Program guide
Server and Cloud Enrollment
Contents
The Server and Cloud Enrollment ..............................................................................................................................3
Cloud-enabled ...............................................................................................................................................................3
Standardized and simplified.....................................................................................................................................3
Cost savings and benefits..........................................................................................................................................3
How the SCE works ..........................................................................................................................................................4
Available software and cloud services......................................................................................................................4
Core Infrastructure .......................................................................................................................................................5
Application Platform....................................................................................................................................................5
Developer Platform......................................................................................................................................................6
Microsoft Azure .............................................................................................................................................................6
Additional Products .....................................................................................................................................................6
Software Assurance......................................................................................................................................................7
How to enroll in the SCE................................................................................................................................................7
Subscription in the SCE ..............................................................................................................................................8
Azure in SCE....................................................................................................................................................................8
Cloud Management benefit .....................................................................................................................................9
SCE program details Pricing .........................................................................................................................................9
Volume Licensing pricing principles .....................................................................................................................9
Volume pricing ..............................................................................................................................................................9
Spread payments ..........................................................................................................................................................9
Payment Solutions .................................................................................................................................................... 10
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Agreement anniversary: annual reconciliation............................................................................................... 10
Managing your SCE ...................................................................................................................................................... 10
Committing to one or more components in an SCE ................................................................................... 10
Adding products and cloud services.................................................................................................................. 11
Managing cloud services ........................................................................................................................................ 11
Resources.......................................................................................................................................................................... 11
Where to learn more ................................................................................................................................................ 12
Appendix A: Enterprise Agreement structure..................................................................................................... 13
Enterprise Agreement structure........................................................................................................................... 13
Agreement components ......................................................................................................................................... 13
Additional documents ............................................................................................................................................. 14
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The Server and Cloud Enrollment
The Server and Cloud Enrollment (SCE) is an enrollment under the Microsoft Enterprise
Agreement that allows highly committed customers to standardize broadly on one or more of
the four server and cloud technologies from Microsoft. In exchange for making an installed
base-wide commitment to an SCE component, you receive a range of benefits, including new
cloud-optimized licensing options, simplified license management, and the best pricing and
terms.
Cloud-enabled
SCE offers application License Mobility to the cloud and new benefits for using System Center to
manage Azure resources. SCE also includes a subscription option that offers more flexibility
when retiring workloads, consolidating, or migrating to the cloud.
Standardized and simplified
SCE replaces Enrollment for Core Infrastructure (ECI) and the Enterprise Application Enrollment
(EAP) with a single enrollment spanning the Microsoft server and cloud technologies. This allows
you to take advantage of simplified licensing through a standardized set of products and
services to gain access to the latest technologies and benefits for all deployments.
Cost savings and benefits
• SCE offers great pricing and benefits for server and cloud products, including discounts
on new licenses and Software Assurance15% discount off of a license with Software
Assurance products.
• 5% off Software Assurance products.
• A subscription option is available alongside perpetual licenses, giving you more flexibility
when you need to retire workloads, consolidate, or migrate to the cloud.
• If you commit to the Core Infrastructure Suite (CIS), you will receive incremental rights to
use System Center to manage Azure virtual machines and resources at no additional cost.
• All the benefits of Software Assurance, including access to License Mobility for many
applications, which allows for even more seamless migrations to the cloud.
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How the SCE works
To enroll, an installed base-wide commitment, or monetary commitment in the case of Azure, is
required to one or more of the following four SCE components:
• Core Infrastructure
• Application Platform
• Developer Platform
• Microsoft Azure
The following are also required:
• Enterprise Agreement: although you need to sign an Enterprise Agreement, an Enterprise
Enrollment for Desktop is not needed to qualify.
• Annuity coverage: 100% Software Assurance or Subscription coverage is required on
your installed base for each product family that you commit to, including those licenses
that were not covered by Software Assurance when you entered the program.
With SCE, the following occurs:
• For licenses with continuous Software Assurance coverage, Software Assurance can be
renewed at a discounted rate upon entering the program.
• For licenses that did not have Software Assurance, you can subscribe to the most current
version of the product or repurchase the license and add Software Assurance.
• For incremental licenses purchased during the agreement term, you receive additional
price savings on licenses with Software Assurance products.
Available software and cloud services
Through the SCE, you can purchase groups of products and receive additional savings, or you
can order software licenses and cloud services separately.
You will also see a distinction made between enterprise products that are available with an
installed base-wide purchase commitment and additional products and enterprise cloud services
that usually do not require such a commitment.
The following products are available:
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Core Infrastructure
• CIS Datacenter 16- Packs of Core Licenses
• CIS Datacenter 2-Packs of Core Licenses
• CIS Standard – 16 Packs of Core Licenses
• CIS Standard – 2-Packs of Core Licenses
All licensed Windows Server deployments must be covered with one of the above SKUs.
