From on-prem to cloud: how Horizon licensing adapts to you

In a time when IT teams are being asked to do more with less, licensing should be a source of clarity––not frustration. Yet in the VDI, DaaS, and app delivery space, some vendors are moving towards rigid “kitchen sink” licensing models that drive up prices by forcing customers into packaging that includes capabilities the customer does not want or need. At Omnissa, we believe licensing should align with your strategy, not force you into ours. That’s why we offer flexible, value-based options that allow customers to right size their purchase to support their intended use cases, deployment method, and with or without connecting to the cloud.

Our licensing philosophy centers around three pillars: 

Flexibility: Choose the subscription model that best fits your environment–SaaS or Term

Horizon is licensed in two subscription flavors: SaaS and Term. With Horizon SaaS subscription, customers use the cloud-based Horizon Control Plane to manage their cloud-based and/or on-prem virtual desktop and app deployments and infrastructure. With Horizon Term subscription, everything is deployed on-premises, so customers don’t have to connect to any cloud components––great for dark sites, air-gapped environments, and regulated industries like healthcare, financial services, and government. We also offer desktops and apps that you can host in a public cloud using Horizon Term subscription, without having to connect to the Horizon Control Plane, so the choice of where to host your desktops and apps is yours.   

Furthermore, our Horizon SaaS and Term editions include the option to bundle in VMware vSphere Foundation for VDI (“VVF for VDI”), which is great if you’re running Horizon on vSphere. If you’re interested in running Horizon on hypervisors like Nutanix AHV, or others using manual pools, simply use Horizon editions that don’t include VVF for VDI.   

Value: Invest in what you need–VDI, DaaS, and/or published apps

Whether you’re deploying only VDI, DaaS, published apps, or a combination of these, we have options that provide value at all levels and won’t force you into buying offerings that have more than you need. For example, our Horizon Apps offerings provide entitlements to published apps and desktops, while offerings like Horizon Standard Term provide VDI-only delivery, and Horizon Cloud on Azure Standard Subscription offers DaaS-only delivery. If you’d like a combination of VDI, DaaS, and apps, look no further than our Horizon Universal Subscription offering. Customers can also choose whether they’d like to deploy Horizon using Named or Concurrent user licensing, offering value for traditional and shift-based scenarios.  

Predictability: Renew your subscription without the headache

If you’re using a VDI or app solution and facing significant price increases, imposed into multi-year commitments, or being required to move towards a licensing model that’s not right for you, it’s time to explore alternatives––and Horizon is a great landing spot. Outside of minor annual adjustments, Horizon pricing and packaging has been largely unchanged over the years, making budget planning a lot more predictable. 

If our Horizon packages reach End of Availability, offerings that are similar to what you were originally entitled to are available. For example, customers who purchased or upgraded to Horizon Plus Subscription, which went EOA earlier this year, have an easy renewal option with an equivalent Horizon Term option. Let’s say you’re a customer who purchased Horizon Enterprise Plus and are coming up for renewal. The price to renew with Horizon Enterprise Term would be the same as if you renewed with Horizon Enterprise Plus, with no loss to the features you were entitled to with Horizon Plus Subscription. Customers aren’t pushed into new, expensive subscriptions with extra features they don’t need for their intended use uses. Of course, if customers need additional capabilities, they can upgrade to a higher edition.  

To learn more about our Horizon licensing, read this whitepaper. And if you’re running a legacy VDI and app deployment, take our Readiness Assessment to learn what threats and risks you may be exposed to, and how you can optimize your strategy with Horizon.