tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34549182.comments2023-08-24T00:52:49.703-07:00Software Asset ManagementCynthia Farrenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18249721588556110278noreply@blogger.comBlogger91125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34549182.post-10007743325924034092018-03-07T06:28:32.514-08:002018-03-07T06:28:32.514-08:00WOW just what I was searching for. Came here by se...WOW just what I was searching for. Came here by searching for windowsAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34549182.post-80497272143694665292017-03-01T15:31:53.949-08:002017-03-01T15:31:53.949-08:00Thanks for asking. "Office Roaming Use Right...Thanks for asking. "Office Roaming Use Rights" would allow the primary user of that laptop to access Microsoft Office (same edition Standard, Pro, etc) on a virtual machine (either desktop or server) from home using her personal device.<br /><br />However; that only covers the Microsoft Office license and only for that (and other primary users of licensed devices) user. Don't overlook any other potential licensing required such as Operating System and any ancillary Client Access Licenses (CALs). I provided a bit more about those below.<br /><br />OS - The Operating System would still need to be licensed (which may be through SA on that user's primary laptop OS or a VDA subscription for the user or device, etc). <br /><br />CALs - Alternatively if this was hosted on a server using Microsoft Remote Desktop Protocol then the user would need an RDS User CAL.<br /><br />I hope this helped! If still unclear feel free to call my office for a quick discussion.Cynthia Farrenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18249721588556110278noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34549182.post-78543104873428115442017-03-01T11:19:51.377-08:002017-03-01T11:19:51.377-08:00It's unclear to me how this applies to virtual...It's unclear to me how this applies to virtual desktops: "Office Roaming Use Rights allows the primary user of a device licensed for Microsoft Office with active Software Assurance to remotely (off company site) access Microsoft Office from a device not licensed for Microsoft Office." Here's a specific example. User's laptop is licensed, but she wants the software installed on a virtual desktop. She will access the virtual desktop with a personal device from home. Is another license required for the virtual machine?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34549182.post-65326348707960396612016-08-31T12:45:57.394-07:002016-08-31T12:45:57.394-07:00Thanks for the comment.
You are right - with the ...Thanks for the comment.<br /><br />You are right - with the ability to procure Windows Enterprise through the OEM and retail options without the requirement of Software Assurance (before you had to have SA to get Enterprise) it really raises questions of when SA adds value for the Operating System in an environment that refreshes its' hardware regularly.<br /><br />The only additional thing I would recommend you consider is Virtual Desktop Access (VDA or Windows Virtualization for the desktop). If you are not using any VDA then you are fine but if you are, then SA on the OS would probably cost you less than having a VDA subscription.<br /><br />My crystal ball on where Microsoft is going with their Windows and SA path is pretty foggy. In the past, Microsoft has done a good job (LOL, for their pockets) of typing key software components to SA thus driving a strong business case for SA but I'm not seeing it for Microsoft Windows at the moment.<br /><br />I hope this helps.<br />Cynthia Farrenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18249721588556110278noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34549182.post-8784599015005833292016-08-31T11:51:04.189-07:002016-08-31T11:51:04.189-07:00We upgraded 40 of our 180 PC's from Windows 7 ...We upgraded 40 of our 180 PC's from Windows 7 Pro to Windows 10 Pro before the deadline to upgrade was over. In the past, we've never had a need for an Enterprise agreement or software assurance, so we thought this would work fine for us. However, we have had lots of issues managing Windows 10 Pro and anticipate more with future updates (for example, starting with Win10 ver 1607, the GP for turning off consumer features, showing windows tips and turning off the store application, etc. apply only to the Enterprise editions). So we are considering a move to the Enterprise Edition. However, I'm having a hard time deciding whether or not to get SA with Enterprise. <br /><br />If it was still a model where I have Windows 10 on a device and Windows 11 comes out and I want to upgrade to it, SA would allow me to do that and I could see the advantage of having it. But with the MS new model for Windows 10, once a Windows device is upgraded to Windows 10, MS will continue to keep it current for the supported lifetime of the device (in our case, usually 5 years) at no additional charge (Windows as a Service). <br /><br />If we can continue on like we have without those other benefits of SA like training, support, etc. and we can get the new features of Windows 10 on the devices that have Windows 10 Enterprise for no charge without SA I can't think of why we would spend all the money on it. Am I missing something?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34549182.post-50564152045903282202016-05-17T11:45:30.650-07:002016-05-17T11:45:30.650-07:00Thanks for your question. I'm assuming you ar...Thanks for your question. I'm assuming you are referring to the "Media Feature Pack for N and KN editions of Windows 10". Since this is an "update package" not an upgrade it would be included in your rights to use under the original license.<br /><br />This link provides more information on the package: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/3099229<br /><br />If/When your company drops Software Assurance (SA) on their Microsoft licenses, the company will retain the rights to any current release of the perpetual licenses (including downgrade rights). So, even if this was a new license as long as you had SA as of the release date you would have been entitled regardless.