Microsoft SQL Server 2012 Licensing Changes — What You Need To Know

Microsoft's recent announcements will affect the way your organization licenses its SQL Server product and what you have to pay to use it. To prepare for these changes, sourcing and vendor management (SVM) professionals should learn about them and their impact on licensing strategies. Firstly, moving from per-processor licensing to per core means that more planning is required to minimize cost and licensing impact in the future. Secondly, changes to the product versions and their pricing will cause firms to reassess which ones they buy. Lastly, different transition arrangements and ongoing use rights for licenses covered by its Software Assurance (SA) program cast new light on that program's value that may cause buyers to reconsider when they should buy it. Even customers protected by existing agreements should be planning now for when these rights end — or risk finding their Microsoft costs escalating. This report clarifies the changes and how sourcing professionals should react to avoid challenging licensing issues or unbudgeted cost escalation in the future.