Choosing the Right RDS CALs 2022 License for Your Needs

Licences for the Windows Server operating system are solely for running the OS on the purchaser's physical server. They do not provide legal rights for users or devices to connect to it.

To allow users or devices to access the server and utilize specific services, separate licences are necessary.

A User-CAL grants an individual licence to access the server. This means you can connect from multiple endpoints because the CAL is tied to you, not a device. A Device-CAL, on the other hand, permits the device to access the server, so anyone using that device does not need a User-CAL.

Which one fits my business?

The choice depends on whether you have more employees or more devices, and on your working environment, such as whether employees need to connect from different locations or just within the office.

For example:

• If you have fewer employees than devices, opt for User-CAL. This is also ideal if your employees need to connect from various devices to the server.
• If you have more employees than devices, go for Device-CAL. This is beneficial if employees share the same device at different times and work from the same location.

User RDS CALs License

With the User RDS CALs license, licensing is not enforced, and a licence is assigned to each user connecting to a Remote Desktop Session Host from any number of devices. Licenses are distributed from the available RDS CAL pool or the overused pool. It is your responsibility to ensure all users have a valid licence and avoid overuse, to comply with Remote Desktop Services licensing terms.

For most businesses, the User RDS CALs license is cost-effective, as employees often access servers through multiple devices. For instance, an employee accessing their email on a desktop, laptop, tablet, and phone would only need one User RDS CALs license instead of four Device RDS CALs licenses.

Device RDS CALs License

Under the device model, a temporary licence is issued when a device first connects to the Remote Desktop Session Host. On the second connection, provided the licensing server is active and RDS CALs are available, a permanent RDS Device-CAL is issued.

The Device RDS CALs License is ideal when many employees use a few computers. Examples include: a shopping centre kiosk with part-time staff, a maintenance team sharing a PC, or a company operating 24/7 with different shifts using the same PCs.