The CORE CAL is changing
On the 21 March, Microsoft announced the CORE CAL is changing to include Lync Server Standard CAL and Forefront Endpoint protection
The is how The CORE CAL will look from the 1 August 2011:
Existing customers with Active SA will have Access to Lync CALs from the 1 August 2011 when the changes come into effect.
The CORE CAL has remained unchanged for 10 years and Microsoft are introducing these CALs to reflect the changing needs in businesses today and the professional desktop capabilities offered by Microsoft.
Microsoft have also aligned the Professional Desktop with Office 365 and Windows Intune, making transition to the Cloud Services more simple, keeping the platform relevant.
Select, Select Plus, EA, EAS, CASA, Schools and EES customers are eligible for EARLY USE rights for those requiring the new additions to the CORE CAL in the interim. They will need to submit amendment forms to Microsoft to take advantage of this provided their SA coverage will be active on the 1 August 2011.
Unfortunately, there is no such amendment for Open or Open Value customers, (including those on the OVS-ES agreement)
Service components, Forefront Endpoint Protection, will expire with the Software Assurance. This will give added incentive to the customers to renew their Software Assurance coverage on the CORE CAL and Professional Desktop platforms
Along with this change, customers should expect pricing for the CORE CAL to increase to reflect the change. Similarly, the Step up from the CORE to the Enterprise CAL will go down since these CALs were previously included in the Enterprise CAL. Pricing on the full Enterprise CAL will remain the same. If the customer would like current pricing on the CORE CAL, they should renew before the 31 July 2011 as new pricing will come into effect from the 1 August 2001 with the addition of the new CALs to the suite.
