Microsoft
Microsoft licensing on Enterprise Agreement true-up, Software Assurance, Copilot, SQL Server, Windows Server, and cloud terms. Coverage tracks assigned versus entitled seats, listed-provider pricing, and changes that land without a buying decision.
True-up is not a seat export. Posts here walk the paper you already hold, the products that true-up, and the cloud SKUs that price differently once a listed provider is in the path. Copilot and SQL sit in the same EA conversation when they share the same true-up cycle.
Why Portable VCF Turns AVS Into Two Counterparties
Microsoft Learn: new AVS nodes need portable VCF from Broadcom. PAYG license-included must move by 31 October 2026. Count hosts before you buy.
When a Copilot SKU Changes Without a Buying Decision
CMA opened a consumer-protection case on Microsoft 365 Copilot defaulting. £25 extra a year. No finding yet. Map consumer vs commercial SKUs this month.
Microsoft’s Annual FX Write Locks Your Local Cloud List
Partner Center: commercial-cloud local prices now lock once a year on 1 January 2027. Model the November guidance against the agreement you hold.
UsedSoft Now Binds Your Perpetual Microsoft Surplus
UK Court of Appeal left UsedSoft and volume-license subdivision standing. Count leftover perpetual Microsoft before the next EA treats it as a credit.
Italy Microsoft 365 Probe: Opt-Out Is Not Attach
AGCM opened PS13129 on 26 June 2026: Copilot and Designer added, consumers auto-moved unless they opted out. No finding. Check plans that can move without a PO.
Why CMA SMS Comments Are Not Your Microsoft File
CMA published Microsoft SMS responses on 23 June 2026. Google said gatekeeper. Killinghall cited £1,100. No designation. Map your own estate.
NHS Copilot Rollout: Count Assigned Before Demand
NHS England will give 505,000 staff Microsoft 365 Copilot by October 2026. Cost undisclosed. Count allocated, assigned, and active before treating it as demand.
SQL Server BYOM on RDS: The Position Comes First
AWS launched BYOM so SA customers can cover RDS for SQL Server without License Included. Microsoft still verifies. Check the position first.
Microsoft Direct EA Leaves the True-Up With You
Large EAs now bill through Microsoft. True-up, compliance, and deployment advice did not move with the invoice. What SAM must own before the next EA.
The CMA Opened a Clock. Your Estate Still Needs a Number.
CMA opened a Microsoft SMS investigation on 14 May 2026. Decision by 13 February 2027. Not a finding. What SAM should have before the designation date.
Copilot Seat Prices Held. The Credit Meter Did Not.
GitHub moved Copilot to usage-based AI Credits on 1 June 2026. Seat prices stayed. Completions stay unlimited. What SAM should still lock on the meter.
Listed-Provider Pricing Is Now a UK Class File
CAT certified an opt-out CPO on a Windows Server listed-provider claim. About 59,000 UK orgs. £1.7bn+ alleged. Have the Azure-versus-listed number first.
A Market Briefing Is Not an NHS License Position
NHS England awarded IDC £46k for licensing benchmarking on G-Cloud 14. A market note is not a live position. What SAM should count before the next round.
Joiners, Movers, and Leavers: The ITAM Process HR Already Owns (and SAM Teams Should Be Connected To)
Every organization runs a Joiners, Movers, and Leavers (JML) process. HR owns it for payroll,…
Microsoft 365 E3/E5 Optimization: Clean Up Before E7 Lands
Microsoft just announced the biggest licensing change to its enterprise stack since 2015. Microsoft 365…
The Model Is the Commodity. Microsoft Just Proved It.
Microsoft spent $13 billion investing in OpenAI. Then, in September 2025, it quietly added Anthropic’s…
Why Listed-Provider Terms Still Decide Your Cloud Placement
JFTC is investigating Microsoft’s cloud licensing. Listed-provider terms still price Windows Server and SQL differently on Azure than on AWS or Google Cloud.
What SAM Should Count Before You Buy Microsoft ESU
Windows 10 ESU starts at $61 a device year one and doubles. SQL Server 2016 ends 14 July 2026. Count licenses, not support flags, before you buy time.
From Copilot to Coworker: Licensing the New Digital Workforce
For the past thirty years, the “seat” has been the atomic unit of the software…
Migrating from a propriatary Microsoft based stack to open source Linux based
Migrating from Microsoft / Proprietary Desktop Stack to Open Source A technical deep dive into…