Q: (from Cary)
I have a licensing questions as it pertains to the new version of 2013 SharePoint. What is and is not an internet user, because Microsoft no longer sells "internet site license's" I want to make sure we are good to go. It looks like we can shave 45,000 dollars off our cost.
A:
The extranet capabilities are just "granted" they don't need to be licensed or enabled. The key is "named users" who are employees or contractors need to have the Standard and optionally Enterprise Add-on CALs while non-employees/contractors (like association members) who are named users are granted access.
Here is the SharePoint Licensing page that is surprisingly clear and to-the-point (you know, for anything to do with licensing):
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/sharepoint/sharepoint-licenses-licensing-overview-FX103789438.aspx
But don’t just look at this as a “cost savings” for your customer – point out how you can re-direct those funds to providing a more robust hardware infrastructure or enhanced SharePoint customization by your team – providing greater value to your solution.
Steve