By John Emmitt
The Software License Optimization blog really took off in 2012 and now averages more than 7000 pageviews per month. Here, for our first ‘Year in Review’ blog, we have the list of the top ten most popular blogs for 2012:
- Revolutionary Changes to Microsoft SQL Server 2012 License Models
- Microsoft Windows 8 Licensing
- Oracle’s Magic Ratio
- Microsoft SQL Server 2012 Licensing Showdown—Core versus Server + CAL
- Oracle Database Licensing in a VMware Virtual Environment (Part 1 of 3)
- Latest Update on SQL Server 2012 Licensing
- Is IBM Ditching the Processor Value Unit (PVU) License Metric?
- Microsoft Licensing in VDI Environments
- MSDN Licensing—Are You Wasting Your Entitlements?
- Why A SKU is Important to Software Asset Management
We see that blogs on licensing for major software publishers—Microsoft, IBM, and Oracle dominate the list. A blog on Microsoft SQL Server 2012 license models tops the charts and two other SQL Server blogs were in the top 10. The ‘Revolutionary Changes to Microsoft SQL Server 2012 License Models’ blog was actually posted in November, 2011. It discusses the new editions of SQL Server 2012 and the change from Processor based to Core based licensing. The fourth place blog provides an in depth analysis on which SQL Server license model is more cost effective—Core or Server plus Client Access License (CAL), depending on the number of users and virtual machines. In sixth place is another blog on SQL Server 2012 licensing that covers the new core factor table, licensing on virtual machines and the impact on cost due to the new licensing model and pricing changes.
In second place is a blog on Windows 8 licensing, which is interesting since by most accounts, enterprises have not shown much interest in migrating to Windows 8. Please send me your comments on whether your organization will make that transition in 2013.
The blog on Oracle’s Magic Ratio, published in January, 2011, has been a perennial favorite. It talks about the 50:1 pricing ratio between Oracle processor based licenses compared to Named User Plus (NUP) licenses and shows an example dealing with the NUP per processor minimum. Part 1 of our 3 part blog series on Oracle Database Licensing in a VMware Virtual Environment comes in fifth on the list. It discusses Oracle processor based licensing and delves into hard versus soft partitioning (virtualization) technologies and VMware server clusters as they relate to Oracle licensing.
The blog on IBM PVU licensing, seventh on the top 10 list, was published in May, 2011 and covers the change from the Processor Value Unit (PVU) software license metric to the new Resource Value Unit (RVU) metric for certain products. IBM licensing is complex and with the advent of new license models such as RVU and User Value Unit (UVU), it’s becoming even more so.
Eighth on the list is the blog on Microsoft Licensing in VDI Environments. This blog looks at Windows operating system and desktop applications licensing rules related to virtual desktop infrastructure. As noted in the blog Microsoft Windows 8 Licensing and Product Use Rights (not on the top ten list, but in the top 20)—“With Windows 8, a new option—the Companion Subscription License (CSL), available only with SA, provides coverage for up to 4 personally owned devices (any type) as well as corporate owned non-x86 devices within or outside the organization firewall. This supports Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) scenarios as well as corporate issued iPad or other comparable intelligent mobile devices.” Windows CSL is an optional subscription add-on which grants the primary user of a licensed device the rights to access a corporate desktop through either VDI or Windows To Go.1
Another Microsoft related blog—this one on Microsoft Developer Network (MSDN) licenses, comes in at number nine. MSDN licenses are frequently mismanaged and many organizations don’t fully leverage their license entitlements from these licenses. Optimization of MSDN licenses can reduce your Microsoft licensing costs. Note that this blog was posted back in September of 2010 and MSDN licensing has changed since then—the right to use Visio and Project is no longer provided with ‘Visual Studio Premium with MSDN’ and ‘Visual Studio Ultimate with MSDN’ licenses (see this Microsoft webpage on MSDN subscriptions). This illustrates the need for software license optimization tools that are constantly being updated to reflect changes in licensing metrics and rules as defined by the software publishers.
Finally, in tenth place on the list we have the blog on Stock Keeping Units (SKUs) as they relate to software asset management (SAM). SKU’s help automate the process of reconciling software purchases with installations and tell you exactly what you bought and how you bought it—i.e. under what type of software purchase agreement. Used in conjunction with a Product Use Rights Library, this enables the software license optimization tool to automatically identify the product use rights that come with that software—upgrade and downgrade rights, second use rights, virtual use and roaming rights, etc., and helps you fully leverage those license entitlements to reduce software costs.
Notes:
1. From the Microsoft Windows 8 Volume Licensing Quick Guide for Partners
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To learn more about software license optimization, please read this Forrester whitepaper: Introducing Software License Optimization.