Posted by Simon Dadswell, Channel Marketing Manager, Endeavors Technologies.
1. What is the Microsoft SPLA?
2. Why would I buy a license under the Microsoft SPLA?
3. Is change to the Microsoft SPLA changing?
4. What is application streaming?
5. Who is Endeavors Technologies?
6. Why are Microsoft and other vendors concerned about software piracy?
7. How does Application Jukebox help to address software piracy?
8. How does Application Jukebox help to mange software licenses?
9. What benefits does Application Jukebox offer versus Terminal Services?
10. Are other software vendors looking at application streaming?
1. What is the Microsoft SPLA?
The Microsoft SPLA stands for the “Microsoft Service Providers License Agreement”.
The Microsoft SPLA allows service providers and ISVs to license Microsoft software applications on a monthly basis to provide hosted applications to their customers.
Click here to find more information about "The Microsoft SPLA".
2. Why would I buy a license under the Microsoft SPLA?
The Microsoft SPLA targets service providers who want to offer their customers Microsoft licensed products in a commercial hosting environment.
The main benefits of buying a license under the Microsoft SPLA are flexible cost structure and reduced complexity in providing software services.
The Microsoft SPLA offers access to the most current versions of Microsoft products and a simplified monthly usage-based cost structure. This means service providers have limited start-up costs and only pay for licenses provided to their customers each month. There is no need to forecast maximum usage of licenses over multiple years. This offers greater visibility of their operational expenses.
Further benefits include possible tax write offs as customers never actually own the licenses and the ability to automatically upgrade to the latest version of Microsoft products they are paying for.
3. Is change to the Microsoft SPLA inevitable?
We believe changes to the Microsoft SPLA are inevitable because so many Microsoft partners wish this to happen and have an invested interest. They are looking to take advantage of application streaming and capture a share of the rapidly growing SaaS market. Industry analysts expect the SaaS market to grow between $15 and $20 billion by 2011.
4. What is application streaming?
Application streaming significantly accelerates the distribution of software and is an alternative to completely installing a Windows®-based program on a PC.
The concept behind application streaming is similar to music or video streaming:
The application is streamed from a central server where only the parts of the application required by the user are installed for immediate use. As additional functionality is required by the user these portions of the application is streamed on demand. When the user has finished with the application, and chooses to do so, all components are completely removed from the client, as if the application was never there.
Application streaming reduces the time, resource and cost of deploying, upgrading and supporting applications. Application streaming converts traditional, off-the-shelf client software applications to an on-demand software model without having to make changes to the source code. It provides all the benefits of a locally installed application while also providing:
-
Immediate delivery of software applications
-
Conflict-free, or reversible operating environment
-
Clear separation of the software and the transport
-
Software control and protection, including revocation of the software and security
-
Software usage metrics
When compared to traditional software delivery architectures, application streaming is a better alternative for distributing applications to end-users and ensuring full license control.
5. Who is Endeavors Technologies?
Endeavors is a pioneer in application streaming and virtualization and a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner. Endeavors own the core IP and broadest set of patents related to application streaming in the market today.
Endeavors leading-edge product, Application Jukebox, enables applications to be managed centrally and streamed on demand, over a WAN or LAN, to a PC client and deployed as if they where natively installed on the client.
End users simply install the Application Jukebox Player with pre-loaded applications, connect to the internet which automatically streams any update data, not a whole new application, and subscribes to the service on offer. Software is guaranteed to be removed after a subscription has expired with its advanced license management capabilities.
Application Jukebox is the platform of choice for service providers looking to provide software applications in a multi tenant service environment, while ensuring there are no bandwidth consumption, performance, software management and license control issues.
Application Jukebox also eliminates software piracy - a key requirement for Microsoft and other software vendors - by preventing code from being captured or corrupted in transit.
6. Why are Microsoft and other vendors concerned about software piracy?
Software piracy can take many forms, including end user copying, counterfeiting, fake licensing, and internet piracy etc. Microsoft and ISVs are concerned about the scale of software piracy and its impact on sales revenues. But there are wider concerns: for end users, pirated software is unreliable, not protected by security updates, and has no warranty; for the economy, billions of tax revenues are lost and a connection has been made between piracy and organized crime.
7. How does Application Jukebox help to address software piracy?
Application Jukebox combines virtualization, encryption, and administrative control to offer a strong copy protection and security model for commercial software distribution.
In practice, software is streamed from the central Application Jukebox server, where only the parts of the application required by the user are made available for immediate use through their Application Jukebox player. As additional functionality is required by the user these portions of the application are streamed on demand. When the user has finished with the application, all components are completely removed from the client, as if the application was never there.
Application Jukebox ensures PC and software piracy is prevented because applications are never present on the client in a clear, unencrypted form. Application Jukebox also enables compliance of even the most complex licensing agreements because downloaded portions of an application run only with valid licenses issued and valid license can only be revalidated buy the IT organization.
8. How does Application Jukebox help mange software licenses?
Application Jukebox enables Microsoft and other software vendors to protect their IP through a comprehensive range of license management and reporting features.
With Application Jukebox, once an application is ready to be distributed, the publisher needs to package it, license it and then serve out the encrypted files to end users. During this process, the publisher must configure the license manager and specify:
-
The number of simultaneous sessions per user (how many PCs and laptops a single user can authorize)
-
The duration of the licensees own license to the application
-
The maximum number of sessions the licensee is authorized for
-
Whether offline access is permitted, and if so, for how long can users continue to access an application without logging back in to the system to reauthorize their access rights
-
Whether to log each use of an application session for later review/audit etc.
In addition, Application Jukebox offers extensive usage tracking and reporting to prevent software piracy and license breach. Administrators can monitor application use to guarantee compliance of license agreements and also improve usability, performance and functionality.
9. What benefits does Application Jukebox offer versus Terminal Services?
Application streaming differs from other software delivery technologies because it allows traditional, off-the-shelf client software applications to be converted in an on-demand software model.
An on-demand application streaming environment provides all the benefits of a locally installed application while also providing:
-
Immediate delivery of software applications
-
Conflict-free or reversible operating environment
-
Clear separation of the software and transport
-
Software control and protection, including revocation of the software and security
-
Software usage metrics
The benefits Application Jukebox offers versus Terminal Services include:
- Configurable virtualization: Applications can be fully integrated with the end user client environment, fully isolated or any combination in between. This unique functionality gives service providers complete control on how applications are delivered and interact with client devices.
- Scalability: Application virtualization and streaming is extremely scalable and can address typical server and network performance issues associated with an increase in number of applications and users in a SaaS deployment. With Application Jukebox up to 10,000 users per server can be achieved.
- Network Performance: Streaming greatly reduces the amount of data required to launch an application over the network. Typically, an application delivered using application streaming can reduce bandwidth consumption by over 90 percent when initially launching the application.
10. Are other software vendors looking at application streaming?
Yes. Application streaming is the next generation software delivery architecture. It is acclaimed to be the successor to Thin Client technologies and offers an alternative to retrofitting packaged software for hosting in a multi-tenant environment.
Many service providers, including Internet Service Providers (ISPs), Managed Service Providers (MSPs), Application Service Providers (ASPs) and Independent Software Vendors (ISVs) are looking at application streaming as a platform to achieve new Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) revenue streams – delivering applications for sale, rent, and subscription or try before you buy.
