Non-human Microsoft Office users get their own special licences
- Reference: 1588836908
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2020/05/07/microsoft_365_unattended_licence/
- Source link:
Revealed in April, the new [1]Microsoft 365 E3 – Unattended License “permits usage of Office client applications with service or other non-user accounts, which is common for automation process execution.” Microsoft explains scenarios such as Excel using an API to ingest data that appears in custom cells relied upon by other applications
The sharp-eyed folk at Licensing School spotted that while the licences were announced on April 2nd, full details only emerged in a May 1st [2]update [.DOCX] to Microsoft’s product T&Cs document.
Licensing School’s take on the legalese is that non-human users “… may use the suite in a physical or virtual machine including Windows Virtual Desktop, licence reassignment follows the same rules as if the Bot were a (real) user, and it’s an (illegal) multiplexing scenario if the Bot carries out activities on behalf of an unlicensed user or device.”
The T&C document mentions the E3 licence in the context of meeting rooms, Windows Virtual Desktops and vanilla Microsoft 365 use.
Microsoft’s also warned that unattended use is fragile. In the announcement of the licence would-be users are warned that product updates “may at times inhibit fully predictable unattended automation of Office applications” and that “Office applications have not been specifically designed for unattended usage at scale.”
A [3]guide to unattended use also mentions server-side security concerns, a need for proactive application monitoring and other concerns. The company even recommends using its Graph API instead of unattended Office.
Which would leave us wondering why Microsoft has bothered with a new licence type, were it not for the fact that the company very seldom does anything to licences that will hurt revenue. ®
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[1] https://developer.microsoft.com/en-us/office/blogs/new-licensing-options-for-microsoft-365-for-unattended-scenarios/
[2] https://www.microsoftvolumelicensing.com/Downloader.aspx?documenttype=PT&lang=English
[3] https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/office/client-developer/integration/considerations-unattended-automation-office-microsoft-365-for-unattended-rpa
[4] https://go.theregister.co.uk/tl/1936/-8554/forrester-build-a-digital-experience-portfolio?td=wptl1936
Microsoft’s also warned that unattended use is fragile. In the announcement of the licence would-be users are warned that product updates “may at times inhibit fully predictable unattended automation of Office applications” and that “Office applications have not been specifically designed for unattended usage at scale.”
Unfortunately, attended use is also fragile. At least, I think so based on the number of problems i have with Office 2016/2019 randomly stopping working with other applications using it's API's, and the developer support for the application in question having a very long and complex "known issues" KB entry on the subject.
I'd personally prefer Microsoft sort out office applications to be specifically designed for attended usage at scale before worrying too much about unattended problems.
When
The Bot doesn't pay up, they can take it to court. Oh, bugger, it's not a person...
Just wait
Once they have established a precedent for the bot needing a licence, they will quietly add another mini-licence for every single data source.
Quickly followed by a name change from Micro$haft to Mega$haft. You certainly will have been if the lawyers can make this stick.
Re: Just wait
Could be their theory, but they would probably get a copyright claim for duplicating the SAP licences
Coming soon...
Microsoft licences for:
* cats (who happen to be in the same room as someone using MS software)
* houseflies (because these, like many of Microsoft's bugs, are really 'features')
* doors (because they are like windows, sort of, maybe... oh well, let's try it and see if anyone falls for it)
* breathing (or is that one already in use by Ryanair as an extra option on their flights?)
All your data are berong to us
You have been pwned.
Once enough companies sign up to this there will be a tiny change to the licence which points out that since the bot has been using MS APIs to insert the aggregated data, you have agreed to allow MS non-exclusive use of any derivative document for any purpose they wish. Much in the same way photographers are shafted by publishing their pics on most of the popular socialmedia.
Presumably the reason MS have created this licence is 'cos their office telemetry told them that the software was in use 24/7 in some companies and someone twiganyone couldn't be a human working those hours. Their argument for the above change of licence will be that since the data was not aggregated by a human it has no owner, ergo MS might as well own the copyright as anyone.
What about Volume Licensing?
I know we have VL for Office. Would that apply to Bots and minions?
Ancient Astronaut Theororists say...
Yes! Alien robots will want to have the novel experience of unpredictability and will pay handsomely for the privilege.