Tag: Software Licensing

Starting from 1st of October, Microsoft have implemented a significant change to their Power Platform licensing model; today we will review the impact this will have on current Flow and PowerApps users who are already availing of the limited capabilities included in O365 plans. It’s important to understand what the changes are, how they will affect you, and what action needs to be taken. 

Firstly, the significant changes to the O365 PowerApps & Flow licenses are as follows:

  • The SQL, Azure and Dynamics 365 connectors listed below will be reclassified from Standard to Premium. A standalone PowerApps or Flow plan license is required to access all Premium connectors, which is an additional cost. This will result in a need for an additional licence purchase of either PowerApps App Plan, PowerApps Plan 2, Flow Plan 1 or Plan 2, depending on functionality needed. They may also be a requirement to add extra capacity based on your business needs.  

If you are not currently using these services then no action is required; you will start on the new model if you decide to start running these services.

However, if you are currently utilising these resources, then it is possible to ask Microsoft to extend your current licensing terms until 1st of October 2020, or the expiration of your current Online Service term. There is some urgency to request this extension, as it needs to be made before 31st of December 2019.

Our recommendation: If you are not currently using these services, no action is needed, but if you are using O365 PowerApps and/or Flow services, and will be affected by the changes below, open a service request on your O365 tenant (see guide) and request an extension to your current licensing model.  

  • Newly defined Premium Connectors:
    • Azure Application Insights
    • Azure Automation
    • Azure Blob Storage
    • Azure Container
    • Azure Cosmos
    • Azure Data Factory
    • Azure Data Lake
    • Azure DevOps
    • Azure Event Grid
    • Azure Event Grid Publish
    • Azure File Storage
    • Azure IoT Central
    • Azure Kusto
    • Azure Log Analytics
    • Azure Log Analytics Data Collector
    • Azure Queues
    • Azure Resource Manager
    • Azure SQL
    • Azure SQL Data Warehouse
    • Azure Table Sorage
    • Dynamics 365
    • Dynamics 365 Customer Insights
    • Dynamics 365 for Finance & Operations
    • Dynamics 365 Sales Insights
    • Dynamics 365 Business Central
    • Dynamics 365 Business Central (on-premises)
    • Dynamics NAV
    • Event Hubs
    • Service Bus
    • SQL Server
  • Two of Flow’s plan-based limits are being removed:
  • 5-minute maximum flow frequency
  • 2,000 maximum runs per user, per month. Existing user-based limits on API requests will remain in place for the purposes of service assurance, and there is one new daily API request limit being introduced at this time. Go here to learn more about Flow service limits.

In May, Microsoft announced a vulnerability in legacy operating systems that has high potential of being exploited. The vulnerability is in the Remote Desktop Services (formerly known as Terminal Services) and could be exploited remotely with no authentication required. This affects Windows 7, Server 2008, and 2008 R2.

The vulnerability is severe enough that Microsoft took a pretty unusual step in releasing updates for Windows XP and Server 2003 in addition to currently supported versions of Windows that are affected. If you remember back to the WannaCry attack, Microsoft had issued a patch months before, but some companies hadn’t installed the fix. This led to a global impact. In order to avoid a potential repeat, companies are urged to update all affected systems as quickly as possible.

To help, Ivanti are giving a free 60-day license to Ivanti Security Controls, which includes solutions such as patch management, privilege management and whitelisting in one place. Ivanti’s IT software is used by 79 of the Fortune 100, helping businesses succeed through unifying IT systems and technology stacks.

Download the 60-day trial license here. With this license you will be able to quickly update up to 50 systems including Windows XP and Server 2003.

To learn more, get in touch with us and we will organise a call for you with Ivanti representatives based locally here in Ireland. 

What else can Ivanti help your business achieve? Talk to us and find out. 

As the trusted Licensing Partner of the HEAnet, Ireland’s national research and education network, we were pleased to invite our colleagues from Ergo to the HEAnet Microsoft Licensing workshop, where we jointly showcased the full scope of the Microsoft Office 365 family of products and solutions. This event took place in HEAnet’s headquarters in George’s Dock, Dublin, which played host to a full room of attendees from various third level institutions.

For the vast majority of HEAnet clients in attendance, the Office 365 products and services was already available to them via their annual Microsoft Campus agreement which Micromail manages. The event was to aid these customers in making the most of their licenses in a way that made sense for each institution. Although from the same industry, no two institutions are identical – and it was important to highlight the ability of Office 365 to address every challenge and pain point an institution may face, no matter the situation.

Up for discussion was the security features that come with Microsoft 365 A3 and A5 licenses, in particular, Security Identity and Access Management. Ergo’s Conor Magee and Sean McAvinue did a deep dive of Azure Active Directory and Multi-Factor Authentication complete with real-time demonstrations of these products, using real-world examples.

After this, they moved onto Information Protection, Threat Protection and Security Management. They provided statistics on these features and how they are shaping the future of security management, something that is of top priority for all organisations – especially ones who are handling huge amounts of personal and technical data. 

What followed was a Q&A from the attendees where myself and Micromail colleagues, Seán Deasy and Stewart Kennedy, were on hand to address any licensing queries.

Last up was Peter McCullagh from Ergo who did a very informative presentation entitled “Ten Things You Should be Doing in SharePoint Online”, again followed by a Q&A session. This highlighted another way in which Office 365 and the Microsoft product family can do to help organisations like third level institutions succeed by digitally enhancing their processes, workflow and workforce.

In a world where digital is the word on everyone’s lips, and organisations have to go digital to stay relevant, it’s important to partner with not only a tech pillar like Microsoft, who pioneers and creates the solutions, but also the partners on the ground who take the time to understand your pain points, tackle your challenges and ultimately help you along every step of the way.

If you are a third level institution and would like to learn more about Office 365 and the products and services available via the Microsoft Campus agreement, talk to us here. 

After six successful years of ISO 9001:2008 certification Micromail recently upgraded to and were accredited with ISO 9001:2015 certification for its provision of software licensing solutions and Software Asset Management (SAM) services.  The awarding body was the National Standards Authority of Ireland (NSAI).  ISO 9001:2015 is the latest version of ISO 9001 and is the internationally recognized standard for a Quality Management System which focuses on an organization’s actions to meet and continually improve customer satisfaction and quality requirements.

Micromail is over 30 years in business and continues to be Ireland’s leading Microsoft LSP and Adobe Platinum Partner. The investment in ISO 9001:2015 demonstrates our ongoing commitment to offer our customers the highest levels of service possible.