Microsoft announced an update on April 1st, 2026, that extended License Mobility to SQL Server subscription licenses purchased through the Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) program, which makes these licenses eligible for Bring Your Own Licensing (BYOL) in the cloud environments of Authorized Mobility Partners. Prior to this change, SQL Server licenses purchased through CSP did […]
Migrating on-premises development workloads to the cloud offers many benefits including increased provisioning speed and scalability, improved security, and a potential to reduce cost by only paying for resources when they are being used. While the licensing terms for non-production are rather straightforward on-premises, there are significant differences between the licensing options on Azure versus
Deciding whether to renew Software Assurance (SA) is an important aspect of every Microsoft agreement renewal. As businesses shift on-premises workloads to the cloud, it is important to consider the cloud benefits that SA provides versus the cost of maintaining SA on perpetual licenses. This is especially true for SQL Server, which is eligible for
Microsoft SQL Server powers mission-critical enterprise workloads across countless organizations, but this power comes with expensive enterprise licensing. Companies are increasingly exploring ways to manage these costs, from right-sizing existing workloads to considering open-source alternatives and complete SQL Server migration. In cloud computing, where costs directly correlate with utilization, the first step should always be
Did you know that Microsoft restricts Windows Server bring-your-own-licensing (BYOL) on AWS and Google Cloud to Windows Server 2019 and prior versions? Are you planning to upgrade to Windows Server 2022/2025 as Windows Server 2016/2019 near the end of support? Should you modernize these workloads and leave the cost and licensing complexity of running Windows
Has managing desktops in your organizations become more challenging over the last five years with the growing number of remote workers? Have you explored Desktop-as-a-Service (DaaS) to learn how it could help you reduce cost and simplify IT management? Are you familiar with the offerings available on Amazon WorkSpaces and the option to bring your
Evolve Cloud Services helps organizations optimize and modernize their server-based workloads as they migrate to the cloud. Organizations that partner with Evolve gain insight into the technical and licensing aspects of cloud migration, which improve efficiency and reduce cost. A valuable component of this engagement is identifying the best virtualization solution for high performance and low cost.
Microsoft updated to the Service Provider Use Rights (SPUR) to remove the option for service providers to use their own Service Provider License Agreement (SPLA) licenses in Listed Provider environments (AWS, Google Cloud, Alibaba, Azure) after October 1, 2025. Service providers impacted by this change are advised to contact EVOLVE Cloud Services for help optimizing and/or modernizing their cloud deployments.
While often overlooked, the software licensing costs associated with workloads that you move to the cloud are 3 to 4 times the costs of all other cloud operational costs (compute, network & storage). As a result, it’s imperative that you understand the licensing impact, both from a cost optimization and compliance perspective, for any new
