Microsoft Offers New Short-Term Licensing Options for Dynamics CRM, Other Online Services

Microsoft is now offering customers more flexible licensing terms for such online services as Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online increased-capacity add-ons and Office 365 E1 and K1.

That means that organizations can license Microsoft software for just portions of a year by taking advantage of new short-term options in Microsoft's Products and Services Agreement (MPSA). This new capability gives customers a way to license short-term business scenarios not previously addressed by existing licensing options, company officials said in a statement.

Available as of March 1, these short-term options are aimed at companies that employ seasonal retail workers or organizations that have changing business demands and may not need full-year subscriptions, according to the statement.

Companies can get short-term MPSA contacts to cover "one to 11 months" licensing periods and they can initiate these contracts at any time - something not previously addressed by existing full-year subscriptions.

This option will be particularly helpful for customers who hire additional retail workers during holidays; manage fluctuating volumes from one season to the next; or initiate special projects that require additional capacity for less than a year.

Besides Dynamics CRM Online and Office 365, other services available for short-term subscriptions are:

• Enterprise Mobility Suite
• SharePoint Online Plan 1 and Plan 2
• Exchange Online Kiosk Plan 1 and Plan 2

In September, Microsoft also added multiple-year options under its MPSA contracts for its Enterprise Cloud Suite (ECS) licensing. ECS licenses combine Office 365 licenses, EMS Enterprise Mobility Suite licensing and the Windows Software Assurance annuity ...