Licensing Scenario

The scenario involves managing Microsoft SQL Server 2019 entitlements:

• SQL Server Enterprise Core with Software Assurance: 1800 rights purchased at $5000 per core
• SQL Server Standard Core with Software Assurance: 600 rights purchased at $1300 per core

The environment is a VMware cluster with three physical hosts hosting multiple virtual machines (VMs) running different editions and versions of SQL Server. VMs can move across hosts, impacting licensing requirements.

Licensing Options Evaluated

Three licensing options are considered, focusing on different licensing layers and combinations of Enterprise and Standard licenses:

• Option 1: License each physical host at the host level using Enterprise licenses, requiring 52 total rights and costing approximately $260,000.
• Option 2: License each VM individually at the virtual layer with Enterprise licenses, also requiring 52 rights and totaling $260,000.
• Option 3: Use a mixed approach at the virtual layer, licensing certain VMs with Enterprise licenses (24 rights) and others with Standard licenses (28 rights), resulting in a total cost of $156,400.

Key Outcome

The software asset manager identifies option 3 as the most cost-effective solution, saving approximately $103,600 compared to the other options. This approach leverages a combination of Enterprise and Standard licensing tailored to the VM workloads, optimizing overall licensing costs.

Practical Implications for ServiceNow Customers

• Use detailed entitlement and infrastructure data to assess licensing at both physical and virtual layers.
• Consider mixed licensing strategies to align with workload requirements and maximize cost savings.
• Leverage ServiceNow's asset management capabilities to track entitlements and VM deployments for dynamic optimization.

By applying this example, ServiceNow customers can better manage Microsoft SQL Server licenses in virtualized environments, ensuring compliance while reducing unnecessary expenditures.