<br /><br />One important thing to remember on dropping SA from the OS - the right to upgrade to the edition owned only applies to devices in your organization as of the date you dropped SA. If you trade out your machine for a new device after you drop SA, you cannot apply your Windows 10 Enterprise license to that new device (you would instead need to buy the new device with a Windows 10 Enterprise license).<br /><br />I would recommend having your IT team have a conversation with me before they settle on their decision of whether or not to renew SA...I'm happy to have a quick conversation with them and make sure that they are considering all the necessary pieces to avoid unintentional non-compliance down the road.<br /><br />Take care and enjoy your update!<br />Cynthia FarrenCynthia Farrenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18249721588556110278noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34549182.post-82653897082471522942016-05-17T10:54:56.654-07:002016-05-17T10:54:56.654-07:00I have a question that you might be able to answer...I have a question that you might be able to answer.<br />Our company might be dropping enterprise and software assurance soon.<br />Our current OS's that were included are W7/W8.1 and Win 10<br />So we own Win 10. I install win 10 enterprise on my computer after we have dropped enterprise and software assurance. A few months later the newer Win 10 feature pack\upgrade is out.<br /><br />Will I be able to upgrade my current Windows 10 with the newer feature pack\upgrade?<br />thanksAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34549182.post-38484513934039789772014-10-02T13:18:47.802-07:002014-10-02T13:18:47.802-07:00Thanks for your question regarding OS downgrade ri...Thanks for your question regarding OS downgrade rights after your Enterprise Agreement expires.<br /><br />Downgrade rights are inherent in the license entitlement (not a software assurance benefit) and the method through which that software was acquired.<br /><br />Therefore, since you acquired the OS through the Enterprise Agreement you would continue to have the same downgrade rights even after you allow the Enterprise Agreement to expire.<br /><br />The only thing you would lose is the benefits that are Software Assurance benefits (which do not apply to downgrade rights as of September 2014...for future readers - since this post will live for many more years please check the current SA benefits to make sure that is still the case when this applies to your situation). <br /><br />Hope this satisfactorily answered your question!<br />CynthiaCynthia Farrenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18249721588556110278noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34549182.post-74175043409250447692014-09-21T00:54:30.636-07:002014-09-21T00:54:30.636-07:00Hi Cynthia,
Interesting article. My query is afte...Hi Cynthia,<br /><br />Interesting article. My query is after expiry of Enterprise agreement, the licenses become perpetual to the organization. <br /><br />If I do not renew the agreement, will the downgrade rights disappear? That is after expiry I had the right to use Win 8.1, the latest OS. But post agreement can I still use upto N-1, N-2 versions? <br /><br />Appreciate your comments.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34549182.post-6866451855677961832014-07-31T06:00:41.518-07:002014-07-31T06:00:41.518-07:00Thanks for posting this - my company are very pani...Thanks for posting this - my company are very panicked about a software audit and reading things like this is good to ease my mind a bit! I've also been reading <a href="Managing-your-Microsoft-Licenses-in-Preparation-for-a-Software-Audit.aspx/" rel="nofollow">how to prepare Microsoft license for an audit</a> and with all this on-board I think I will able to weather the storm!<br />Anyone have any first hand experience of their company undergoing an audit?Jen Collinsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34549182.post-87990327000757346422014-07-21T07:28:12.258-07:002014-07-21T07:28:12.258-07:00Great point Cynthia
"they would no longer ge...Great point Cynthia<br /><br />"they would no longer get to leverage the rules from 2008R2 they would now have to follow the rules for Microsoft SQL Server 2014"<br /><br />It is subtle but sacrificing this benefit can have a significant impact if the license metric changes and you've deployed on a VMAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15786048435736292188noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34549182.post-88894746865039785472014-05-30T08:27:50.497-07:002014-05-30T08:27:50.497-07:00James, sorry it took me so long to post and respon...James, sorry it took me so long to post and respond to your comment...unfortunately the spammers of the world were very busy when you posted your comment so it took a while for us to find it (yes, we try to make sure the only comments posted are legit not a way to scam our readers).<br /><br />You are correct in your interpretations - the Enterprise edition is tied to the hardware that was in place when you expired your SA. <br /><br />Good news though is that you can (now) buy Windows Enterprise without having an EA so you can get your new or replacement hardware and buy the Enterprise license for just those devices without having to keep everything under an Enterprise Agreement (you still wouldn't have the SA benefits particular to the OS but even those you could get by enrolling it in SA if you were looking for a way of easing back into a Microsoft EA in the future).<br /><br />Hope this helps and thanks for the patience!<br />CynthiaCynthia Farrenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18249721588556110278noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34549182.post-20313762180784680152014-04-30T19:49:06.645-07:002014-04-30T19:49:06.645-07:00I will get to learn how the windows server softwar...I will get to learn how the windows server software works this next month. I just got transferred to an assistant manager position in my company. I just hope that I catch on really quickly because I want to be at least decently productive. <br /><br />Jason|http://www.nuweigh.com.au/weighbridge-software-expert-designed/Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02272142810385291252noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34549182.post-54455378439301111582014-02-14T11:12:56.685-08:002014-02-14T11:12:56.685-08:00Cynthia, regarding Windows 7 Enterprise, you say i...Cynthia, regarding Windows 7 Enterprise, you say if you let SA expire, Windows 7 Enterprise is still perpetual and you can keep using it on computers you have already installed it on correct?