Choosing the Correct RDS CALs 2022 for Your Business Needs

Windows Server operating system licences are solely for running the OS on the physical server owned by the licence buyer. They don't provide the legal right for users or devices to connect to it.

Separate licences are needed for users or devices to access the server and use specific services.

A User-CAL gives you a licence to access the server, allowing you to use as many different endpoints as desired, as the CAL is linked to you, not the device. A Device-CAL grants the device access to the server, and anyone using this device does not need a User-CAL.

Which one fits my business?

It depends on whether you have more employees or more devices, and on your work environment, whether employees need to connect from outside the company or from the same location.

For instance:

• If you have fewer employees than devices, choose User-CAL, or if your workspace requires connecting from various devices to the server, this is the best option.
• If you have fewer devices than users, choose Device-CAL, or if your employees are in the same location but work different shifts and share devices, this is the optimal choice.

User RDS CALs Licence

With the User RDS CALs licence, licensing isn't enforced and a licence is issued to each user to connect to a Remote Desktop Session Host from any number of devices. The licensing server allocates licences from the available RDS CAL pool or the RDS CAL overused pool. It's your responsibility to ensure all users have a valid licence and no CAL is overused, otherwise, you would breach the Remote Desktop Services licensing terms.

For most businesses, the User RDS CALs licence is the most cost-effective, as employees generally access servers from multiple devices. For example, an employee might access their email on their desktop, laptop, tablet, and mobile in a typical week. One User RDS CALs licence covers that employee, whereas, with Device RDS CALs, you would need to buy 4 Device RDS CALs licences for the four devices.

Device RDS CALs Licence

With the Device model, a temporary licence is issued the first time a device connects to the Remote Desktop Session Host. Upon the second connection, provided the licensing server is activated and RDS CALs are available, the licensing server issues a permanent RDS Device-CAL.

The Device RDS CALs Licence is ideal when many employees use a limited number of computers. Examples include: a kiosk in a shopping centre with part-time employees, a maintenance team using a shared PC to clock in and out, or a company operating 24/7 with different shifts sharing PCs.