Licensing for virtual environments
Microsoft offers a comprehensive set of virtualization products from the data center to the desktop for managing both physical and virtual assets from a single platform. Virtualization helps organizations lower costs, improve business continuity, and enable greater business agility.
Microsoft's licensing for virtualization environments supports the flexible ways you can deploy Microsoft solutions.
In this short video, Debra Goss-Seeger discusses basic principles that determine how Microsoft licenses its products, and how products are licensed when used for virtualization.
Licensing for virtual environments scenarios
Review the videos above to learn how Microsoft licensing supports the following virtualization scenarios:
- Servers in virtual environments
- Desktop virtualization
- Application virtualization
- Managing virtual environments
Contact your nearest Microsoft partner to determine the best solution for your business needs
After reviewing the virtualization scenarios, download the following Volume Licensing briefs for more information.
Licensing Microsoft server products for use in virtual environments
Provides an overview of Microsoft licensing models for
the server operating system and server applications under virtual environments.
Licensing Windows Server 2012 R2 RDS and Microsoft desktop applications for use with RDS
Clarifies Microsoft licensing policies
for Windows Server Remote Desktop Services (RDS)—including the new components that are in Windows Server and Microsoft desktop
applications for use with Windows Server RDS.
Licensing Windows desktop operating system for use with virtual machines
Provides an overview of the Microsoft Volume Licensing
use rights for the Windows 8 operating system when running within virtual machines.