The Vagaries of Microsoft Dynamics Licensing: Working Around Complexities Can Save $$$, Hassles

If you always felt it's tough to get your arms around licensing requirements for Microsoft Dynamics and related products, you're not alone. A new report confirms the challenges.

A Washington-based analyst firm, Directions on Microsoft, has published a report, entitled "Five Essential Resources for Microsoft Licensing," to address the nuanced complexities of licensing. As this issue is an oft-misunderstood sore spot in many departments concerned with software compliance, the report's author, Paul DeGroot, research vice president for licensing and channel programs at Directions on Microsoft, has created a rubric to circumvent potential fiascos before they arise.

DeGroot's "Five Essential Resources for Microsoft Licensing," from the outset, warns that there is "no single ‘Bible of Microsoft Licensing.'" Instead, as he explained, there are five linchpins that, when used correctly, can account for the difference between being compliant and breaking the law.

And for users of Microsoft Dynamics, the rules can become especially complicated because Dynamics licenses can intersect with licenses from related products used in conjunction...