Virtualisatielicenties

Virtualisatielicenties is a term used to describe licensing frameworks that govern the use and distribution of software within virtualized computing environments. It encompasses the rights, obligations, and restrictions attached to software deployed on virtual machines, containers, hypervisors, and related management platforms. The concept arises from the need to address the unique economics and deployment patterns of virtualization, where resources are decoupled from physical hardware and workloads can be rapidly spawned, moved, or scaled.

Key components of virtualisatielicenties include licensing metrics (per core, per processor, per virtual machine, or per user), license mobility rules, guest operating system terms, and allowances for live migration and elasticity. They also cover software-defined networking, storage virtualization, orchestration tools, and VM templates. Compliance typically requires metering usage, collecting runtime data, and maintaining records for audits.

Governance and standardization around virtualisatielicenties are evolving. Many vendors offer a mix of perpetual, subscription, and pay-as-you-go models, often with metering to reflect dynamic resource use. Some jurisdictions and industry groups advocate portability of licenses across hypervisors and cloud environments, while others preserve vendor-specific terms that complicate cross-environment licensing.

Practical implications include increased administrative overhead, the risk of over- or under-licensing, and potential vendor lock-in. Organizations commonly implement software asset management practices, separate host licenses from guest licenses, and maintain centralized telemetry to ensure compliance during audits.

See also: virtualization, software license, software asset management, licensing model.