Licensing of products of Microsoft

Main article: Microsoft

2014: Corporate licenses on Windows will be attached to users

As it became known on November 4, 2014, Microsoft is going to offer corporate clients new option of licensing Windows — counting on one user. At this time subscriptions are made out with a binding to devices.

According to the observer of ZDNet Mary Jo Foley which specializes in illumination of products of Microsoft, the enterprise will be able to pay licenses, proceeding from the number of the employees using Windows 7 and Windows 8.^[1]

Thus, one user will be able to get access to infrastructure of virtual work places (Virtual Desktop Infrastructure, VDI) from different devices and also to set and start Windows 7 or Windows 8 Enterprise on several computers or portable devices. On the website of Microsoft it is specified that the changed Windows Software Assurance (WSA) program will extend to all gadgets, including those that are based on iOS and Android. At the same time only the main device should be controlled Windows Pro.

On December 1, 2014 Microsoft will start a new license policy of Windows

According to Foley, since December 1, 2014 a new solution of Enterprise Cloud Suite (ECS), the including Office 365 E3, Enterprise Mobility Suite (EMS) and the new license WSA in which it will be possible to make out subscriptions counting on the user it will be available through channels of corporate licensing Microsoft Enterprise Volume Licensing.

The analyst of Forrester Research Duncan Jones characterized the updated policy of distribution of licenses as "good and significant news to clients of Microsoft". According to the expert, the company changed the attitude to the popular concept of BYOD (Bring Your Own Device), having allowed the staff of the companies using Windows to involve widely in work Mac-computers, Android tablets and other electronics.

The analyst of Directions On Microsoft Rob Horwitz believes that implementation of licensing on number of users of Windows for corporate clients will help the last to simplify use of software licenses.

2010: Licensing of Microsoft confuses customers

Recognizing that a part of clients like relevance of a new license policy of the software, the high-ranking employee of Microsoft at the same time recognized that the situation with licensing is extremely difficult.

Microsoft upgraded several programs of licensing.Michael Beare, the senior director on management of world assets of the software of Microsoft told about it, during the session of "a round table" at the SoftSummit 2010 conference, in San Jose (California, the USA).

By words Bira, in Redmond (where there is a corporation headquarters) is not present people who try to complicate licensing. Microsoft, on the contrary, tries to provide its most flexible mechanisms, Bir emphasized. He listed new concepts in the field of use of the software which issue with licensing needs to be resolved. "We see "clouds" and virtualization as new area which will be difficult in management [in terms of licensing]", he told.

To understand what is concerned about and from what Microsoft Michael Bir's lips disowns, it is worth remembering June, 2009 when Microsoft (against the background of the general positive reviews to Windows 7) announced new rules of licensing of the preset Windows 7 OS for the PCs purchased till April 23, 2010 and after this date. The programs of licensing announced by Microsoft at that time,Michael Silver, the analyst of Gartner, called a time bomb for IT services and budgets of the enterprises.

Then, under pressure of buyers, analysts and business the company reviewed some provisions of programs that, nevertheless, did not reduce quantity of a headache to IT services and customers at all: only tracking correctness of upgrade / daungreyda operating systems represents huge complexity for business. According to Michael Silver, Microsoft suited then this alarm.

Speaking about virtualization, Bir noted that questions with licensing arose both at the company and at clients.

"At virtualization very difficult regulations, - he told. – Now it is a high time to deal with it".

According to him, customers can virtualize a server group which can inadvertently bring them out of limits of observance of licensing terms.

"We have actually a problem because we trace the much bigger number of licenses, than was actually initially licensed or stated", he reported. Meanwhile, questions of computer piracy remain are relevant, in different degree, around the world. In China, for example, Bir, a rate of 80 percent told: "It means that eight of 10 copies of the software were not paid".

The alarm of Microsoft is quite explainable. Nevertheless, against the background of this concern, IT services have more questions to this day, than answers to them. The subject of licensing of virtual software which became central during a round table did not clear anything. Analysts, as always, doubt what this vendor, in implementation process of programs of licensing of OS, will a little lose, and customers will purchase.

See Also

• The policy of Microsoft for use of the software with the open code
• The pirated software in Russia and the world (Unlicensed software)

Notes