Licensing Windows To Go with VDA

Hi, I'm thinking about giving a 30 users sales team unit a Windows To Go key, but I'm struggling with licensing, here's where I'm at:

- you need Windows To Go Use Rights to use Windows To Go

- Windows To Go Use Rights are defined like this, in Microsoft Volume Licensing web page :

Windows To Go is a fully manageable corporate desktop running Windows 8.1 Enterprise edition on a bootable USB stick. With Windows To Go use rights, employees can use Windows To Go on any device that is licensed with Software Assurance for Windows. A user licensed with Windows Software Assurance per User or Windows VDA per User is licensed to run Windows To Go on any device."

- A Microsoft powerpoint I've read confirms VDA per user contains Windows To Go Use rights, so let's see how to get VDA

- VDA comes in "per device" or "per user" fashion. My sales team unit won't have anything else but the WTG key, and will never need to install Windows locally on the systems they might plug the WTG key in, so no primary device and no local install rights needed; based on the following statement from the FAQ section of the Licensing_Enterprise_Cloud_Suite.pdf, VDA per User seems to be my choice:

"Windows VDA per User does not require the primary device to have a qualified operating system nor does it require the user to be the primary user of a device. Windows VDA per User allows VDI or Windows To Go access on any device, and local install rights on any device the licensed user uses that is already licensed with Windows 7/8/8.1 Pro or Enterprise"

- to get VDA per User, a Volume License is needed, here's an extract from Windows_SA_per_User_at_a_glance.pdf:

"Windows Software Assurance per User and Windows VDA per User licenses are available through the following Volume Licensing programs: Enterprise Agreement, Enterprise Agreement Subscription, Select/Select Plus, Microsoft Products and Services Agreement, and Enrollment for Education Solutions."

- The same Windows_SA_per_User_at_a_glance.pdf contains a comparison table between SA per user and VDA per user, the VDA columns field reads like this:

  • Licensing Requirements: No device requirements, may be assigned to any user
  • License Model: Per user; no device limit
  • Local Install: On any Windows 7/8/8.1 Pro or Enterprise device or Windows tablet 10.1 inches (I won't be using it anyway)
  • VDI Access and Windows To Go: Any Device
  • MDOP: Single MDOP subscription extends across all of a user's devices.

With all this knowledge at hand, the very first bolded statement of my post A user licensed with Windows VDA per User is licensed to run Windows To Go on any device means the Windows 8.1 Enteprise that's on the Windows To Go is fully licensed through the VDA per User, or do I still need a Windows 8.1 OS license for each VDA per User license ?


May 14th, 2015 11:04am

Hi,

the Windows 8.1 Enterprise on the Windows To Go with VDA per user license includes the full Windows 8.1 Enterprise without to purchase any extra Windows 8.1 license. However, as you mentioned, the VDA per user is available only in Enterprise Agreement, Enterprise Agreement Subscription, Select/Select Plus, Microsoft Products and Services Agreement, and Enrollment for Education Solutions but not in open contracts.

thanks

diramoh

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May 14th, 2015 11:34am

- The same Windows_SA_per_User_at_a_glance.pdf contains a comparison table between SA per user and VDA per user, the VDA columns field reads like this:

  • Licensing Requirements: No device requirements, may be assigned to any user
  • License Model: Per user; no device limit
  • VDI Access and Windows To Go: Any Device

With all this knowledge at hand, the very first bolded statement of my post A user licensed with Windows VDA per User is licensed to run Windows To Go on any device means the Windows 8.1 Enteprise that's on the Windows To Go is fully licensed through the VDA per User, or do I still need a Windows 8.1 OS license for each VDA per User license ?


As per your noted extract, "No device requirements".

Requirements (in MSFT licensing jargon), are the things you must purchase/acquire/have or bring, to qualify for the benefit in question.
So, "do I need a Windows 81. OS license..." = No.

For SA and VDA, when considering per-device, there are different requirements which must be met (e.g. an OEM or Retail business/Pro OS license).
For SA and VDA, when considering per-user, this requirement does not exist.

From the technical perspective, WTG will need you to do a few technical things for it to function correctly. (But that's not really any different from any other form of Windows setup engineering, regardless of WTG vs Installed). e.g. WTG will work on Apple Mac hardware, if you perform the relevant engineering tasks for drivers etc. WTG does require that the device can actually run "full" Windows, of course ;)

May 15th, 2015 5:14am

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