Over the last few months, Microsoft has been quietly letting people know that there will be a price increase this summer to the User CALs of many of their server products. As a Microsoft partner, Mirazon is privy to inside information that we are not yet allowed to post on this blog, so I will try to limit my discussion to information that is currently available to the public or that I have been able to figure out on my own.
Upcoming CALs Price Increase
On August 1, 2015, Microsoft will be increasing the User CALs price for many of their products. Originally Microsoft had announced that the price change would come on July 1, but they recently pushed it back to August 1. The price of these User CALs will increase by 13 percent.
Using a complicated algebraic equation (x*1.13), I have cracked the code and figured out what the new prices will be. Here is a sample of common products that could be affected. Please note that these are not official prices and are subject to change:
- Exchange Standard User CAL: possible increase from $78 to $88
- Skype for Business (Lync) Standard User CAL: possible increase from $36 to $41
- Windows Server User CAL: possible increase from $34 to $38
- Windows RDS User CAL: possible increase from $117 to $132
The prices above are for only the licenses through Microsoft’s Open Business program and do not include Software Assurance (SA).
For those of you who have Open Value agreements with Microsoft and are making annual payments, I highly doubt that Microsoft will increase the price on your next payment. That’s part of the attraction of the annual payment option: your price is locked in for three years. So, the annual price you were quoted at the beginning of the agreement is what you pay in the second year and third year as well. At your next SA renewal, however, you can expect to see an increase to the price of SA.
For the record, the last time Microsoft increased their User CAL prices was in December 2012, when the price went up 15 percent. As was the case last time, the price of the Device CALs will not change. For more information on the upcoming price increase, see the software one blog here and ZD Net Blog here.
Wondering whether you should get Device or User CALs? This might help.