What's new in licensing Windows Server 2016 and how can you avoid unnecessary expenses?

    Today we decided to dedicate our post to licensing Microsoft products . In our experience, for many companies this is a hot topic, since there are a lot of nuances in Microsoft licensing and it is difficult to figure them out on your own. In this article, we’ll take a closer look at the licensing nuances of the new version of Windows Server.

    In the version of Microsoft Windows Server 2016, in addition to modifications to the product itself and new cloud features, certain changes to license rights are presented. Similar to the increase in the threshold for Enterprise Agreements, Microsoft has made appropriate changes to the licensed model of Windows Server with the cloud. Below we will describe in detail the licensing changes, and most importantly, how to avoid the increase in acquisition costs.

    1. What has changed in licensing Windows Server 2016?


    In general terms: Microsoft is moving from the “processor license” model to the “core license” model. In previous models, the number of processor cores did not matter for calculating licensing requirements. Now this is the main aspect. Until recently, licenses were granted for the processor, now they will cover two cores. In this regard, the general licensing requirement is based on the number of processor cores. For each server, it will be necessary to purchase at least eight licenses, thus, the processor must have at least eight licensed cores.

    New licensing model:


    In this regard, the cost will change as follows:

    1 license for the server (until recently) = 8 licenses for 2 cores (at the moment)
    Thus, in the new model, the cost of a license for 2 cores will be 1/8 of the old price of a license.



    2. What will it lead to?


    Such a transition will not lead to any cost changes for standard machines (up to 2 processors with 8 cores). However, companies will have to pay extra for machines with higher performance. Licensing of access rights (client licenses) for Windows Server remains the same. By the way, the minimum threshold will in no way reduce the cost - for example, for equipment with fewer processor cores.
    Simply put, due to the changes, some companies will have to pay more. But we know how to avoid this.

    3. How to avoid additional expenses?


    So. Software Assurance offers an elegant way to “evade” additional license costs. Of all the diverse and useful benefits that companies gain through a maintenance and support license, one of the most important can be distinguished: Software Assurance covers all new versions that are launched during its term of validity. Therefore, it is now worth investing in the acquisition of a new version along with Software Assurance.

    For clarity, we give a few examples:

    Example 1: Company A plans to purchase a Windows Server 2016 license for a server with 2 processors and 10 physical cores each.
    Solution: Windows Server 2012 R2 license with SA
    Example 2:Company B plans to acquire a Windows Server 2016 license with 4 processors and 16 physical cores each.
    Solution: 2 x Windows Server 2012 R2 license with SA

    In addition, you can attach existing software Assurance licenses to new hardware.

    Stage 1: the license for the standard server is reattached internally to the machine with higher performance (when reattaching, do not forget the rule of 90 days).
    Stage 2: the required server license for a standard server can be purchased at no additional cost (2012 R2 or 2016).

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