SharePoint 2010 Editions and Licensing Models

SharePoint’s editions and licensing options depend on what you use, how you deploy it, and where it’s hosted. You would think by now most of us would have a somewhat clear idea of what you get when you purchase SharePoint 2010, but I, for one, admit to some confusion. Here's my attempt to sort through Microsoft's websites and make sense of what the company says.I still haven't gotten the "where it's hosted' info part yet, however. Still, I think I've managed to hack away at some of the marketing speak that often accompanies SharePoint.

Editions

SharePoint Foundation is aptly named because it provides the base for SharePoint 2010 Standard and SharePoint 2010 Enterprise. SharePoint Foundation is free and is supported on Windows Server 2008 R2 and Windows Server 2008 SP2. Here’s a list of what you get in SharePoint Foundation (see Editions Comparison at Microsoft's site to learn more about each feature):

SharePoint Foundation

SharePoint 2010 Standard includes SharePoint Foundation features and adds these features:

SharePoint 2010 Enterprise includes the features in SharePoint Foundation and SharePoint 2010 Standard and adds these features to the mix:

Again, to learn more about each feature, see this side-by-side comparison chart at Microsoft’s SharePoint 2010 website. Hovering over each item displays a description that explains what the feature does. 

A quick note: Microsoft groups SharePoint features into six categories or “capabilities”: Composites, Sites, Content, Search, Communities, and Insight (that is, respectively, add-ons/connectors to other Microsoft products and tools; websites; content you and users put on the site; how you find that content; collaboration features; and business intelligence). For more information on the features in the six capability areas see Microsoft's SharePoint Features page. 

Licensing SharePoint

You can use SharePoint 2010 to set up intranet, extranet, and Internet sites.  SharePoint 2010 Standard and SharePoint 2010 Enterprise are licensed depending on how you will use SharePoint.  There are two ways to use it, and thus two licensing models:

Intranet sites. Intranet sites are licensed using a Server/CAL model.  SharePoint Server 2010 is required for each running instance of the software, and CALs are required for each person or device accessing a SharePoint Server.  There are two licensing models for intranet sites:

1.      Standard CAL:  Delivers “core” capabilities: Sites, Communities, Content, Search, Composites (excluding Access Services and InfoPath Services).

2.      Enterprise CAL: Delivers “full” capabilities: Sites, Communities, Content, Search, Composites (includes Access Services and InfoPath Services); Insights (includes PerformancePoint Services, Excel Services, and Visio Services).

Note that the Enterprise CAL is additive: To access the Enterprise edition features, a person/device must have both the Standard CAL and Enterprise CAL.  For more details on the specific features in the Standard and Enterprise CAL, again, see Edition Comparison.

Extranet and Internet sites. Extranet and Internet sites are licensed using a Server-only model—no CALs are required.