Masters of Microsoft® Licensing
One of the World's Most Comprehensive Microsoft Licensing Training Courses
Register your interest and save $200
Register your interest and we will notify you immediately once dates for our next course are released. As a bonus, you'll also receive a $200 discount when you register for the course.
Masters of Microsoft® Licensing
One of the World's Most Comprehensive Microsoft Licensing Training Courses
Microsoft licensing is complex, continually evolving and often misunderstood. For many organisations, insufficient licensing knowledge can result in unnecessary expenditure, compliance risks and poor licensing decisions.
Masters of Microsoft® Licensing is Discover SAM's flagship Microsoft licensing training course. With more than 22 hours of content, the course provides participants with a practical and detailed understanding of Microsoft licensing, enabling them to confidently interpret licence terms, support licensing projects and make informed decisions that optimise software investments.
Developed and delivered by Microsoft licensing specialists with extensive real-world consulting experience, the course combines fundamental licensing concepts with practical examples, licensing scenarios and industry insights that can be immediately applied within your organisation.
Key Learning Outcomes
Participants complete the course with the knowledge and confidence to:
- Make informed Microsoft licensing decisions.
- Interpret Microsoft licence terms and contractual rights.
- Identify and mitigate licensing and compliance risks.
- Optimise software licensing investments.
- Support Enterprise Agreement true-ups and renewals.
- Assess licensing requirements for IT projects and cloud initiatives.
- Communicate effectively with Microsoft, licensing partners and internal stakeholders.
- Navigate licensing requirements across on-premises, cloud and hybrid environments.
- Become a trusted Microsoft licensing resource within your organisation.
Course Feedback
Since 2011, participants from hundreds of organisations across Australia and internationally have attended Discover SAM's Microsoft licensing training courses. Attendees have included professionals from government agencies, financial institutions, energy providers, retailers, educational institutions, multinational enterprises, Microsoft partners and software asset management teams.
The feedback we receive consistently highlights the practical value, depth of content and real-world insights that participants gain from attending the course. Participant feedback includes:
"the best course I have ever attended" - "the training was phenomenal" - "highly recommended"
"what a fantastic course" - "very comprehensive" - "very insightful and thought provoking" - "exceeded my expectations"
"This is the course that all organisations should be looking at if they want to take control of their Microsoft environment and get the most from their entitlements, while minimising their financial exposure"
"I would recommend this course for anyone who has "Microsoft" in their daily vocabulary"
"This was a really great course that I would recommend for anyone who is involved in Microsoft licensing or implementation"
"It really was the best course I have ever attended & I have learnt a lot"
What will I learn?
Masters of Microsoft Licensing provides a comprehensive understanding of Microsoft licensing concepts, licensing models, contractual agreements and product-specific licence terms. The course combines foundational knowledge with practical real-world scenarios, enabling participants to confidently apply what they learn within their own organisations.
Develop a practical understanding of how Microsoft's most commonly deployed products and services are licensed, enabling you to confidently assess licensing requirements and make informed purchasing decisions, including:
- Windows Server
- System Center & Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager
- Exchange Server, Skype for Business Server & SharePoint Server
- SQL Server
- Visual Studio Subscriptions
- Windows Enterprise & Virtual Desktop Access
- Office Suites & Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise
- Project, Project Online, Visio & Visio Online
- Microsoft 365 & Office 365
- Enterprise Mobility & Security
- Power BI
- Azure VMs & Azure Arc
- Plus more...
Microsoft licensing contains a vast amount of acronyms and specialised terminology that is often misunderstood. Develop confidence in the concepts and terminology that underpin Microsoft's licensing models, including:
- Products, Versions and Editions
- Instances & Running Instances
- SLs, DSLs & USLs
- MLs
- CALs & CAL Equivalency
- OSEs, VOSEs & POSEs
- Cores & Virtual Cores
- Peak Capacity
- Licence Mobility
- Downgrade Rights
- Licence Assignment & Licence Reassignment
- Universal Licence Terms, Licensing Modeal Terms and Product-Specifc Terms
Software Assurance provides a range of valuable rights and benefits that are frequently overlooked. Learn how these benefits can reduce costs, increase flexibility and support modern IT environments, including:
- New Version Rights
- Windows Virtualisation Rights
- Licence Mobility Rights
- Roaming Rights
- Step-Up Licences
- Unlimited Virtualisation
- Fail-Over Servers
- Azure Hybrid Benefit
Develop a thorough understanding of Microsoft's core licensing models and how they apply to different products, technologies and deployment scenarios, including:
- Desktop Operating Systems
- Desktop Applications
- Processor + CAL
- Server + CAL
- Per Core
- Management Servers
- Developer Tools
- Online Services
Organisations often operate across on-premises, cloud and hybrid environments, each with unique licensing considerations. Learn how Microsoft licensing rules apply to a range of technology environments, including:
- Virtual Server Environments
- Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) Environments
- Remote Desktop, Terminal Server & Citrix Environments
- Test & Development Environments
- Azure, AWS and other Public Cloud IaaS Environments
- 3rd-Party Hosted Environments
The Enterprise Agreement is covered in considerable detail due to its significance within many medium and large organisations.
