Licensing briefs
Licensing briefs provide in-depth knowledge of licensing topics. They are particularly useful for learning about complex licensing situations involving new technologies or combinations of products.
Introduction to per core licensing and basic definitions
April 2017
The purpose of this brief is to provide definitions of key terms related to server licensing and introduce the basics
of the per core licensing model.
Downgrade rights
March 2017
Explains the downgrade rights for the most commonly acquired systems License Terms granted by Volume Licensing programs
and how they compare with original equipment manufacturer (OEM) and full packaged product (FPP) license rights.
Secure Productive Enterprise
October 2016
Secure Productive Enterprise is a per user licensing option that includes Office 365, Enterprise Mobility + Security,
and Windows 10 Enterprise.
Self-Hosted Applications
February 2016
Provides an in-depth look at the “Self-Hosted Applications” use right and its requirements for Independent Software
Vendors (ISVs) that want to provide their own software as a hosted service.
Licensing Azure Site Recovery for service providers
January 2016
This whitepaper is for service providers that want to know about licensing Azure Site Recovery (ASR) in different
recovery scenarios. ASR protects partner hosted services by coordinating the automated replication and recovery of
protected software.
Microsoft software license dependency reference guide
December 2015
A comprehensive list of Microsoft software licenses and dependent licenses (the "software stack") required under
the terms of Volume Licensing programs.
Reimaging rights
February 2015
Explains the rights that are granted to all Volume Licensing customers to copy software onto multiple devices from
one standard image.
Licensing Windows Embedded 8
April 2014
Windows Embedded 8 is a trusted platform that enables enterprises to delight customers and extend the power and intuitive
experience of Windows 8 to specialized devices. This brief explains the options for licensing Windows Embedded 8
editions and key enterprise features.
What are 'Qualified Devices'?
April 2014
Some Volume Licensing agreements and enrollments provide organization-wide licensing with tiered pricing that can
be based on the number of "Qualified Devices." This brief provides a revised definition of a "Qualified Device."
Step-up Licenses
November 2013
Outlines how customers who have Software Assurance can migrate from a lower edition to a higher edition software
while maintaining their Software Assurance coverage on a given product.
