As I discussed in yesterday’s blog, BYOD Big Surprise No. 2: “Guess What: You Owe Microsoft Money,” the question to ask isn’t whether or not you have a BYOD program in place at your company (you do – whether you like it or not), or even whether you owe Microsoft any licensing fees for those personal devices that are accessing your Exchange, SharePoint and related servers (again, you do – like it or not). The question you need to be asking is, how much do you owe?

It all starts with knowing what you have (how many personally owned devices exist in your environment), and what they are connecting up to – so an audit is your first step.  For this discussion, we will assume you have been paying Microsoft for your corporate-owned mobile smartphones and tablets connecting to Exchange, SharePoint, and other MS services. (You did buy those licenses, right?)

For personally owned devices, the framework and matrix can be complex, and this post only scratches the surface on the subject. I highly suggest that you engage your software partners -- like our friends at CDW, etc. -- and let them help you navigate these waters, because doing this on your own can be overwhelming. 

But whether you do this in-house, or get help from a trusted partner, asking the right questions is extremely important, and the following are some of the most important ones to ask:

 What kind of agreement do you have with Microsoft?

1. Do you have an enterprise agreement?
2. Do you have a select agreement?

• Are your licenses user-based?
• Are your licenses device-based?
• What services are your non-corporate devices connecting to?

1. Exchange
2. SharePoint
3. SQL
4. Remote Access
5. Windows Server
6. Windows Desktop
7. Office
8. Lync / Office Communicator

Each one of these questions will result in a different set of scenarios, based on customer’s licensing agreements, and the type of devices being used to access the software and services.  You need a subject matter expert to help you because of the significant complexity, the cost implications, and making sure you get it right so the licensing risk exposure goes away. 

In my personal opinion, Microsoft and other software vendors are going to put a lot more hyper-focus on capturing personally owned mobile device revenue in the coming months and years.  They know there is money due them because of BYOD, and they are going to get it sooner rather than later.  I expect to see more and more audits from software vendors, because we are talking about big money here. 

Microsoft is keenly aware of what is going on with BYOD, and they are in preparation to make it more financially beneficial for them. I have heard rumblings that they are going to charge a premium for user-based CALs (Client Access Licenses) very soon.  This is important because a company can switch their device CALs to user licenses and therefore minimize the cost of allowing each employee to connect multiple devices to MS services.  So if you are thinking of doing this, do it now, don’t wait!

Of course there are many dependencies, and the list is long, to be sure, to understand where you are at, and what your exposure is.  But regarding the license risk exposure and cost implications for allowing employees to use a personally owned device to connect to corporate Exchange only, you can estimate the cost per device of the three required device-based CAL’s to be in the neighborhood of $120 per smartphone or tablet. 

Don’t sit on this! The risk is real, so begin your research today and square up with Microsoft if you need to.  For starts, go to Microsoft’s web site and learn as much as you can. (This link may be a good place to start.) Then kick off an internal audit so you know what you have, and engage a trusted partner to help you.

Good Luck!