Forum Discussion
Microsoft E3 and Windows 10/11 E3 CSP Licenses and VDA Rights
Hi Jennie_Maier
As indicated on the PLT Licensing Brief that you attached, the CSP program is included:
and,
The following snapshot is taken from pg. 21 of the licensing update session that you reference & it confirms what you're asking about. What question(s) do you have specifically?
If this (or someone else's) reply answers your question, please Accept as the solution to help the other members find it more quickly. Otherwise, please let me know if you need further assistance on this topic.
Regards,
Microsoft CSP Licensing Concierge
Hi All,
I have the same question because the Microsoft Learn documentation has not been updated. It continues to imply that any Windows Enterprise or VDA license purchased through CSP/NCE does NOT include on premises VDI rights because it's specifically called out as part of Software Assurance benefits. https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/deployment/windows-10-enterprise-e3-overview
I've read through all the existing licensing docs, have asked the licensing desk, and my volume licensing partner. I can't get a straight yes/no/up/down answer.
Here is a screenshot of a Windows 10 deck that's been the gold standard for the last few years. It's dated Q4 2019.
It would help to have a definitive yes/no prescriptive answer in the updated license docs. Something similar to the above. The new docs referenced mostly infer that if it doesn't say no that that means yes. In real world practice, unless Microsoft explicitly says "yes you can do this", it's almost always no you can't.
If you want to get a definitive answer, I'd recommend to stick with the licensing terms only, they are part of the official license agreement (licensing briefs, presentations, whitepapers, any statement by MS employees etc. are not part of the agreement). Only the licensing terms are imho the "gold standard".
The license terms don't document this as being allowed, VDA rights are only provided on Azure or on "Servers (subject to the outsourcing software management clause)" - so the 2nd part refers to hosted virtual desktops with a CSP hosting partner or other hosting provider.
Virtual desktops on customers own servers are clearly being documented as allowed for license that come with Software Assurance, which is not the case for licenses bought under MCA.
See: https://www.microsoft.com/licensing/terms/productoffering/WindowsDesktopOperatingSystem/MCA
- Hello All.
One of the key details that seems to be missing from all of these discussions is that Microsoft introduced around October of last year the Flexible Virtualization Benefit which states:
Flexible Virtualization Benefit
Customers with subscription licenses or Licenses with active Software Assurance (including CALs) may use licensed copies of the software on devices, including shared Servers, that are under the day-to-day management and control of Authorized Outsourcers.
see: https://www.microsoft.com/licensing/terms/product/ForallSoftware/all
It is this benefit that makes the chart listed in the Windows 10 Licensing for Virtualization possible.
Chris McDuffie, I believe the slide that you refer to comes from a licensing deck that is several years old and unfortunately, out of date.
Finally, yes, I absolutely agree all of the technical documentation around this topic is out of date and really needs to be updated.- The flexible virtualization benefit and other changes in Oct. '22 did only change that instead of requiring the 3rd party hoster providing the Windows instances on virtual desktops is a QMTH Partner, it can now be any "Authorized Outsourcer" (which means every company that wants to do this, only AWS, GCP, AliBaba and Azure are excluded from this definition).
Virtualization of Windows was possible before, CSP (=licenses obtained under MCA) always allowed virtualization of Windows Client in Azure or with Hosters (QMTH until Oct.'22, any "Autorized Outsourcer" since then).
What has not changed is that MCA product terms do not document any rights to deploy Windows virtual desktops on-premises (on servers on the customer's premises).
The slide by Chris McDuffie is still mostly accurate therefore, only the column on far right should be labeled "Authorized Outsourcer" instead of "QMTH".
