Software Asset Management, USU

Software Asset Management (SAM) Demo Dashboard

From a technological Software Asset Management (SAM) perspective, data collection is not only about software discovery and license management. With on-premises software, companies face a considerable risk of being under-licensed. With the introduction of online services and browser-based applications you need to control and monitor the actual usage to avoid over-licensing. An appropriate platform with a central database is essential.

At the heart of our Managed SAM Services is USU License Management (SmartTrack) as your Data Platform, provided by our trusted partner USU Technologies, formerly known as Aspera.

In reporting, we connect a vast collection of high-quality data and develop the reports for the respective target groups within your company. We provide you with reports, analyses, and in-depth recommendations. On top, we empower you to use the self-service functionalities. Through our powerful dashboards you get exactly the information you need.

Find a preview of the USU Demo Dashboard here: https://media.usu.com/en-us/usu-software-asset-management-demo-dashboard-schneiderit.

Please contact us for more information and a live demo of the SCHNEIDER IT MANAGEMENT Managed SAM Services.

Microsoft Windows 365

Microsoft Windows 365 available

Effective August 2, 2021, Microsoft Windows 365 is available.

Microsoft Windows 365 is a cloud service that takes Windows 10 or Windows 11 to the Microsoft Cloud, securely streaming the whole Windows experience, including apps and data, to any device. Windows 365 provides an instant-on boot experience that enables users to stream all their personalized applications, data, and settings from the cloud across any device including your Mac, iPad, Linux device, and Android. Microsoft calls this universal distribution of the Windows experience across devices the “Cloud PC”.

Windows 365 is licensed via per user per month pricing, with a choice of two editions: Business and Enterprise.

For the announcement, please visit: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/blog/2021/07/14/introducing-a-new-era-of-hybrid-personal-computing-the-windows-365-cloud-pc/.

For the product site, please visit: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-365.

For an informational video, please visit: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/videoplayer/embed/RE4OSEe.

Please contact us for more information and to request a quote.

Microsoft 365

Microsoft 365 Visio web app available

Effective July 2021, a lightweight version of the Visio web app is available for Microsoft 365.

This version offers core Visio functionalities and allows business users to create and edit professional Visio diagrams effortlessly and collaborate with others by sharing diagrams seamlessly.

Visio has long been available only as a standalone app for purchase. Now, this lightweight version of the Visio web app is available, at no additional cost, to users licensed with Microsoft 365 Business Basic/Standard/Premium, Office 365 E1/E3/E5/F3, Microsoft 365 F3/E3/E5, and Microsoft 365 Apps for business/enterprise licenses.

For the announcement, please visit: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/blog/2021/06/09/bringing-visio-to-microsoft-365-diagramming-for-everyone/.

For more information on Visio, please visit: https://www.microsoft.com/en-ww/microsoft-365/visio/flowchart-software.

Please contact us for more information and to request a quote.

Microsoft SQL Server, Microsoft Windows Server

Microsoft SQL Server and Windows Server 2008 and 2012 Extended Security Updates

Extended Security Updates (ESU) are critical if you want to continue safely running Windows Server and SQL Server workloads on versions that are out of support.

Extended Security Updates for the 2008 versions have been available since regular support ended, but will themselves end on the following dates:

  • Microsoft SQL Server 2008 Extended Support ends on July 9, 2022 and
  • Microsoft Windows Server 2008 and 2008 R2 Extended Support end on January 14, 2023.

If you’re running these older products in Azure then you get 3 years of free Extended Security Updates until these dates, and Microsoft have just announced that one additional year of Extended Security Updates will be available only in Azure.

Furthermore, for

  • Microsoft SQL Server 2012 regular support ends on July 12, 2022 and
  • Microsoft Windows Server 2012 and 2012 R2 regular support ends on October 10, 2023.

3 years of ESU will be available after these dates and available for free for customers running these 2012 versions in Azure. Software Assurance customers will also be able to purchase ESUs for on-premises workloads through an Enterprise Agreement.

For the announcement, please visit: https://cloudblogs.microsoft.com/sqlserver/2021/07/14/know-your-options-for-sql-server-2012-and-windows-server-2012-end-of-support/.

For a customer FAQ on Windows Server 2012 and 2012 R2, and SQL Server 2012 end-of-support, please visit: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-server/extended-security-updates.

Please contact us for more information and to request a quote.

Microsoft Dynamics 365

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Fraud Protection billing

Effective July 8, 2021, Microsoft Dynamics 365 Fraud Protection customers can pay for their Fraud Protection transactions on a Pay As You Go (PAYG) basis each month.

There are three pricing tiers for each workload – account protection, loss prevention and purchase protection – with prices decreasing as the number of transactions increases. To enable monthly billing, customers need to purchase a fixed monthly Fraud Protection PAYG license and then choose the Azure Subscription that they want the Fraud Protection transactions billed against.

For details of the different pricing tiers and setup instructions, please visit: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/dynamics365/fraud-protection/pay-as-you-go.

Please contact us for more information and to request a quote.

