Windows Server CAL Requirements for Microsoft Azure VMs

Q: Do I need Windows Server client access licenses to access services running in Microsoft Azure virtual machines?

A: No, per Microsoft's Virtual Machines Licensing FAQ web page, which specifies that no Windows Server client access licenses (CAL)s are requested for accessing Windows Server instances running in the Azure environment because the access rights are included in the per-minute charge. I was actually quite surprised by this because it means if your entire infrastructure was running in Azure then your on-premises desktops and applications wouldn't require Windows Server CALs when connecting to the Windows Azure instances. This is just one more reason to move to the cloud!