Guide to SharePoint Server Editions and Licensing
SharePoint Server is a server platform for facilitating decision making through sharing information, managing documents, and publishing reports. Organizations can collaborate by building and maintaining several types of content portals or sites, such as intranet portals for employees or specific departments. An edition for creating public-facing Internet sites is also available. The purpose of this guide is to help you find the SharePoint Server edition and licenses appropriate to your organization's needs.
Server Editions SharePoint Server 2010 is offered in both standard and enterprise editions, as well as an edition for managing a public-facing Internet site.
SharePoint Server 2010 Standard The Standard edition includes features for collaboration, enterprise content management, and enterprise search. It allows organizations to set up and manage intranet sites or portals, but not public-facing Internet websites.
SharePoint Server 2010 Enterprise The Enterprise edition includes all the features of the Standard edition but also includes business intelligence features, support for integrating and streamlining business processes, and other capabilities.
SharePoint Server 2010 for Internet Sites - Standard SharePoint Server for Internet Sites - Standard is the edition of SharePoint Server needed for deploying and managing an extranet or public-facing Internet site.
Licensing
SharePoint Server 2010
SharePoint Server 2010 Standard and Enterprise editions operate under the Server/CAL licensing model. A server license is required for each running instance of the server software.
Standard CALs are required for each person or device accessing an instance of SharePoint Server.
An Enterprise CAL is required for each user or device accessing the Enterprise features of SharePoint Server. Enterprise CALs are additive, meaning they can be used only in conjunction with Standard CALs.
SharePoint Server 2010 for Internet Sites
A SharePoint Server 2010 for Internet Sites requires a server license for each running instance of the server software. No CALs are required. This licensing model is for external users only. Internal users can use this server only if all content, information, and applications are also accessible to external users. People who create content for external access can use SharePoint Server 2010 for Internet Sites for this purpose. A separate SharePoint Server 2010 for Internet Sites license is required on all servers (staging, application, index, front-end) that provide content to external users.
Licensing Internal and External Users on a Single Server If an organization wants to use SharePoint server for both external and internal users, it should request licenses for both SharePoint Server 2010 and SharePoint Server 2010 for Internet Sites and assign them to the same server. CALs are required for internal users or devices accessing the instance of SharePoint Server 2010.
