Welcome back to another episode of The Microsoft Playbook! In this conversation, we sit down with Luan Tran our Lead Account Manager for Legacy Sales to break down everything you need to know about SPLA (Service Provider Licensing Agreement) — one of Microsoft’s most widely used licensing models for service providers.

With major changes taking effect as of October 1, 2025, many organizations are unsure how these updates impact compliance, cloud usage, and their long-term licensing strategies.

Luan walks us through:

• What SPLA is and who it’s designed for
• Why Microsoft is shifting away from SPLA usage in public cloud environments
• What organizations need to do to stay compliant
• The best alternative licensing models, including Pay-As-You-Go, BYOL (Bring Your Own License), Open Value, and MPSA
• The future of SPLA beyond 2025

If you’re a service provider, hoster, or IT leader trying to navigate Microsoft licensing changes, this episode is packed with clarity and guidance.

Find out more on The End of Microsoft SPLA Licensing in Public Clouds https://www.trustedtechteam.com/blogs/news/the-end-of-microsoft-spla-licensing-in-public-clouds

Chapters

00:00 – Intro

00:18 – Welcome to the Microsoft Playbook

00:34 – What is SPLA and who uses it?

01:07 – What changed on October 1, 2025?

01:52 – Why Microsoft is making these SPLA changes

02:21 – How to know if your organization needs to transition

02:58 – What the shift means for service providers

03:22 – Alternative licensing models to consider

04:07 – How Luan advises customers on choosing a path

04:28 – What happens to SPLA after October 1?

05:21 – SPLA isn’t going away — just evolving

05:23 – Wrap-up and closing