Transform business with the cloud-ready operating system
To stay competitive in the cloud marketplace, modern hosting environments need to provide safer, inexpensive and agile platform for customers. Extend your private cloud services and solutions with Windows Server 2016 while lowering your operational costs, increasing the security posture of your hosting environment, and ensuring that your client’s data stays within their purview.
Explore new revenue streams enabled with Windows Server 2016 below, plus access resources to learn more, establish your technical infrastructure and offerings, and go to market.
The enterprise workspace is rapidly changing, with an 80% leap in remote work since 2005. In response, a majority of surveyed hoster customers will adopt cloud-hosted DaaS—and 71% of them will purchase remote desktop solutions using SPLA Subscriber Access Licenses (SALS) **
– Jeff DeVerter
Chief Technology Officer for Microsoft Technologies, Rackspace
Provide higher density and performance for container-based apps and microservices. Compatible with existing server applications.
Prevent and block attacks against virtual machines, applications, and data with layers of protection built into the OS.
Use industry-standard hardware to build lower-cost, high density, highly available and scalable storage.
Achieve cost-savings and flexibility with software-defined compute, storage and network virtualization technologies inspired by Microsoft Azure.
Windows hosting network solutions
The Qualified Multitenant Hoster (QMTH) Program authorizes qualified third-party hosting service providers to host customers’ Windows virtual machines via Microsoft Cloud Agreement subscription or Microsoft Volume Licensing on multitenant hardware. The program also authorizes these third-party hosting service providers to host Office 365 ProPlus (including E3 and E5), Project Online Professional, and Visio Pro for Office 365 in shared computer activation (SCA) mode.
Multitenant Hosting Rights for Windows 10
Customers who buy Windows Per User licenses through Microsoft Volume Licensing will need to engage with an Authorized QMTH Partner to make use of their multitenant hosting rights for Windows 10 to host their Windows virtual machines on third-party multitenant hardware.
In addition, a customer who buys qualifying Windows 10 subscriptions with virtualization use rights via Microsoft Cloud Agreement subscription will need to engage with an Authorized QMTH Partner to make use of their multitenant hosting rights for Windows 10.
Customers do not need to engage an Authorized QMTH Partner for the following scenarios for qualifying Windows 10 products:
- • Microsoft Azure environment
- • Customers with on-premise dedicated use rights
Office 365 Shared Computer Activation (SCA)
A customer will need to engage with an Authorized QMTH Partner to host their qualifying Office 365 products in a multitenant, third-party environment.
Customers do not need to engage an Authorized QMTH Partner to host their qualifying Office 365 products for the following scenarios:
- • Microsoft Azure environment
- • Customers with on-premise dedicated use rights
- • Dedicated third-party hosted
For customers
Benefits of Windows 10 Virtualization and Shared Computer Activation for Office 365 ProPlus, Project Online Professional, and Visio Pro for Office 365
Windows 10 virtualization and SCA for Office 365 ProPlus, Project Online Professional, and Visio Pro for Office 365 gives you choice and flexibility. Both allow you to take advantage of existing Windows 10 and Office 365 licensing investments when deploying to the cloud, and you are able to make a deployment choice between on-premises, on Microsoft Azure, or any authorized Service Providers’ shared datacenter.
Which Windows licenses purchased through Microsoft Volume Licensing will include virtualization rights for Qualified Multitenant Hosting?
The following Windows licenses purchased through Microsoft Volume Licensing include virtualization rights for Qualified Multitenant Hosting:
- • Windows 10 Enterprise E3/E5 per User with SA – requires a Windows Pro or Windows 10 IoT Enterprise device
- • Windows 10 Enterprise E3/E5 VDA per User – no Windows Pro or Windows 10 IoT Enterprise device required
Which Windows subscriptions purchased via the Microsoft Cloud Agreement will include virtualization rights?
The following Windows subscriptions include virtualization rights for Azure and multitenant hardware in data centers managed by a qualified third-party service provider:
- • Windows 10 Enterprise E3 and E5 (with VDI) – requires a Windows Pro or Windows 10 IoT Enterprise device
- • Windows 10 Enterprise E3 VDA– no Windows Pro or Windows 10 IoT Enterprise device required
- • Microsoft 365 Enterprise (formerly Secure Productive Enterprise or SPE) E3 and E5 – requires a Windows Pro or Windows 10 IoT Enterprise device
Which Office versions support Shared Computer Activation?
Shared Computer Activation mode works with Office 365 ProPlus, Project Online Professional, and Visio Pro for Office 365. All Office 365 plans that include Office 365 ProPlus, Project Online Professional, or Visio Pro for Office 365 are able to use Shared Computer Activation.
Work with your licensing procurement team, your Microsoft representative, or preferred reseller to understand your license position. You will want to confirm that individuals in your organization for whom you would like to use SCA are all licensed on an Office 365 plan that includes one of the following products. Each user must be assigned a license for the corresponding product, and users must log in to Office 365 with their account.
- • Office 365 ProPlus
- • Project Online Professional
- • Visio Pro for Office 365
Choose a qualified cloud partner who is an Authorized QMTH Partner
You can virtualize Windows 10 and/or deploy Office 365 SCA on Microsoft Azure or choose from the list of qualified cloud partners that are Authorized QMTH Partners. Make sure the partner is a good match for your organization’s objectives and deployment plan.
