Windows 10 Operating System offerings are changing
With Microsoft running in nearly all enterprises, headlines of a 10% price increase and removal of volume discounts can cause significant worry. This blog will help sift through the noise and aims to clarify who is affected, what impacts there could be and considers possible ways to mitigate the impact. There are essentially three headlines in this announcement:
- Office 2019 commercial pricing is going up by 10%
- Pricing for a few specific Enterprise Agreements is changing
- Windows 10 Operating System offerings are changing.
CHANGES TO WINDOWS 10 OPERATING SYSTEM OFFERINGS
WHAT IS CHANGING?
Windows 10 Enterprise E3 offers will be renamed and pricing changed as follows:
- E3 will now refer to the per user offer only – Windows 10 Enterprise E3 per User becomes Windows 10 Enterprise E3
- Windows 10 Enterprise E3 per Device becomes Windows 10 Enterprise
- The price of Windows 10 Enterprise will be raised to match the price of Windows 10 Enterprise E3
- Windows 10 Enterprise E5 per device will be discontinued
WHAT TO WATCH OUT FOR?
Organizations that run a lot of device-based licensing will be affected the most – these are most common in manufacturing, nurse/ doctor terminals, etc. This hints at future simplification of the Microsoft ecosystem, where Office 365 and Enterprise operating systems are aligned for true Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI). The general implications for reducing or removing availability for per device licensing matches cloud-based licensing initiatives while attempting to capture more revenue for usage of Microsoft products.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
If your EA includes Windows 10 Enterprise E5 per device (which is identical to Windows 10 Enterprise E3 except for the inclusion of Windows Defender Advanced Threat Protection), and you need additional licenses then you have little to worry about in the short term. As noted above, as long as your EA is current, you can continue to purchase the products you have today - even expiring products, at the same price.