*These SKUs are used for component licenses with continuous Software Assurance.
Minimum order requirement
You will need to purchase a minimum of 400 Core Licenses or more of one or a combination of
CIS Suites Standard or Datacenter.
Application Platform
SQL Server Product Family
• SQL Server CAL
• SQL Server Enterprise per core
• SQL Server Standard per core
• SQL Server Standard Server
BizTalk Server Product Family
• BizTalk Server Enterprise per core
• BizTalk Server Standard per core
• BizTalk Server Branch per core
SharePoint Server Product Family
• SharePoint Server
Minimum order requirement
You will need to purchase, at a minimum, the quantity of SQL per-core licenses needed for 50
cores or licenses for five SQL Server editions with 250 CALs.
If you would like to license BizTalk through an SCE, you will additionally need to purchase a
minimum of 24 cores of BizTalk, any edition.
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If you would like to license SharePoint through an SCE, you will additionally need to purchase a
minimum of five servers of SharePoint Server.
The SQL Server product family must be selected to enable the purchase of any other Application
Platform product family.
Developer Platform
• Visual Studio Enterprise with MSDN
• Visual Studio Test Professional with MSDN
• MSDN Platforms
Minimum order requirement:
You will need to purchase a minimum of at least 20 licenses of any combination of Visual Studio
Enterprise and MSDN Platforms. A license is required for each user of any software licensed
through MSDN subscription.
Microsoft Azure
• All Microsoft Azure cloud services
Minimum order requirement
If you are purchasing Core Infrastructure, Application Platform or Developer Platform products
under your Server and Cloud Enrollment, You may use the Azure consumption services and are
billed monthly in arrears. Alternatively, you may make an Annually Prepaid or Fully Prepaid
Azure prepayment of a minimum of $100 per month.
Additional Products
All products on the Enterprise Agreement additional products list can be added as additional
products, except for products that require an installed base-wide commitment as SCE
components.
The following are available as additional products:
• Visual Studio Pro
• SQL Server Enterprise Edition Server (non-core) Software Assurance only
• System Center Datacenter and Standard Edition (for managing non-Windows Server
deployments)
These products may be added initially or at any point during the term of your SCE, allowing you
to set up and maintain departments or divisions with specific needs more easily and still enjoy
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volume pricing advantages and an annualized payment option. SQL products may include
device-based licenses, user-based licenses, and Cloud Services. Subscription is not available for
any on-premises additional product.
Software Assurance
Microsoft Software Assurance offers you all day, everyday support, and the latest software
releases and unique technologies, all through one program. To help your IT staff efficiently
implement and manage Microsoft products and services, Software Assurance provides access to
new software releases when they become available. In addition, Software Assurance supports a
greater variety of cloud and hybrid deployment options with extended license rights that let you
deploy existing server application licenses in shared datacenters.
How to enroll in the SCE
To enroll in the SCE, you will need to identify your installed base for the SCE components that
you wish to purchase. You will need to identify:
• All existing licenses deployed with continuous Software Assurance across all your existing
licensing agreements and enrollments.
• All licenses deployed (in use) without continuous Software Assurance.
• Any licenses you would like to add at the signing of your SCE.
Next, you will need to make sure you have full Software Assurance coverage on all these
licenses. Licenses with Software Assurance simply renew as Software Assurance only in the SCE.
For deployments that are currently licensed without Software Assurance, you have two options:
• You can add subscription SKUs to license these workloads.
• You can add new License with Software Assurance SKUs at signing for these workloads.
If you are enrolling in the Core Infrastructure Component, you will need to make sure that all
your Windows Server deployments are also licensed with System Center through a CIS SKU. You
can do this with subscription licenses or by adding a new License with Software Assurance. In
scenarios where you have current Software Assurance on either Windows Server or System
Center, but not both.
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Subscription in the SCE
Subscription provides you with flexibility both in meeting the coverage requirements of an SCE
and when deploying new licenses. You can purchase subscriptions to cover licenses without
continuous Software Assurance at signing or for new deployments
Subscription provides flexibility through:
• Lower upfront costs when signing an SCE.
• More purchasing options for new units.
• Ability to reduce licenses annually when retiring workloads, consolidating, or migrating to
the cloud.
Subscriptions require a minimum commitment of 12 months. However, should you not wish to
renew or prefer to purchase a license, buyout pricing will be set at year three True-Up pricing.
Subscription SKUs can be purchased through Monthly Subscription Units (MSUs) and can be
included with perpetual licenses in the same SCE.
