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More insight into the new Qualified Multitenant Program for CSP and SPLA

Over the course of the past week in a half, a lot of misleading information came about as a result of Microsoft’s announcement of the new QMTH program for hosting providers. In this article, I will try to set the record straight and answer questions you may have. Keep in mind, this is still developing, and the addendum is not available yet. Please use this article as a general understanding, not a replacement for the Microsoft terms and conditions. More information to come! You can always email at info@splalicensing.com as well.

How do you I grasp QMTH in the simplest terms possible for my sellers?

Shared Computer Activation has been out for a long time, if your sellers understand SCA, QMH works in a very similar way.

Similarities to SCA

Must be under SPLA to qualify and have the addendum
Must be CSP Direct authorized – check out qualifications and SCA here
Do not have to purchase Windows 10 directly from the hoster (the CSP Direct partner) they can purchase Windows 10 E3/E5 from other CSP partners but host it from your datacenter (as long as you are QMTH authorized)
Install on up to 5 devices.

Is SCA replaced with QMTH?

Yes.

If I’m SCA authorized, am I automatically authorzied for QMTH?

Yes/No. You will need to update your landing page and you will need to sign the new addendum. You will already be CSP Direct authorized if you are SCA authorized, it makes it a lot easier to transition.

Do I have to sell Office 365 with Windows 10?

No. You can sell Windows 10 as a standalone product.

Can I still offer Windows/RDS for SPLA?

Yes. Windows and RDS in SPLA is still available. I would make it clear to the customer that you are not offering full Windows desktop but Windows Server. I always liked Windows Server + RDS. Shared environments, unlimited virtualization, etc. etc.

How does the activation and the licensing work?

The base license for Windows 10 Enterprise is Windows 10 Pro. It’s per user licensing, but the underlying qualified device needs Windows Pro. The Windows 10 Enterprise features/bits is included with the Windows 10 Pro installation. In other words, you install Windows 10 Pro, the Enterprise features are automatically turned off. When your end customer subscribes to Windows 10 Enterprise E3/E5, those features will turn on. When they unsubscribe, you guessed it – they are automatically turned off and the user goes back to Windows 10 Pro. Check out this post from the Microsoft team Windows 10 Enterprise E3 in CSP

What happens if I work in a hospital with a dummy terminal that has no underlying/qualified OS. Are you saying I must buy a Windows Pro license even if I don’t need it?

No. You can buy Windows 10 Enterprise with VDA. (Virtual Desktop Access), it provides a user access to a VDI session on a device that cannot run a qualified OS. If an end-user has a dummy terminal, that user can still access a virtual desktop through VDA.

Can I just sell the customer Windows 10 E3 without virtualization rights? They don’t need a virtual desktop.

Yes. Windows 10 E3 can be purchased with or without VDI rights (with is more expensive than without). If they have Windows E5 the virtual rights are included but that doesn’t mean they have to install it virtually.

What happens if I use Azure as my datacenter provider? Do I still need the addendum?

You do not need to be QMTH authorized to use Azure. QMTH just provides you the ability to host Windows 10 E3/E5 in a shared environment from your datacenter.

When is this available?

August 1, 2017 for Azure. September 1, 2017 for third-party hosting providers.

I am sure you have more questions. I am always looking to learn more and learn your specific scenario. If you do have a specific question, let me know and I can update this post accordingly. It’s also worth mentioning that this program isn’t available yet. I am sure there will be more information and updates as we move along.

VDI Under SPLA? Maybe it’s possible after all – Multitenant Hosting Rights for Windows 10

12 Jul

Good news for those who have customers who want you to host Windows 10 in your shared cloud environment – they might now have that as an option. Microsoft recently announced “Multitenant Hosting Rights for Windows 10. You can read the announcement here

We also created a new website called MSCloudlicensing to help SPLA and CSP partners understand the different program options and use rights available to them. The new website is www.mscloudlicensing.com it’s designed to be a collaborative platform that includes a forum to ask and answer licensing questions, document library, and licensing articles. Check it out, it’s free.

What is it?

Allows customers who purchased qualified Windows 10 licenses the ability transfer those licenses over to a Qualified Multi-Tenant Hoster shared datacenter environment.

Why is this important?

For years SPLA partners have asked for VDI in SPLA. Although this is not technically VDI in SPLA, is does provide an avenue to implement a virtual desktop session from your shared server environment. At the end of the day, it gives your end customers deployment options.

Can I still license Windows Desktop in SPLA?

No. Windows desktop licenses were removed last year. You can read/download the lease agreement that outlines the details here

What are the requirements?

To no surprise, the SPLA partner must be CSP Tier 1 authorized. They must also sign the Qualified Multitenant Hoster addendum and have an active SPLA with Microsoft. To get the QMH (another Microsoft acronym) you can contact info@splalicensing.com or your Microsoft Reseller.

What happens if I offer dedicated environments? Do I still need the addendum?

No. If it is 100% dedicated (isolated hardware) you can always transfer end customer licenses over to your datacenter environment. Whenever it is shared – VM or hardware, you must consider SPLA or in this case the QMH addendum)

When is it available?

