SharePoint Licensing Basics

So you want to roll out SharePoint to help collaborate on documents and data. You have heard that Windows SharePoint Services (WSS) is free and included as part of Windows Server 2003. From this, it sounds like you can just have IT install it, provide you the URL and you will be all set, however, that may or may not be the case.

Let’s take a look at whether you need WSS (the free version) or Microsoft Office SharePoint Server (MOSS – the paid version) and what other SharePoint-related components might be needed to enable the document and data collaboration you seek.

There are significant differences between WSS and MOSS. In short, you will need MOSS if you desire custom workflows, additional site templates, business intelligence features like KPI tracking, My Sites, Excel Services, or enterprise search capabilities. For the sake of this licensing discussion, we will assume you are moving forward with a MOSS deployment.
In addition to the client access licenses (CALs) that MOSS requires, you will also need Windows Server CALs for each user. If all of your users will be internal company users accessing MOSS via the LAN, you probably already have a Windows Server license for each of them. However, if you will be allowing access to MOSS to outsiders via the Internet or VPN, you may need to acquire additional Windows Server licenses.

SharePoint runs on top of SQL Server. You can use the free version of SQL Express for deployments under five concurrent users but beyond that you will need the paid version of SQL Server and the appropriate licenses. You can create custom forms for the creation and display of SharePoint items using InfoPath. For users to be able to view these forms, they will need a copy of InfoPath themselves or you will need to purchase Microsoft’s Form Server and the appropriate CALs.

If you choose to go the Form Server route, thereby eliminating the need for InfoPath on every client, you will still need InfoPath for those users who will create and maintain the form templates. Custom Workflows, site templates, and branding of SharePoint are accomplished by means of SharePoint Designer (SPD). You will need a few seats of SPD for the users that will administer the look and feel of MOSS.

Microsoft has a comprehensive SharePoint licensing FAQ that you might want to review as you plan your SharePoint deployment. It may be that you can combine the use of WSS and MOSS and/or use third-party tools that provide workflow and forms capabilities to provide all of the functionality you need while minimizing the overall cost.