Azure in SCE
You can purchase Azure in one of two ways in the SCE:
• Azure is automatically available when enrolling in any of the other three SCE components
(such as Core Infrastructure, Application Platform, and/or Developer Platform). You will
receive an activation email from Microsoft inviting you to provision Azure Services
without the need to purchase Monetary Commitment.
• Azure Monetary Commitment can be purchased without enrolling in any of the other
three SCE components.
If you are heavily committed to deploying server technologies on-premises, making an installed
base-wide SCE commitment to Windows Server and System Center, SQL Server, or Developer
Tools allows you to standardize on or more of these technologies without any upfront
commitment to Azure. However, once you are ready to move some of your workloads to the
cloud, you will be able to start using Azure immediately and get billed quarterly only for what
you use.
You also have the option of signing an Azure-only SCE—this means that you purchase Azure
only without a commitment to any of the other three SCE components. You will need to sign a
three-year contract, but you do have the ability to increase or decrease your commitment
annually.
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Customers purchasing Microsoft Azure through their SCE will be eligible to continue using Azure
on a pay-go basis after their enrollment expires.
Cloud Management benefit
If you enroll in the core infrastructure component, you can use System Center to manage Azure
Virtual Operating System Environments (VOSEs) without needing to acquire an additional
license. You can, of course, use license mobility to move existing qualifying licenses to the cloud
when moving workloads to Azure, but this benefit will also allow you to manage new
deployments as well, without buying additional licenses.
Eligible Azure VOSEs instances include:
• Windows virtual machine instances
• Cloud service instances (web and worker role)
• Storage accounts
• SQL databases
• Website instances
SCE program details Pricing
Volume Licensing pricing principles
The annual price-per-license budgeting feature of the SCE is predictable, so you can forecast
software technology costs up to three years in advance. A payment (based on your initial order)
is due each year on the anniversary of your SCE. Should you add additional software licenses or
subscriptions during your agreement, the per-license costs remain the same or may be lower
given the program’s volume pricing levels.
Volume pricing
At the onset of your Enrollment, pricing is based on a tiered volume discount structure, meaning
the greater the size of your purchase commitment the less you will pay for an individual license.
Spread payments
Payments for products and services purchased at signing may be spread over three annual
payments mapping to your yearly agreement anniversary. This is a benefit of the EA’s Software
Assurance coverage and is offered as an optional payment term with no cost-of-money fees.
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Payment Solutions
Payment Solutions help facilitate adoption of Microsoft’s Mobile First, Cloud First solutions with
flexible payment options designed to address customers’ business and financial requirements.
With Payment Solutions, customers can:
Simplify cloud adoption: fund all aspects of your solution, including software and services.
Innovate on your terms: structure payments to meet your business requirements; add new seats
and adjust subscription amounts as needs change.
Maximize ROI: minimize up-front payments and pay as you deploy your IT solution and
realize benefits.
For organizations that already license software from Microsoft, payment options are convenient
to add, and spread the costs of the software over an extended period of time, preserving capital
resources for other investments and business priorities.
Agreement anniversary: annual reconciliation
Over the life of your SCE, you can deploy additional software and online services and then
account for these changes through an annual reconciliation process known as True-Up.
Once a year, you are asked to reconcile your SCE licenses, subscriptions, and services to account
for anything that has been added in the previous 12 months. This effort culminates in an order
you place (or an Update Statement you submit) that reconciles all the software licenses,
subscriptions, or online services added or used by your organization over the course of the year.
Your annual reconciliation order (or Update Statement) is due 60-30 days prior to your
Enrollment anniversary, which helps Microsoft make sure you’re taking advantage of allowable
license transitions or license reductions before issuing your annual invoice. (See the Enterprise
Agreement True-up Guide for more information.)
Managing your SCE
Committing to one or more components in an SCE
To enroll in an SCE, you will sign a Master Agreement (MBSA) and an Enterprise Agreement in
addition to the SCE. SCE can cover one or more components under the EA. If you want to make
an installed base commitment to more than one component, this can be accommodated within
one SCE contract. You will be able to commit to additional components throughout the term of
your SCE.
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Once you have made an installed base-wide commitment to a given component, you get all the
benefits that go along with that component. If an additional commitment is made to an
alternate component, then you will also realize the incremental benefits for that set of products.
There is no cumulative benefit of adding multiple components, other than the simplicity of
standardizing your Server and Cloud licensing in a single vehicle.
Adding products and cloud services
Throughout your SCE term, you may adjust your Microsoft software and cloud services licenses
in two ways:
• If you need to add more licenses for products already enrolled for in the SCE, these
changes are reported at your next agreement anniversary through an annual
reconciliation process known as True-up.
• If you want new products or cloud services, you can order these through your Microsoft
Reseller at any time during your agreement.
