For many businesses, the normal one license per device policy by Microsoft is expensive. Today, everyone wants it to use on his or her computers, phones and tablets.
That is why it was considered a big deal last month when Microsoft rolled its Enterprise Cloud Suite out, which is an optional add-on to the normal Microsoft Enterprise Agreement that allows access to Microsoft Office 365; the mobile management Enterprise Mobility Suite; as well as for just the first time, a per user and not a per-device licensing policy for Windows.
Even during the launch, Microsoft remained vague with some details. However, the company confirmed that the costs for suite will be between $7 and $12 for each user for each month and will include a Windows Enterprise edition license to cover any x86 laptop, desktop or tablet, which must have a screen less than 10.1 inches in size.
Enterprise Mobility and Office 365 are a bargain at the $7 to $12 price per person.
According to Brad Anderson the Vice a Corporate Vice President at Microsoft, the pricing move was designed to force competition out of relevance. That competition includes MobileIron, Box, VMware’s AirWatch, Good Technology as well as others building apps that are similar to Microsoft Office and designed to provide secure collaboration, secure mail, management of digital rights along with other features.
However, those solutions are not Microsoft and users as well as administrators have struggled to have them all play together nicely.
For Microsoft this means they need to provide a platform, which includes everything for everyone.
South Korea’s Samsung is attempting to secure the identity thing through Samsung Knox, promises it can sequester all personal data. Anderson expects that Apple will soon follow with a solution that is similar when it is ready.
