Microsoft SPLA

The Service Provider License Agreement (SPLA) enables service providers to license Microsoft products on a monthly basis, to provide software services and hosted applications to your customers.

Other Microsoft Volume Licensing programs - such as Enterprise Agreement, Select License, and Open License - do not allow commercial hosting of Microsoft licensed products, nor do they allow lending or leasing of the product. In contrast, the SPLA is designed specifically for services providers so that you can deliver software services or managed services to your customers, or even to third parties. As a result, your customers do not have to acquire their own licensed products. In addition, the SPLA can accommodate the various types of services offered, including:

Direct access. You facilitate your customer's business (including business transactions with third parties) through software services.

Indirect access server based. You provide your customer with access to and use of any licensed product, Microsoft or otherwise. The application is running on a server and interacts with a Microsoft licensed product on that server.

Indirect access client based. You provide your customer with access to and use of any licensed product. The Microsoft application is running on a serviced device that you provide to the customer or third party as part of your service.