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Friday, April 6, 2018

Windows 10 Pro Licensing Logic (OEM to VL)

From time to time the Windows 10 Pro vs. Enterprise discussion comes back. Just to clarify from a security point of view and also in relation's of limitations the Enterprise edition is still the best and recommended way to go. It offers a tremendous value in terms of security and manageability.

But we still have customers were the financial pain is so huge that we need to cut very important features as well just to fulfill their serious budget limits. 




Caution!  Just one word as advice. DO NOT TRY TO MAP WINDOWS7 TO WINDOWS 10 !!!

Its the same as you want to use a Ferrari in the same way as you did with your VW Golf before. Please rethink your potential modern workplace even only with PRO instead of Enterprise. It does not make sense to do the stuff the old way as you fear the new way or you are not willing to ask what could be the new way for you to simplify things.

If you had to go with Windows 10 Pro (knowing all current and future potential limitations) then you can go with the PRO license coming on your OEM device. There is still the rule that having 1 Windows 10 Pro VL license bought through commercial licensing brings you the right to use the VLSC and download your Windows 10 Pro Image ISO you can use for further deployment.

Please checkout here:
https://download.microsoft.com/download/3/d/4/3d42bdc2-6725-4b29-b75a-a5b04179958b/reimaging.pdf

You find here the sentence:

Using Commercial Licensing media to reimage.
Commercial Licensing Windows Desktop operating system media may be used to reimage devices if all devices being reimaged are licensed for the edition and version of Windows being reimaged onto them. (Note: Each device being reimaged does not need to be licensed under Commercial Licensing if they are properly licensed for the edition and version being reimaged onto them.)

(Which is given when you have an OEM Windows 10 Pro you can reimage with Windows 10 Pro but only in the given edition and version. So Windows 10 version and Pro edition.) I asked a few years ago MS license Q and that's what they explained to me as well.

Another Reference
https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/uktechnet/2015/07/13/windows-10-licensing-logic/

And please be aware. You can not stop the update train! Which is from security point of view the only valid way. From a management point of view rethink things. Windows 10 is not a project. Its a continuous process!