Monthly Microsoft License Update August 2023
Welcome to the August 2023 instalment of the Microsoft Product Terms Update from the Version 1 Microsoft License Consulting Team. Each month, Microsoft releases license changes on their product terms. This month sees a variety of updates to both product terms and supporting license briefs.
For your convenience, we have uploaded a recording that discusses these changes in more detail.
Amazon Workspaces Deployments — Amazon Workspaces enables customers to provision virtual, cloud-based Microsoft Windows, Amazon Linux, or Ubuntu Linux desktops for their users. Starting August 1ST 2023, customers can run Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise/business, Microsoft Project, and Microsoft Visio on Amazon Workspaces. This announcement is a welcome change, as Microsoft has a recent history of limiting ‘bring your own license’ rights on Amazon / AWS. Customers need to beware that there is a key prerequisite whereby users that deploy software on workspaces must have a license for one of the following:
· Microsoft 365 E3/E5/A3/A5 and Microsoft 365 Business Premium.
· Project Plan 3
· Project Plan 5
· Visio Plan 2
Customers that license Microsoft 365 Apps for Enterprise / Business using Office 365 subscriptions are not eligible to deploy software on Amazon Workspaces.
· Removed Office 365 F from Availability tables for EA/EAS, MPSA, and Point Value Chart — Commercial, and changed from all Programs to MCA.
· Office 365 F3 has been removed from the availability table for larger customer agreements such as Enterprise Agreements, MPSA etc.
Windows Desktop Operating System
· Added Windows 10 IoT Enterprise LTSC 2021 (Per Device) to MCA, MPSA, and SS Availability tables. Windows 10 IoT Enterprise is aimed towards speciality devices found in industries such as banking, retail, healthcare, hospitality, and manufacturing.
· These devices are subject to some form of regulatory compliance, and therefore are not upgraded on a regular basis.
· Windows 10 IoT Enterprise has a 10-year support cycle, thereafter a new license purchase is required. Licenses are not available under the Enterprise Agreement programs as these licenses do not have any Software Assurance.
Microsoft 365 — Added ‘Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management (User SL)’ to EES, EA/EAS and added MCA table and ‘Microsoft Defender Threat Intelligence API’ to EES table. Updated ‘Microsoft Defender Vulnerability Management Add-on,’ adding Microsoft 365 A5 Security and removed ‘Microsoft Defender for Endpoint P2 (Device)’ from the availability table.
· ‘Power Apps Per User’ has been renamed to ‘Power Apps Premium.’ All entitlement, features and functions remain unchanged.
· ‘Power Automate Process Mining’ was also added to the Availability and Prerequisites tables.
· This is a new capability that helps to discover insights and optimisation opportunities with easy-to-use web and desktop experiences for data ingestion, predefined reports and more.
Dynamics 365 Services — This month (August ’23), Microsoft updated purchasing minimums for Dynamics 365 Services and removed the ability to combine licenses to meet the minimum requirement.
Before August 1ST 2023, the product terms stated that “Customers may combine Finance, Supply Chain Management, Commerce, or Project Operations base USLs and/or device (2.5 device SLs equal 1 base USL) Licenses and/or eCommerce (one unit of any eCommerce Tier SKU) to satisfy the 20-user minimum purchase. Not applicable to CSP.”
Microsoft Azure — Added language for Azure Customer Solution regarding customer responsibility in obtaining necessary license related to standards.
Use Rights and Conditions for Use:
· Customer may create and maintain a Customer Solution.
· Despite anything to the contrary in Customer’s licensing agreement, Customer may permit third parties to access and use the Microsoft Azure Services solely in connection with the use of that Customer Solution.
· Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in Customer’s volume licensing agreement, Microsoft has no defence obligation or liability for any infringement claim for patents alleged to be infringed by the implementation of any Standards in a Customer Solution.
This means if you create a solution that is deployed in Azure for use by anyone, all licenses for the software used for the purpose of providing the solution are the responsibility of the customer deploying the solution and not Microsoft. For example, the recent announcement by HashiCorp that some of their software will no longer be free of charge as open source when used for commercial purposes means it is not Microsoft that is responsible for the correctly licensed use of the 3rd party software but the customer, solely.
Universal License Terms for Online Services — Universal term for Online Services added in relation to Azure meter availability and applicable terms. Azure meters track the resources’ usage and generate a usage record that is used to calculate your bill. The clause itself says “First-Party Consumption Services may be available for purchase as Azure meters, which allow customers to pay as you go for certain Online Services as outlined in the Microsoft Azure Payment and Fees clause and Purchasing Microsoft Azure Services clause.”
Privacy & Security Terms — Updated Microsoft Azure Core Services to include Azure Container Apps.
As Microsoft license experts, we can help you demystify these and any other product changes and clarify what this could mean for your license position. If you have any questions relating to this or any other Microsoft licensing matter, please go to our website or contact us.
About the Author:
Karl is a Principal Licensing Consultant at Version 1, providing global Microsoft license expertise to organisations and ensuring customers get the best value from their Microsoft assets.
