Services Provider License Agreement (SPLA)

Services Provider License Agreement: With the Services Provider License Agreement (SPLA), your organization can license Microsoft products and use these licensed products to provide software services and hosted applications to your customers.
With SPLA, you are the licensee, not the customer.

Software services are services that you provide to your customers that make Microsoft products available and that display, run, access, or otherwise interact with Microsoft products. You provide these services from one or more data centers via the Internet, a telephony network, or a private network on a rental, subscription, or services basis, whether or not you receive a fee. Software services exclude installing a Microsoft product directly on any device to permit a customer to interact with the Microsoft product.

You are a service provider if you provide the following software services to your customers:
⚑ Your organization provides your customers with direct or indirect access to products such as hosted websites
or line of business (LOB) applications through Microsoft server products.
⚑ Your organization offers your customers software services that interact with Microsoft products where you,
not your customer, are the licensee.
⚑ You facilitate your customer’s business, including business transactions with third parties, through software
services that interact with Microsoft products.
⚑ Your organization provides your customers with access to, and use of, any application as a software service,
Microsoft or otherwise, and the application runs on a server and interacts with a Microsoft product on that
server.
⚑ Your organization offers other service providers platform infrastructure services to use and run any Microsoft
or third party application. This, in turn, allows these other service providers to offer Microsoft applications as
a software service to their end customers through their own SPLA.
⚑ You use the Microsoft software for the benefit of a third party.

Services Provider Agreement overview

Who the SPLA is for
The SPLA is for organizations that want to offer hosted software and services to customers, such as web hosting, hosted applications, messaging, collaboration, and platform infrastructure.

Licensing model
Licenses under the SPLA are subscription licenses that can be used during the agreement term.
Per subscriber.
A Subscriber Access License (SAL) is required for each unique individual user or device that is authorized to access or otherwise use the licensed products. You do not need a separate server license.
Per core.
Each Core License (CL) allows an unlimited number of users to access the server software installed on the licensed server with a determined number of physical cores for products licensed through a per core model.
Per proc.
Each Processor License allows an unlimited number of users to access the product that is installed on the server without a separate SAL.

Key benefits
Deliver a customized service.
Flexibility to deliver tailored IT services to your customers through a dedicated or shared hosting environment. Increase the value of your services by managing software use rights for your customers.
Pay as you go with no up front costs. Pay only for the products that you made available to your customers to use
the previous month. There are no start up costs or long term commitments.
Access the most current product versions. Give your customers the most current and capable Microsoft platform.
Download your products at no charge through the Microsoft Volume Licensing Service Center (VLSC) instead of
ordering physical media.
Offer software services worldwide. Use Microsoft products to deliver software services to end customers in any part
of the world where distribution is legally allowed.
Expand distribution capabilities through Software Services Resellers. Expand business reach to small and medium sized end customers by providing software services through additional resellers.
Use Data Center Providers for infrastructure capabilities. Have the option to focus on hosting your application
solutions and acquire infrastructure as a service (IaaS) from a Data Center Provider.
Take advantage of Data Center Outsourcing. Install Microsoft products on servers under the day to day management and control of an outsourcing company to deliver your software services based on your capacity and server management capabilities. The outsourcer can then perform data center administration, testing, and maintenance support services on the end customer’s behalf.
Try before you buy licenses. Test and evaluate products internally before offering them to your customers as a service.
Install at customer facilities. Install Microsoft products on servers located on an end customer’s premises under your
management and control.
Offer demonstrations and evaluations. You can have up to 50 active user IDs for service/product demos and give your customers a free 60 day trial period.
Include your affiliates under a single agreement. Your affiliates do not have to sign a separate SPLA.
Expand your reach to academic institutions. Potentially expand your business with specific price offerings available
to your academic customers through the SPLA.

Download the document:

Download the document Service Provider License Agreement Program Guide:

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