Microsoft has enabled License Mobility within CSP subscriptions, simplifying SQL Server and Windows Server deployments across cloud and hosted environments.
What Changed in CSP Licensing
This is a tactical post because it solves an annoying problem that created complexity and confusion with licensing. For our CSP Advantage customers, this is one of those things you may have missed, but could help you simplify your licensing. At the end of the day, this helps you remove that complexity and is worth looking at before you renew Microsoft licensing with SA the way you always have.
On April 1, Microsoft quietly made CSP Software Subscription benefits fully equivalent to Software Assurance.
That one sentence unlocks License Mobility rights for CSP subscribers on SQL Server, External Connectors for Windows Server, and RDS. Customers can now deploy those workloads with “Authorized Mobility Partners.” Groups like Amazon, Google, etc., or on third-party hosted or dedicated infrastructure outside Azure. Previously, that required legacy Volume Licensing with Software Assurance. CSP customers couldn’t do it.
Why This Matters to You in a Renewal Conversation
To be clear, this is not new; it just wasn’t available to CSP. That made it complex for varying licensing scenarios.
A customer on CSP subscriptions who wanted to run SQL Server on some other infrastructure, a colocation environment, or a non-Azure cloud had one path: get on Software Assurance through a volume agreement.
You can now do that directly in CSP. This makes it simpler for clients needing SQL and Remote Desktop Services (RDS) (Terminal Services, Citrix, etc.)
Microsoft adjusts licensing mechanics quietly and often. Mostly in the footnotes of Partner Center announcements that most partners skip. This is an opportunity to simplify your licensing and create greater flexibility. Glad it’s finally solved.
What to Know Before You Use It
A few specifics worth having in hand:
- Applies to subscriptions, not perpetual licenses. CSP perpetual licenses don’t carry these rights. This is subscriptions only. There is a difference.
- Eligible products: SQL Server, External Connectors for Windows Server, RDS. Not the full Windows Server catalog.
- Authorized Mobility Partners only. The hosting provider needs to be on Microsoft’s authorized list. Amazon, Google, and more are on it.
- MCA terms apply. This is under the Microsoft Customer Agreement, not the legacy MPSA or EA licensing framework. Requires some paperwork if you aren’t there.
Review the License Mobility FAQ Microsoft published with the announcement before you put specifics in front of a customer. The mechanics matter in a compliance conversation.
CSP License Mobility FAQs
CSP License Mobility allows customers to deploy workloads like SQL Server and Windows Server on authorized third-party infrastructure without needing Software Assurance.
In many scenarios, yes. CSP subscriptions now include equivalent benefits, eliminating the need for Software Assurance for eligible workloads.
No. License Mobility in CSP only applies to subscription licenses, not perpetual licenses.
Key eligible products include SQL Server, Windows Server External Connectors, and Remote Desktop Services (RDS).
No. Deployments are limited to Microsoft Authorized Mobility Partners such as AWS and Google Cloud.
This change may allow you to simplify your licensing strategy and avoid renewing Software Assurance in certain scenarios.
Yes. CSP License Mobility operates under the Microsoft Customer Agreement (MCA), not legacy volume licensing agreements.
The capability itself is not new, but its availability within CSP subscriptions is a recent update from Microsoft.
Simplify Your Microsoft Licensing Strategy
Understand how CSP changes impact your renewals and reduce unnecessary licensing costs.