Program will be available August 1, 2017 for VL and September 6, 2017 to transact in CSP.

Can I bundle my customers Office solution they purchased as well as Windows 10 to offer a complete VDI experience?

Yes. This is a great way to bundle different desktop applications.

Conclusion

If you provide IaaS to your customers, this is definitely something you should consider. Any time you can offer your customers the ability to leverage existing investments the better. Azure is not going away. In fact, you don’t have to be QMTH authorized to leverage Azure as your datacenter provider. Please review the announcement, there will be a lot more information on this in the coming days. I will also write out several scenarios to make this more simple. As always, you can email me at info@splalciensing.com

Thanks for reading,

SPLA Man

2 Comments

Posted by MS Licensing on July 12, 2017 in Office 365

Tags: Amazon Web Services, AWS, Azure, Cloud Solution Program, CSP, CSP Direct, CSP Tier 1, IaaS, Microsoft Azure, Microsoft Cloud, microsoft CSP, Microsoft SPLA, MS Hosting, Multienant Hosting Rights, QMH Addendum, QMTH, Service Provider License Agreement, shared computer activation, Windows 10

Top 5 Compliance Trends for MSP’s and SPLA

05 Jul

There are so many license changes and gotchas with SPLA, Azure, AWS, and all the others that I thought I would highlight for you some of the trends we see when it comes to compliance.

Licensing Office Standard when Office Professional is installed. In many cases, an IT administrator will inadvertently install Office Pro, report Office Standard to their procurement team who in return reports it to the reseller. The IT admin will leave the company, and the procurement team continues to report Standard not knowing Pro is installed until audit time. In this situation, Microsoft will check when Office was installed, and take the delta of what was reported (STD) v. what should be reported (Pro). Don’t make this mistake. Many partners are only charging their customers for Standard pricing!
Not reporting SPLA at all. Sounds silly, but many providers focus on developing software and not on the licensing. We have found instances in which the procurement manager (who was in charge of reporting SPLA) left the organization and no one else took over their responsibility. The reseller continues to email the procurement manager but obviously the email goes unnoticed. After many months, their SPLA will be terminated and all licenses will have to be trued up. The problem with this scenario is not just unexpected licensing expense, but when your SPLA terminates, you must sign a new one. When you sign a new SPLA, you must adhere to the latest SPUR use rights. As an example, if you had a SPLA prior to the Windows core licensing change, you could continue to report processors. If your SPLA terminates, you would be forced to license by core now instead of later when your previous agreement (that is now terminated) expired.
Using a VL copy of Office to deploy Shared Computer Activation (SCA). SCA is specific to Office 365. If you install Office Pro Plus VL, it goes against the product use rights in which Office (without SCA) cannot be installed on shared hardware. It takes a lot of negotiation power and time to prove you are SCA eligible, the customer purchased Office 365, and you inadvertently installed the wrong product.
Using License Mobility without License Mobility. This is by far the most popular compliance trend. Many organizations do not know what is installed in their datacenter when it comes to customer owned licenses. Be sure to have the right documentation, addendum, and licensing to ensure compliance.
Leasing an application, hosting the application, and purchasing volume licensing agreement to offer software as a service. A healthcare company may lease an EMR application, host the application to other healthcare organizations, and license the infrastructure through volume licensing. If your organization does not own the application you are hosting, you must license it through SPLA. Self-Hosted for ISV is only eligible for providers who develop and own the application. This means the code, the rights, everything must be owned by the organization. Leasing the application and using other plugins you may have developed does not qualify.

I hope this provides you a little insight into the world of compliance. If you find yourself out of compliant, let us know and we can connect you to the right resource. info@splalicensing.com

Thanks for reading,

SPLA Man

The Cloud Insider Times

20 Apr

In this edition of The Cloud Insider Times, you will find articles on the likes of Google, Amazon, IBM, Veeam, and the infamous Shared Computer Activation (among others) If your company would like to be included in future articles, please email info@splalicensing.com

CNBC – Microsoft well-positioned to beat Amazon in the cloud, but it’s ‘not a birthright’, ex-CEO Ballmer says

ZDNet – Google Cloud is a serious contender in the public cloud space. Forrester breaks down Google Cloud’s value and areas for growth.

Forbes – IBM’s Cloud Is Possibly the Only Sunny Spot on the Balance Sheet

BetaNews – SAM and IT leaders don’t like being audited by Microsoft, Oracle or SAP

Forbes – Microsoft Acquires Deis To Broaden Cloud Computing Scope

Netropole – MyAnalytics: O365’s productivity coach

The Register – Cloud computing is bigger than AWS and Azure

Yahoo – Enterprise Customers and Cloud Service Providers Fuel First Quarter Results for Veeam

BusinessCloud Media – GARTNER SEES HUGE SHIFT TO HYBRID INFRASTRUCTURE SERVICES

XO Communications – Integrating Your Voice and Data in the Healthcare Industry

Cloudyn– Is the World’s Cloud Capacity Running Out?

