Desktop Virtualization and Licensing

I came across this research brief from Forrester while searching for something today:

As a desktop operations professional, you've managed to avoid getting down in the weeds with Microsoft licensing — unfortunately, times have changed. Desktop virtualization is forcing desktop managers to understand the world of Windows licensing to successfully get their desktop virtualization pilots up and running. To fully recognize how to approach licensing Windows for your deployment, you must first ask yourself what form of desktop virtualization you're deploying. If it's hosted desktop virtualization, you need to know what type of device is connecting to this environment. It's no secret that these licensing requirements favor those with Microsoft Software Assurance (SA) agreements in place. Without SA, companies are in for a world of headaches getting desktop virtualization going while remaining in compliance with their Microsoft licensing contracts. The bottom line: Desktop managers must brush up on Windows licensing before moving forward with desktop virtualization.

I have not read the full research paper but the executive summary makes a good point: if you're deploying desktop virtualization be sure to look at th big picture and licensing is a huge part of that. Forrester is focusing on Microsoft Windoows licensing in their research but the concept applies across the board.

It's also good to revisit licensing later on, too, as many companies are thinking of updating licensing terms (or introducing new ones) for the various virtualization solutions that are available.