Windows Server CAL - 1 User (Monthly Subscription - Annual Term)

The licence that almost always gets forgotten, and without which your server is not compliant.

Windows Server is licensed in two parts: the server cores on one side, and each person's or device's access right on the other.

The CAL is that second part. It is neither optional nor an extra: without it, the users connecting to the server have no access right, even if everything technically works.

This is the user CAL, assigned to a person and covering them from all of their devices.

That is the model to choose when your people use several devices: the office computer, a laptop and a phone. One CAL covers all three.

If instead you have shared machines used across shifts, with many people on the same computer, the option to evaluate is the device CAL, assigned to the machine rather than the person.

It applies to access to server services: shared files, printing, user directory and authentication.

Important: if your users also connect through Remote Desktop, an additional Remote Desktop Services (RDS) CAL is required. They are separate licences and both are needed.

We calculate how many CALs you need, determine whether user or device suits you better and leave your licensing compliant.