The topic of multiplexing can be a tricky one. If it’s not understood correctly then it can have ramifications across the business. This includes legal, financial and operational implications.
Our team has worked on simplifying this topic to ensure our clients have a clear and comprehensive understanding of multiplexing. They can then apply these learnings to benefit their organisations.
What is Multiplexing?
Multiplexing is a method that is employed when deciding on how to structure the architecture of a solution. This method is not unique to Power Platform and is an industry-wide topic.
Microsoft states: “Multiplexing” is when individuals use hardware or software to pool connections, reroute or indirectly access information, and/or reduce the number of devices or users that directly access or use a product. Multiplexing can also include reducing the number of devices or users a product directly manages.
Microsoft & Multiplexing
Microsoft’s policies and licensing rules are not intended to prohibit the use of multiplexing with Microsoft products. They do however, ensure that customers remain compliant with licensing when using indirect access to their products.
If multiplexing is used to reduce the number of licenses to be purchased this is a license violation.
Think of a leisure centre where each member needs a membership card to enter. Multiplexing is like having a family membership where multiple family members can use the leisure centre, but each person still needs their own card. If you start sharing one card among multiple people to avoid paying for additional memberships, that’s a violation of the rules, similar to using multiplexing to reduce license costs.
The below examples demonstrate permitted and prohibited ways of utilising multiplexing when organising the architecture of a solution.
What you need to know
Multiplexing is permitted by Microsoft, what is not permitted is the use of multiplexing to reduce the number of licenses to be purchased.
Rather than using the phrase ‘This is an example of multiplexing and this is not permitted’, we should be using the phrase, ‘This is an example of using multiplexing to reduce the number of licenses and this is not permitted’.
A Microsoft representative, Charles Lamanna, stated that you should be able to instinctively know when you’re breaking the rules for multiplexing –
“At its core, if you’re using or doing something to circumvent a user license and you’ll know you’re doing it because it will feel unnatural because the system’s not built to behave that way, and not allowed. Everything else, the intent is to have it be allowed.”
By gaining clarity on what multiplexing is and how it can affect your organisation, more complex licensing architectures can be setup with confidence. Marra can help you on this journey. We can review and recommend optimal licensing configurations to suit your business needs.
If you have any questions or would like to discuss this topic further, book a meeting with one of the Marra team here.
Written by Sophie Irwin, Consultant App Maker