SharePoint Online - Implicit license assignment

[Kannan]

Hi,

Should we assign SharePoint licenses explicitly to users for them to access SharePoint sites?

Issue: We have enough licenses for all users in our organisation. However, O365 components are being rolled out in phases. E.g., Exchange online first, s4b next, etc.,

But before this phased roll-out reaches SharePoint online, we have to share some SharePoint sites to a lot of users, but not all. Is it necessary that we have to individually assign licenses to these users? Or just sharing the site with them will do.

Thanks,

KA

[#2]

Different Office 365 licences allow you to assign all or only some elements of O365 to users, including SharePoint. I'm not sure if you can just assign a SharePoint licence in O365 unless you remove all the other options first. 

While you could add those features only when you are ready to do so, you will need to consider how to modify each individual licence to include each option as you roll them out. You also may need to consider the impact if you are going to deploy Office 365 Groups which include SharePoint sites as well.

It's probably going to be much easier (and less work) down the track to assign the full O365 licences to everyone up front.

[#3]

Short answer: if you need to provided access to SPO sites to corporate users, you have to assign then a SPO license