Deploy with your partner
Eligible licenses can be deployed on any shared datacenter of a qualified cloud partner that is an Authorized QMTH Partner by letting your chosen partner use your existing licenses.
- • Please refer to these resources for technical details on virtualizing Windows 10.
- • Configure VDA for Windows 10 Subscription Activation
- • Windows 10 Subscription Activation
- • For technical details on deploying Office 365 ProPlus, Visio Pro for Office 365, and Project Online Professional, please see Overview of shared computer activation for Office 365 ProPlus and Deploy Office 365 ProPlus by using Remote Desktop Services.
- • For questions about deploying with a qualified cloud partner that is an Authorized QMTH Partner, contact your partner of choice.
For partners
Cloud Solution Provider program membership
All service providers must be a valid and existing Direct (1-Tier) Cloud Solution Provider (CSP). Details about the Microsoft CSP program and its requirements are published here. The CSP program certifies partners to provide the level of technical support required to ensure quality of service and customer satisfaction. The CSP program also expands the set of Microsoft products and services that partners are eligible to resell to customers.
Additionally, to become a qualified cloud partner that is an Authorized QMTH Partner you must be a Microsoft Services Provider License Agreement (SPLA) partner and attach an addendum, with additional Qualified Multitenant Hoster terms, to your SPLA agreement. Contact your reseller or primary point-of-contact at Microsoft to obtain the addendum.
As of August 1, 2017, customers who purchase Windows 10 Enterprise E3 and E5 per User with SA and/or Windows 10 Enterprise E3 and E5 VDA per User licenses through Microsoft Volume Licensing will have the Windows 10 Current Branch for Business (CBB) virtualization rights for Microsoft Azure and/or third-party hosting in a multitenant environment by an Authorized QMTH Partner.
In addition, customers who purchase Windows 10 Enterprise E3 and E5 (with VDI), Windows 10 Enterprise E3 VDA, and Microsoft 365 Enterprise (formerly Secure Productive Enterprise or SPE) E3 and E5 licenses through CSP will have Windows 10 virtualization rights on Microsoft Azure or on multitenant hardware in third-party data centers managed by qualified service providers.
Only customers with an Office 365 plan that includes Office 365 ProPlus, Project Online Professional, or Visio Pro for Office 365 may use SCA. Each user must be assigned a corresponding license and users must log in to Office 365 with their account.
QMTH Partners may host virtualized Windows 10 environments for customers with Enterprise subscriptions by providing them with virtualized Windows 10 Pro environments to sign into. Once a user with a Windows 10 Enterprise license provisioned through Azure Active Directory signs into the Windows 10 Pro environment it will upgrade to Windows 10 Enterprise.
To get started, QMTH Partners may follow these steps:
- 1. Download Windows 10 Pro media through VLSC or Microsoft (https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10).
- 2. Activate Windows 10 Pro images through a KMS server (KMS server keys are available through VLSC). The SPLA Amendment for QMTH authorizes QMTH Partners to use VLSC for providing this hosting service. You may refer to this training resource for more information on how to navigate and use the VLSC.
You may refer to these additional resources for technical details on virtualizing Windows 10.
To enable SCA when deploying Office 365 ProPlus, you need the following:
- • The current version of the Office Deployment Tool, which is available at the Microsoft Download Center (here for Office 2013 and here for Office 2016).
- • A configuration XML file with a Branch element to the value «Current». Please review this reference for further details on configuring the Branch element.
For instructions and technical details on deploying Office 365 ProPlus, Project Online Professional, and Visio Pro for Office 365, please see Overview of shared computer activation for Office 365 ProPlus and Deploy Office 365 ProPlus by using Remote Desktop Services.
Deployment best practices
To improve Office 2013 CPU utilization:
- • It is recommended that Office run on Windows 7 + Windows update, Windows 8, Windows 10, Windows Server 2012, or greater.
- • It is recommended that you boot over a remote connection to ensure that, at boot, Office makes remote performance optimizations.
Given the wide range of technologies service providers may be using to deploy SCA, some software deployment and performance issues are not possible to foresee. Please report any major issues you experience with SCA deployment or performance back to Microsoft.
Service providers are subject to the same system requirements as customers. For Office 365 ProPlus, Project Online Professional, and Visio Pro for Office 365 system requirements, refer to System requirements for Office using Office 365 for commercial customers. For Windows 10, refer to the following resources.
All qualified cloud partners that are Authorized QMTH Partners are required to report monthly usage information as specified in the SPLA Amendment for QMTH.
All qualified cloud partners that are Authorized QMTH Partners are required to pay a monthly program administrative fee.
Get on the Authorized QMTH Partner list
Qualified cloud partners whose authorization has been accepted and processed by Microsoft will be placed on the list of Authorized QMTH Partners. This list is made publicly available to Microsoft Office 365 and Windows customers and is updated weekly.
For Windows 10 virtualization, you can refer your customers to these articles.
For SCA, you can refer your customers to these articles:
