Real Story Group. Make Better Technology Decisions.

Formerly CMS Watch. Here's our story
What Real Independence means. Find Out

  • Schedule a Demo
  • Free Sample
  • Contact
  • Subscriber Login
  • Your cart is empty.
Sign up for our Newsletter
  • Home
  • Evaluation Reports
  • Premium Subscriptions
  • About
  • Blog
  • Buy Now
  • Recent Entries
  • Get Custom Feeds

 

 

 

Shell Shawn Shell

Follow Shawn on Twitter @shawnshell

Confusing enterprise agreements and enterprise licenses in SharePoint

25-Jul-2008

Tags: SharePoint Ecosystem, Building Business Case, SharePoint 2010

Over the last few weeks, I've had the opportunity to speak to various customers about SharePoint licensing. The common theme is that most don't understand Microsoft licensing in general and SharePoint licensing specifically. In fact, most customers are pretty confused by the dizzying array of options, choices, and requirements Microsoft has constructed.

In particular, some customers have gotten a nasty shock when they realized the (potentially expensive) difference between an Enterprise Agreement and an Enterprise License in MOSS.

Confusion starts with the difference between Enterprise and Standard license options. In fact, at the server level, there isn't a distinction. The difference between the versions of SharePoint (specifically Microsoft Office SharePoint Server - MOSS) center on the infamous client access license (or CAL). As The SharePoint Report 2008 points out, most Microsoft customers with an Enterprise Agreement end up licensing something called the "Core CAL." This license is a combo CAL that includes the rights to connect to four different server products -- SharePoint is one of them. However, the SharePoint CAL in the Core is the Standard CAL.

So what? Doesn't the Standard CAL give me SharePoint? Yes and no. The Standard CAL entitles you to use the "standard" features of Microsoft Office Server -- one step up from the "free" Windows SharePoint Services. However, it doesn't give customers the right to use "enterprise" features such as Forms Services -- a component of the enterprise license that enables customers to display InfoPath forms as a web form. This situation is true of other very useful components of SharePoint Enterprise, including Excel Services.

Microsoft will counter that you could license some of these components separately. The theory is that you don't need to upgrade to the Enterprise CAL just to get Forms Services; you could license Forms Services separately and run it along side your SharePoint Standard environment. The downside is that licensing just Forms Services, for many organizations, may be nearly as expensive as purchasing the additional Enterprise CALs.

In short, familiarize yourself with the various options. Spend time speaking with the Microsoft Licensing specialist in your region (ask your sales person to help you contact them). You may not necessarily like the cost implications of some of their answers, but it will be time well-spent; you'll better understand the license requirements and benefits for your specific situation -- in some cases the answers could surprise you.

    Now Get the Complete Real Story

    SharePoint Vendor Evaluations

    Learn the real strengths and weaknesses of major SharePoint vendors from around the world, in our SharePoint Ecosystem research stream.

Tweet

close x

Free Sample Request

  Digital and Media Asset Management
  Document Management (ECM)
  Enterprise Collaboration & Social Software
  Enterprise Search
  Portals and Content Integration
  SharePoint Ecosystem
  Web Content Management
 Send me bi-weekly tips and insights from Real Story Group.
Your personal information, including your e-mail address, will be held in the strictest of confidence and will never be shared with anyone.

Subscriber Log In


Remember Me
Forgot password?


Not a subscriber?
Learn about our subscriptions

Research Mentioned in this Post

SharePoint Vendor Evaluations

Learn how to navigate the SharePoint ecosystem with evaluations of Microsoft partners and advice on how to scale the platform across your enterprise.

 | 

Our Newsletter

Get the Real Story bi-weekly.

Have Questions?

USA & Canada
+1 800 325 6190

UK
+44 (0) 20 3318 1911

International
+1 617 340 6464


All Other Inquiries

Our Customers Say

"Setting aside the hype and buzzwords of social media technology, The Real Story Group offers a clear, objective and comprehensive review of software products and vendors with a specific focus on their applicability to the enterprise. Before embarking on a collaboration or social media project, this research should be any company's first investment."

Heidi Strom Moon, Director of Marketing, CDG Interactive

next More

Real Story Group

Follow us on:  RSS  |  Twitter  |  Facebook  |  YouTube

Evaluation Reports

  • Web Content Management
  • Document Management (ECM)
  • Portals and Content Integration
  • Enterprise Search
  • Digital and Media Asset Management
  • SharePoint Ecosystem
  • Enterprise Collaboration & Social Software

Premium Subscriptions

  • Research Streams
  • Advisory Papers
  • Vendors Evaluated
  • Schedule Analyst Consultation
  • Online Education
  • Configure a Subscription

About Us

  • Our Methodology
  • Our Team
  • Media
  • Customer List
  • Events
  • Consulting
  • Contact Us

Need Help?

  • Talk to an Expert
  • FAQs
  • Customer Support
  • Contact Sales Team
  • Help with your account

Copyright Real Story Group 2001 - 2012. All rights reserved.

  • Contact Us
  • Copyright Policy
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use

Log In

Remember MeForgot password?

close x
close x

All analyst firms claim to be independent or vendor-neutral. We're different.

Real Independence


Get the real story on commercial and open source tools from a firm that works only for you, the technology customer.

close x

Newsletter Signup

Thank you for signing up for The Real Story Group Newsletter. You will receive our monthly newsletter, plus updates with new information on the technology streams you have expressed interest in below.










Choose the streams that you’d like to receive updates for: