the guest OS. The customer is starting a new three-year EA enrollment term. Prices given are U.S. suggested retail; customers should consult their EA price lists for more realistic figures.

1. In this scenario, the customer already has 16 SA-covered Datacenter core licenses available for the host. The customer renews Datacenter SA on those licenses for three years. This option includes free rights to Azure Stack HCI and permits running an unlimited number of Windows Server VMs.

2. In this scenario, the customer has no available OS licenses for the host. The customer purchases 16 Datacenter core licenses with three years of SA from scratch. As in scenario 1, the customer gets Azure Stack HCI free and may run an unlimited number of Windows Server VMs. Because the customer purchases at the start of the enrollment, the license and SA costs are spread over the three years of the enrollment.