What is the difference between a used SharePoint Server 2019 licence and buying a new licence?
The only difference between a used and new licence is the purchase price: With used software from Soft & Cloud, you can save up to 70 % of the costs without any restrictions on stability, security, functionality or useful life. All licences offered by Soft & Cloud come from companies that do not need them or no longer need them (e.g. because branches have been closed, the company is insolvent or is using a different software (version)).
Soft & Cloud relies on a technically complex but completely transparent process for secure licence transfer, which has been certified as a Trusted Process by the independent certification body TÜV. Soft & Cloud therefore fulfils all the requirements for the legally compliant resale of used software and was also the first German reseller of used software to offer its customers this security. This means that used licences purchased from us are not only completely legal, but are also accepted by Microsoft during licence audits without any restrictions.
The fact that other server requirements (licences for Windows Server, SQL Server etc.) must also be taken into account in addition to the server and access licences required for SharePoint 2019 results in considerable savings potential for companies. Our experienced Soft & Cloud licence consultants will be happy to support you in legally operating SharePoint Server 2019 on-premise on your company's own server hardware.
A comparison of the licences for SharePoint Server 2019
To install and operate SharePoint 2019 on your own hardware, it is not just the server that needs to be licenced. A Client Access Licence (CAL) is required for each user or device that accesses the server and uses its functions. With a SharePoint Server 2019 licence, these are further divided into two variants, Standard and Enterprise.
With a Standard CAL, basic SharePoint functions and tools can be used, which are completely sufficient for many applications. To utilise the full range of functions, additional Enterprise CALs are required for SharePoint, with which these are activated. For this reason, there is only one common version of SharePoint Server 2019 available for download.
All users and device CALs must have at least the same version as the server software used. However, a downgrade is permitted, i.e. a 2019 CAL also authorises the use of previous versions, i.e. SharePoint Server 2016 or older.
SharePoint Server Standard User CAL
A Standard User CAL for SharePoint Server 2019 authorises a user or device to use the basic functions of SharePoint:
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Sites: The sites integrated in SharePoint represent the central infrastructure for all company websites that can be created, customised and published easily, quickly and intuitively.
- Communities: The integrated web platform for simple and smooth collaboration can be used with a variety of different end devices (e.g. desktop PC, laptop, tablet, smartphone, etc.).
- content: The enterprise content management system (ECM) was specially developed for use in companies and further optimised for SharePoint 2019. In addition to the simple and convenient management of digital content, functions and routines are integrated to ensure a high level of data security and the protection of personal or company-relevant data.
- search: In addition to a person and expert search, a visual preview of the search results and visual suggestions are available as standard.
To determine the exact number of user access licences required, you must first determine how many users will be interacting with the company's SharePoint Server 2019 at the same time, i.e. editing, uploading or downloading digital content on the SharePoint Server. A separate User CAL is required for each simultaneously active user, regardless of where and with which device the access takes place.
SharePoint Server Standard Device CAL
While a User CAL gives access rights to a named user created in the system, these are permanently assigned to a device (e.g. a desktop computer or a network printer) with a Device CAL. The need for Device CALs is often easier to determine, but care is also required here to avoid purchasing too many or too few licences. If under-licensing is discovered during a Microsoft audit, this can have serious consequences. Fortunately, at Soft & Cloud you can obtain any desired and required quantity of access licences at a reasonable price. Often immediately, but at the latest after a few days.
