Understanding Licensing Issues in DV
The advent of the desktop virtualization era has heralded promising advantages for IT professionals with worthy and effective desktop management solutions. However the licensing policies imposed by vendors have been a challenge for desktop users. Microsoft’s fee structure, which varies depending on the software, has created confusion.
The justification cited by Microsoft in support of the different licensing fees is that their policies are instance-based, which allows the users to create virtual instance libraries, such as disaster recovery, without purchasing extra licenses for non-running instances. The licenses have been structured based on the user’s utilization of the server hardware.
The deployment of desktops as a service with the Microsoft license structure is very bleak for the following reasons:
- The only way to acquire licenses for virtual desktops is through Microsoft’s Vista Enterprise Centralized Desktop, or VECD. Vista licenses are not valid and neither is XP.
- Each physical device has to have the Microsoft license.
- A Vista upgrade is mandatory to run XP and be VECD licensed.
The VECD facilitates the hosting of virtual workspace everywhere – on servers, physical desktops and even on clouds. However each device requires a license to gain access to the virtual environment. As Vista is the sole authority of VECD, this license allows users to run four Microsoft OS on top of the virtual machines. This means that any user who wants to run Windows XP has to first upgrade to VECD and make a payment for downgrading to XP. Thus it becomes very costly for organizations to implement a virtual desktop environment.
Assessing Conditions While Deciding on DV Implementation
- The licensing costs have to be taken into account at an early stage for deployment of DV solutions. The application licensing and OS costs are not included in the tools provided by vendors. The VDI software and hardware costs are generally not the correct costs for implementing a virtualization desktop scenario.
- Taking important tips from those who have adopted this approach will be a learning lesson for you and guide you to make the right decisions.
- Calculating your expenses is important and gives you an opportunity to rethink investing your money and time. You can take the help of the ITA Premium “Virtual Desktop Infrastructure TCO per Desktop Tool,” which can provide you with true DV costs.
- Evaluate your requirements for DV and seek appropriate solutions, as DV may not always be the ideal solution for everybody.
Licensing issues can be a blow to having an affordable desktop virtualization environment in place unless software vendors set up clear and simple policies. Users also have to pay heed to their requirements to avoid wasting their money and ending up frustrated with the results.
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