BluLogix – Eight Reasons to Move to a Cloud-based Billing System in 2017

Microsoft – Your questions answered. Shared computer activation in Office 365 ProPlus

DZone –Azure vs. AWS: Which One Is Better?

Computer Business Review – Three Private Cloud Myths Busted!

Office Under Office 365 and Shared Environments…Can we do it or not?

25 Jan

There’s a rumor that Microsoft will allow a service provider the ability to host Office licenses under Office 365 in a shared cloud environment. Is the rumor true? Yes, it’s true. But with everything in the world of licensing there’s always a catch.

For those that have read my blog for a while know that this blog is not a news source, but an education source. I don’t care about late breaking news, I just want you to get the licensing right, the information right, and be profitable.

So what does Office under Office 365 really mean? Some time ago, Microsoft created a use right titled “Shared Computer Activation” For those playing at home this is code for installing end user Office license from O365 in a shared cloud infrastructure similar to license mobility. In the past, this was only available in Azure. (imagine that). Fast forward to today and Microsoft is opening it up to the service provider channel as well. Good news for you, and even better news for Microsoft. If you would like to use this use right (SCA) you must meet the following criteria:

You must be authorized for Cloud Solution Provider Program (CSP Tier 1). Thats why it’s good news for Microsoft.
You must be managed by a Microsoft hosting team member.
You must be an authorized SCA partner. (Licensing Addendum)

If you don’t know if you are managed, let me know – I can see if you are. Typically this is for SPLA partners that report not only high SPLA revenue (although not necessarily), but are also strategic in marketing activities with Microsoft. If you are international, let me know and we can look into getting US authorized as well. You can email me at info@splalicensing.com to learn more. I also have a cool powerpoint. (well, about as cool as powerpoint’s can go). Although a bit out dated, here is a good overview as well on SCA: https://technet.microsoft.com/library/dn782860(v=office.15).aspx

Last, I sit on a licensing panel and would love to review the different use cases for this program. Let me know how you may/may not benefit from Shared Computer Activation and we can voice our collective opinion to Microsoft. info@splalicensing.com

There’s also a big change for rental PC’s. Little teaser for an upcoming blog post.

Thanks for reading,

SPLA Man

3 Comments

Posted by MS Licensing on January 25, 2016 in Office 365

Tags: Cloud, CSP Direct, CSP Indirect, CSP Tier 1, Hosting, Microsoft addendum, Microsoft Cloud, microsoft CSP, Microsoft Hosting, Microsoft SPLA, Office 365, Office 365 E3, RDS, SCA, shared computer activation

Office…good, bad, ugly.

27 Oct

One of the biggest roadblocks hoster’s have is around Office. Want to provide a integrated SharePoint solution? Must include Office. Have an application that reports back through Excel? Must use Office. Want to provide users the ability to create, edit, and view a Word document? Must include Office. In this article I focus on what’s happening around Office including the good, the bad, and possibly the ugly.

Let’s start with the ugly and bad. I hate bad news, so let’s get this out of the way. I think the ugly is Office under Office 365. Surprise! We all know about installing on up to 5 devices and installing on RDS right/shared computer activation..right? You can learn more about it here http://blogs.technet.com/b/uspartner_ts2team/archive/2014/09/03/office-365-shared-computer-activation.aspx

Pay attention to what is happening with Azure. There’s a lot of changes in the way in which Office will be deployed in this environment. More to come.

So there’s the ugly. The bad is just the overall cost of deploying Office in a shared environment. Office is expensive. You not only have to report Office, but RDS and Windows as well and with currently no option for mobility, service providers have few options. Remember, if you are providing Office remotely, your RDS licenses should match. Last, if you think using Office Web apps is a good alternative you may have to think again. To fully use Office Web Apps a copy of Office must also be licensed.

Here’s some good links around this topic including RDS, Azure and Office 365, as well as my own blog post “SPLA and Office 365”

Azure and RDS – http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dn782858(v=office.15).aspx

Overview of Azure/Office 365 from my friends at Code Magazine http://www.codemag.com/Article/1108021

SPLA and Office 365 https://splalicensing.com/category/office-365/

Now it’s time for the good. Did you know you know you can report the Office components instead of the entire suite? Did you know Office is a user based license which means if not all users need Office Pro, by all means do not report all users with Office Pro. SPLA Man needs Office Pro but SPLA Girl only needs the features of Office Standard, make sure to report us accordingly. Here is a good link that compares the features within Office as well as the features of Office Pro and Office 365.

http://office.microsoft.com/en-001/buy/compare-microsoft-office-products-FX102898564.aspx

There’s a lot of information to digest in these links. To summarize my point, you must get creative and you must pay attention to updates (especially Office 365) Your customers will ask.

Thanks for reading,

SPLA Man

4 Comments

Posted by MS Licensing on October 27, 2014 in Office 365

Tags: Azure, Cloud Solution Program, CSP, CSP Direct, CSP Tier 1, hosting office, Microsoft Cloud, Microsoft Hosting, Microsoft Licensing, Office 2013, Office 365, Office Pro, Office Professional, Office Web Apps, RDS, shared computer activation, spla

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