top of page
INSIGHT
Microsoft Licensing Insights
Needless Complexity Made Simple doesn't stop at advisory.
This section will soon feature practical articles, licensing deep dives and expert perspectives on Microsoft 365, Azure, Windows Server, SQL Server, ESU and commercial Microsoft licensing topics.
Blogs
Microsoft Licensing Insights
BLOG: Windows Server 2016 End of Support: licensing and pricing?
Windows Server 2016 reaches End of Support on January 12, 2027. Organisations that cannot upgrade, migrate or retire affected workloads before that date may need ESU coverage, but determining the required scope is often more challenging than understanding the pricing.
ESU follows the underlying Windows Server licensing position and depends on factors such as Standard versus Datacenter, physical versus virtual deployment, core counts, Software Assurance and existing entitlements.
Read the full article for practical guidance on ESU licensing, Azure Arc, financial impact and how to prepare for January 2027.
BLOG: Windows Server 2016 ESU Core Licensing
Windows Server 2016 reaches end of support on January 12, 2027. Extended Security Updates can provide additional time, but the requirement is based on cores, not simply on the number of servers. A Windows Server 2016 inventory is the starting point. To estimate ESU exposure, you also need to understand which workloads will remain, whether coverage is calculated by physical machine or by individual VM, which minimums apply, and which licensing routes are actually available.
bottom of page