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Lync 2010 SPLA Licencing

Lync can be licenced on a SPLA basis from a Service provider, as an alternative to the normal CAL model.

The Lync SPLA is licenced on a per month/per user basis. The are 4 SAL types, Standard, Plus, Enterprise and Enterprise Plus (similar to the CALs - Enterprise Plus is equivalent to Enterprise and Plus together). Unlike the CAL model where CALs are additive to give the user extra functionality, only one SAL is required per user.



Update: Basic IM/Presence is enabled by the Standard SAL. The Enterprise SAL gives the basic functionality of the Standard SAL plus the features of the Enterprise CAL. The Plus SAL gives the basic functionality of the Standard SAL and also the features of the Plus CAL, but it does not include the features of the Enterprise CAL. For complete Lync functionality, the user requires the Enterprise Plus SAL.

Lync Server is additional software, so the Service Provider doesn't have to pay or charge for it. The SQL and the Windows OS are chargeable.

Under a SPLA the service provider would normally deploy the solution in their hosting Data Centre, however it can be deployed at the customer premises, so long as the hardware is owned by the Service Provider.

Gartner: Critical Capabilities for Unified Communications



"This research outlines and evaluates the leading UC product portfolios on the market, focusing on three use cases: telephony, collaboration and small or midsize businesses. While all vendor products were good, two received an overall rating of Excellent due to portfolio breadth and market strength."

Microsoft and Cisco were rated excellent, with Microsoft coming out ahead.

MCITP: Lync Server Administrator

The requirements for the MCITP in Lync Server are to pass the 70-664 (configuring) and 70-665 (Administrator) exams.

The 70-664 exam is currently in development and due for release March 15, 2011.
The 70-665 exam is currently in development and due for release March 29, 2011.
 There is no official preparation material, there are some notes available over at geekswithblogs, for details refer to my previous post.