<br /><br />What about if you get a new computer for a new user? Wouldn't you be stuck with Pro, because your SA is expired and you can no longer assign the SA to the new device?<br /><br />Isn't this true if you are replacing a broken workstation as well? If I understand correctly, you would have to install Pro on these new devices because you can't reassign the actual Enterprise license you can only reassign the SA, but if the SA is expired, obviously you can't reassign it so you are stuck with Pro. Do I understand that correctly?Jamesnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34549182.post-33392682528180608972014-01-21T23:37:42.603-08:002014-01-21T23:37:42.603-08:00Great article about software licensing management...Great article about <a href="http://crypkey.com/products/" rel="nofollow"> software licensing management</a>. I agree that every company should make sure that the system and software have licenses to make sure that all the data and information are protected. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15037872869615353591noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34549182.post-78019310731784040232013-12-02T15:25:39.294-08:002013-12-02T15:25:39.294-08:00Your post is very informative to the readers; the ...Your post is very informative to the readers; the thought you are explaining are truth happen regarding the audit.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34549182.post-32176201240273728512013-10-10T13:48:35.442-07:002013-10-10T13:48:35.442-07:00Software audits should be taken seriously because ...Software audits should be taken seriously because it has a huge impact on your company's strategic plan. Be very vigilant with the auditor and results so you know which area you need to improve, remove or replace.<br />server managementhttp://www.neteffects.com.au/server-managementnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34549182.post-21605099992857108802013-07-08T19:56:40.153-07:002013-07-08T19:56:40.153-07:00Great information, thank you for sharing. Curious ...Great information, thank you for sharing. Curious to hear how you think the software asset management landscape is going to be changing in the coming years.IT asset management softwarehttp://www.alphapointtechnology.com/itam-software/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34549182.post-18608336055201418112012-10-17T22:12:00.362-07:002012-10-17T22:12:00.362-07:00thanks fo the update, i wonder if they will move t...thanks fo the update, i wonder if they will move to demand based licencing now with the clound and virtualisation which you can scale?!cameonhttp://www.globalkap.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34549182.post-12052214625605475922012-09-25T23:55:31.712-07:002012-09-25T23:55:31.712-07:00Negotiating software licenses is no easy task, as ...Negotiating software licenses is no easy task, as there are numerous legal, monetary and practical issues involved. That is why having a centralized process on maintaining and tracking all relevant software purchasing and usage details is important, to be able to help IT managers to produce and compile accurate, indisputable information to be used on retiring legacy applications and for adjusting license counts more effectively before signing on a new contact with the software vendors. Kristahttp://openit.com/blogs/view/547-securing-software-assets-in-this-tough-economy.htmlnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34549182.post-74911870635769254742012-07-19T14:48:22.267-07:002012-07-19T14:48:22.267-07:00Wow what a way to drive away the mid-sized busines...Wow what a way to drive away the mid-sized businesses that purchased Server Enterprise.<br />A single Server Enterprise License that had a street cost of $2500 is converted to 2 Standard licenses with a street price of about $750 each. For each Enterprise license a customer may own, and pay Software assurance on based on the $2500 price, they will get $1500 of value! <br />For every license the SMB will lose $1000 of value!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34549182.post-67242327040864523172012-07-11T09:43:28.194-07:002012-07-11T09:43:28.194-07:00Good question Patryk, you will have perpetual righ...Good question Patryk, you will have perpetual rights to Windows 7 Enterprise so no need to re-touch all those computers. However; the Software Assurance benefits of Windows 7 Enterprise can no longer be used. For example, MDOP (if you subscribed to that) and VDI access would no longer be available to you. You'll want to review the Product Use Rights (http://www.microsoft.com/licensing/about-licensing/product-licensing.aspx) that are in effect as of when you would be considering exiting your SA to determine what would be lost by dropping SA. Hope this helps - let me know!Cynthia Farrenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18249721588556110278noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34549182.post-19758237407719049462012-07-11T07:30:24.801-07:002012-07-11T07:30:24.801-07:00Cynthia,
Very interesting post, thank you! Just on...Cynthia,<br />Very interesting post, thank you! Just one question, what will happen with Windows 7 Enterpise? Thoritcally we will buy out it but in other hand Enterprise version is only for SA, so do we need to downgrade to Win 7 Pro with consequence like reinstalling all computers?Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12278184077235971631noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34549182.post-51225509322361405622012-02-11T03:28:16.138-08:002012-02-11T03:28:16.138-08:00Thank you for posting this post. It is really usef...Thank you for posting this post. It is really useful for me.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34549182.post-2824053263566302262012-01-23T00:59:11.867-08:002012-01-23T00:59:11.867-08:00I am truly pleased to read this blog posts which c...I am truly pleased to read this blog posts which carries tons of useful information, thanks for providing such data.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com