Choosing the Right 2022 RDS CALs Licence for Your Business

Licences for the Windows Server operating system are solely for operating the system on the licence holder's physical server and do not include rights for users or devices to connect to it.

Separate licences must be obtained for users or devices that wish to connect to the server and utilize its services.

A User-CAL allows you to access the server from any number of devices as the licence is attached to you, not to any single device. Conversely, a Device-CAL permits a specific device to connect to the server, not requiring individual users of this device to hold a User-CAL.

Finding the Best Fit for Your Enterprise

The decision primarily depends on whether your setup has more employees or devices, as well as whether your employees need remote access or are located at a single site.

For instance:

• If your business has fewer employees than devices, a User-CAL would be advantageous, particularly if the need to connect from various devices arises.
• If there are more users than devices, a Device-CAL is preferable if multiple employees use the same device at different times or in the same location.

User RDS CALs Licence

The User RDS CALs licence does not enforce licensing, but assigns a licence to each user to connect from any device to a Remote Desktop Session Host. It's crucial to ensure all users are correctly licensed to avoid breaching Remote Desktop Services licensing terms, as licences are issued from the available or overused RDS CAL pool by the licensing server.

For many businesses, the User RDS CALs licence is more economical, particularly if employees use multiple devices to access server services. For example, an employee accessing their email from desktop, laptop, tablet, and mobile throughout a week would be sufficiently covered by a single User RDS CALs licence rather than needing separate Device RDS CALs licences for each device.

Device RDS CALs Licence

In the device model, a temporary licence is first issued when a device connects to a Remote Desktop Session Host. On subsequent connections, if the licensing server is active and RDS CALs are available, a permanent RDS Device-CAL is issued.

This option suits scenarios with many employees using few computers, such as a shopping centre kiosk staffed by part-time workers, a maintenance crew sharing a PC, or companies operating around the clock with different teams using the same computers.