Microsoft Dynamics 365

Microsoft Business Central Database Capacity changes

Effective July 1, 2021, changes to the way that Microsoft Business Central Database capacity is assigned, accrued, and acquired apply. Historically, the first Business Central Essentials or Premium license enabled 80 GB of Business Central Database storage for the tenant, and this remains unchanged, but now individual licenses accrue additional capacity: 3 GB for Premium, 2 GB for Essentials, and 1 GB for the Device license. Customers could buy Capacity Add-on in increments of 1 GB, and may continue to do that, but there’s a new 100 GB Add-on with its own special Overage Add-on which offers advantageous pricing for further 1 GB increases.

For the relevant Microsoft docs page, please visit: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/dynamics365/business-central/dev-itpro/administration/tenant-admin-center-capacity.

Please contact us for more information and to request a quote.

Software Asset Management, USU

Online Services Optimization

Software as a Service (SaaS) and online services provide many benefits like cost and time saving potential, scalability, accessibility, and compatibility. From a licensing perspective they add complexity to your software asset management, and it is important to manage them transparently.

USU’s quick guide gives you expert tips about how to:

  • identify your users and account owners
  • monitor your account activity
  • diversify your data sources.

With the SCHNEIDER IT MANAGEMENT Managed SAM Services, we

  • actively manage your whole software portfolio including SaaS and online services
  • deeply analyze your environment to save your money
  • detect unused software and online services to reduce your software spending
  • optimize your license portfolio and enable the re-assignment of licenses to avoid overspend
  • uncover redundant services from different vendors with our cross-vendor analysis.

To download the USU quick guide about the optimization of your SaaS licenses, please visit: https://media.usu.com/en-us/quick-guide-to-optimizing-your-saas-licenses-schneiderit

Please contact us for more information and a demo of the SCHNEIDER IT MANAGEMENT Managed SAM Services.

Adobe Substance 3D, Promotions

Adobe Substance 3D Collection for Teams Promotion

Effective June 28, 2021 through December 31, 2021, promotional pricing for Adobe Substance 3D Collection for Teams is available. This promotion offers EMEA customers who purchase new seats of Adobe Substance 3D Collection for Teams 20% off the recommended retail price for the first year.

For this offer, a 12-month membership is required, and Commercial & Government customers are eligible.

This collection includes Adobe Substance 3D Stager, Substance 3D Painter, Substance 3D Sampler and Substance 3D Designer. These applications allow you to compose and render state-of-the-art 3D scenes in your own virtual studio, texture 3D models in real time, create 3D materials and lights in a flash from real-life images and design parametric 3D assets with full control and infinite possibilities.

For more information on Adobe Substance 3D Collection for Teams, please visit: https://www.adobe.com/creativecloud/3d-augmented-reality.html.

Please contact us for more information and to request a quote.

Microsoft PowerApps, Promotions

Microsoft Power Apps pricing and licensing updates and Promotion

Effective October 1, 2021, licensing changes for Microsoft Power Apps take place. Both the prices for the Power Apps per user plan and the Power Apps per app plan are being reduced by 50%. These plans are available through SCHNEIDER IT MANAGEMENT as your Cloud Solution Provider (CSP), Volume Licensing (VL), and web direct – without license minimums or other purchase requirements.

In the interim until September 30, 2021, promotional pricing is available for Microsoft Power Apps.

The Power Apps per App promotion requires a minimum purchase of 200 licenses.

The Power Apps per User promotion requires a minimum purchase of 5,000 licenses.

For the announcement, please visit: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/licensing/news/pricing_and_licensing_updates_coming_to_power_apps.

For more information, please see the footnote on the Power Apps pricing page here: https://powerapps.microsoft.com/en-us/pricing/.

Please contact us for more details.

Microsoft Dynamics 365, Promotions

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Cloud Migration Promotion

Effective August 1, 2021 through June 30, 2023, the Microsoft Dynamics 365 Cloud Migration promotion is available through SCHNEIDER IT MANAGEMENT as your Cloud Solution Provider (CSP).

This new promotion provides discounted Dynamics 365 online services to support migration to the cloud. Microsoft is retiring existing discounted offers on July 31, 2021 and replacing these with new Dynamics 365 Cloud Migration promotions. It also supports customers who have started their digital transformation under legacy migration offers to transition to the new promotion.

The Cloud Migration promotion offers the following benefits:

  • 40% discount for Dynamics 365 Online Services with a three-year subscription, providing price predictability during migration to the cloud.
  • Dual-access rights (concurrent on-premises and cloud use), supporting user access prior to on-premises solution sunset when cloud migration is complete.
  • Supports phased cloud migrations, allowing organizations to add new users through the term of the promotion.

New promotional pricing is available for the following products:

  • Dynamics 365 Business Central Device, -Essentials, -Premium, -Team Member
  • Dynamics 365 Commerce *
  • Dynamics 365 Customer Service Enterprise *
  • Dynamics 365 Customer Service Professional *
  • Dynamics 365 Field Service *
  • Dynamics 365 Finance *
  • Dynamics 365 Human Resources *
  • Dynamics 365 Operations Activity and Operations Device
  • Dynamics 365 Project Operations *
  • Dynamics 365 Sales Enterprise Edition *
  • Dynamics 365 Sales Professional *
  • Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management *
  • Dynamics 365 Team Members

* and Attach to Qualifying Dynamics 365 Base Offer

For general information on Microsoft Dynamics 365, please visit: https://dynamics.microsoft.com/en-us.

Please contact us for more information and a quote.

Experts in Enterprise Software Licensing