Managing cloud services
While management processes may be modified to accommodate future cloud service offerings,
you currently have two main ways to manage Microsoft cloud services:
• Use the Azure Portal to manage your accounts, configure rules and settings for various
Azure services, and generate reports.
• Use Microsoft System Center to manage both public and private Microsoft cloud
implementations. System Center’s comprehensive management capabilities allow it to
monitor and manage your entire IT infrastructure stack from traditional physical servers
to virtualized servers, virtual machines, running workloads, and all the way up to service-
based cloud components.
Resources
Online management tools and information
Designated members of your organization gain access to the following online tools to use and
manage aspects of your SCE.
• Use the M365 admin center to download licensed products, access product keys, and
manage your Volume Licensing agreements and license acquisition activity, all in one
online location.
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• Software Assurance Benefits ([Link]/softwareassurance). Most benefits can
be accessed through the M365 admin portal. The Software Assurance website provides
everything you need to know to get started.
Note: when you subscribe to Microsoft cloud services, you gain access to online administration
and monitoring tools. See Managing Cloud Services on previous page.
Buying, renewing, or adding to the SCE
• To buy, renew, or add products and services to your SCE, contact your
Microsoft Authorized Reseller. In the United States, call (800) 426-9400, or find an
authorized reseller.
• In Canada, call the Microsoft Resource Centre at (877) 568-2495.
Academic, government, and charitable organizations
If you are affiliated with an academic, government, or charitable organization, there are
additional Volume Licensing programs available to you, which may include additional partner
and pricing advantages. Visit Microsoft Volume Licensing for more information.
Worldwide
For information about Volume Licensing offerings available in your area, find the
Microsoft Volume Licensing website for your country/region.
Where to learn more
Microsoft Volume Licensing [Link]/licensing
Microsoft Enterprise Agreement [Link]/licensing/licensing-options/[Link]
Microsoft Online Services [Link]/licensing/onlineservices
Software Assurance [Link]/softwareassurance
Microsoft Volume Licensing Service Center [Link]/en-us/Licensing/existing-
customer/vlsc-training-and- [Link]
Microsoft Financing [Link]/licensing/how-to-buy/[Link]
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Appendix A: Enterprise Agreement structure
Enterprise Agreement structure
The structure of the Enterprise Agreement consists of three
components: the MBSA, Enterprise Agreement, and any
MBSA
Enterprise Agreement Enrollments. The MBSA covers
multiple Volume Licensing programs including the Enterprise
Agreement and also Services terms. The Enterprise
Agreement governs all Enrollments signed under the EA.
Each Enrollment then contains terms which apply only to the Enterprise Agreement
specific offers available under that Enrollment, as well as
outlines ordering, billing and pricing terms. The purpose of
this agreement structure is to simplify the license agreement Server and Cloud Enrollment
process by allowing general governing contract terms to be
Enterprise Enrollment
signed once, without the need to re-negotiate terms when
you choose to purchase additional licenses through your
Enrollments.
Agreement components
An MBSA is required. This is a master agreement that defines contract terms common to Volume
Licensing and Services agreement. The MBSA needs to be signed only once with, or prior to,
your Enterprise Agreement.
The Enterprise Agreement defines the license terms which apply to all Enrollments. The
Enterprise Agreement Enrollments establish the basic information that your organization can use
to buy product licenses under the Enterprise Agreement. They define purchasing requirements,
ordering rules, billing options and pricing terms. Additionally, they define purchase details like
the term of the licensing arrangement, products, and whether or not the Enrollment requires an
organization-wide purchase commitment. They also identify the Enrolled Affiliate, included
Affiliates, specific Enrollment contacts, and the Enterprise Software Advisor (ESA) or Large
Account Reseller (LAR).
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Additional documents
In July 2015, a new document called the Product Terms replaced both the Product Use Rights
and the Product List. Together with the program agreement, Product Terms contains all the
terms and conditions for how you purchase licenses for software and online services through
Microsoft Volume Licensing programs, with the exception of the Microsoft Online Subscription
and Cloud Solution Provider programs, as well as how you may deploy and use software
licensed under those programs.
Information on how to deploy and use Online Services continues to be found in the Online
Services Terms (OST) for all programs. (For a copy of the current Product Terms, visit
[Link]/licensing/about-licensing/[Link].)
© 2025 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. This document is for informational purposes only. MICROSOFT
MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, IN THIS DOCUMENT. This information is provided to help guide
your authorized use of products you license; it is not your agreement. Your use of products licensed under your
volume license agreement is governed by the terms and conditions of that agreement. In the case of any conflict
between this information and your agreement, the terms and conditions of your agreement control. Prices for
licenses acquired through Microsoft resellers are determined by the reseller. Publication date: May 2025
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