Gain a practical understanding of the contractual terms, reporting requirements and commercial considerations associated with the Microsoft Enterprise Agreement, including:
- Enterprise Enrolment & Server & Cloud Enrolment (SCE)
- True-Ups & True-Downs
- Discount Levels
- Payment Structures
Participants also gain a high-level understanding of alternative Microsoft purchasing programs and licensing channels, including:
- Open Value
- Microsoft Products & Services Agreement
- Microsoft Customer Agreement via Cloud Solution Provider
- Service Provider Licence Agreement
- Original Equipment Manufacturer
- Full Packaged Product
- Independent Software Vendor
Who should attend?
Masters of Microsoft® Licensing is designed for professionals who are responsible for Microsoft licensing, software asset management, procurement, contract management, technology planning or software deployment decisions. Whether you are directly involved in licensing management or your role influences software purchasing and deployment decisions, the course provides practical knowledge that can be immediately applied within your organisation.
SAM, Procurement & Licensing Teams
- Software Asset Managers
- SAM Specialists
- Licensing Specialists
- Procurement Managers
- Vendor Management Professionals
- Compliance Managers
Why Attend?
Effective licensing management requires more than understanding licence terms. It requires a detailed knowledge of licensing models, purchasing options, contractual rights and optimisation opportunities.
This course provides the knowledge needed to make informed licensing decisions, manage software investments effectively and engage confidently with Microsoft, licensing partners and internal stakeholders.
IT Leadership & Technical Teams
- CIOs & IT Managers
- Infrastructure & Network Architects
- System & Network Administrators
- Technical Managers
- SQL Database Administrators
- Cloud & Infrastructure Specialists
Why Attend?
Technology decisions can have significant licensing implications. A seemingly simple deployment, configuration or architectural change can alter licensing requirements, increase costs or create compliance risks.
This course helps technical teams understand the licensing impact of technology decisions, enabling them to design and manage environments that support both operational requirements and licensing objectives.
Business & Commercial Stakeholders
- Contract Managers
- Vendor Managers
- Project Managers
- Commercial Managers
- Procurement & Commercial Teams
- Digital Transformation Leaders
Why Attend?
Microsoft licensing decisions influence project budgets, software investments, cloud adoption strategies and long-term technology roadmaps.
This course provides the knowledge required to understand licensing implications, evaluate available options and support informed commercial and strategic decision-making.
Frequently Asked Questions
The following are some of the questions we are most commonly asked about the Masters of Microsoft® Licensing course. If you have any additional questions, please contact us and we will be happy to assist.
Are there any course prerequisites?
No. There are no formal prerequisites for attending the course.
The course is designed to cater for participants with a range of experience levels, from those seeking a foundational understanding of Microsoft licensing through to experienced IT, procurement and software asset management professionals looking to deepen their expertise. We guide participants through both fundamental concepts and more advanced licensing topics.
Is the course affiliated with or sponsored by Microsoft Corporation?
No. Masters of Microsoft® Licensing is developed and delivered independently by Discover SAM and is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by Microsoft Corporation.
As an independent consultancy, Discover SAM does not sell Microsoft software licences. This allows us to provide objective, commercially impartial training focused on helping participants understand Microsoft licensing concepts, licence terms and best practices.
I am from an Education Institution, is the content relevant to my organisation?
In many cases, yes.
While the course is designed primarily around commercial licensing models, a significant proportion of the licensing concepts, terminology and licence terms covered are also relevant to education institutions.
However, some education-specific licensing programs, agreements and licence terms differ from those used in commercial environments and are not covered in detail during the course.
If you are from an education institution, we recommend contacting us prior to registration so we can discuss your requirements and help you determine whether the course is suitable for your needs.
Who delivers the course?
All Masters of Microsoft® Licensing courses are developed and delivered by Troy Parker, Founder and Managing Director of Discover SAM.
With more than 20 years of Microsoft licensing experience and extensive consulting, advisory and training expertise, Troy brings practical real-world insights gained from working with hundreds of organisations across a wide range of industries.
We regularly offer the Masters of Microsoft® Licensing course in two formats: via virtual classrooms on Microsoft Teams or in person at locations throughout Australia and New Zealand.
Although our next session is yet to be scheduled, register your interest using the form below and we will notify you immediately once dates are released. As a bonus, you'll also receive a $200 discount when you register for the course.
Register Interest Form
Would you like us to run a course exclusively for your organisation?
Please contact us to discuss your requirements and to learn about our pricing and course options for our private group courses.