Are you a home user?

ESET Business Licensing: Frequently Asked Questions

1. How do I purchase a license?

1. How many licenses do I need to purchase?

1. What if I need to purchase more than 15 seats for my business?

1. I purchased a license for ESET Endpoint Security/Endpoint Antivirus—can I still download ESET Smart Security Business Edition/NOD32 Antivirus Business Edition?

1. If I want to protect virtual or thin clients, or multiple client sessions on my server, how many licenses do I need to purchase?

1. How do I renew my license file for ESET Remote Administrator (ERA) or ESET Mail Security for Microsoft Exchange Server (EMSX)?

1. How do I renew my license file for ESET Mail Security, ESET File Security or ESET Gateway Security?

1. I just renewed with the same ESET-issued Username and Password, but my license is not active. What's wrong?

1. What if I want to add, subtract or combine my previous license(s) before renewing?

1. Can I extend my license before the expiration date? 
    
2. I lost my license file for ESET Remote Administrator—how do I replace it?
    
3. How is ESET Security for Microsoft SharePoint Server licensed?
    
4. I purchased ESET Small Office Security—what do I do with my ESET File Security license files? 
    
5. What is ESET License Administrator (ELA)?
    
6. Can my ESET-issued Username and Password be used to activate version 6 server/endpoint products? 
    
7. How do I convert an old Username/Password combination to a License Key using ESET License Administrator?
    
8. Why can't I activate my ESET File Security for Microsoft Windows Server (EFSW)?
    
9. What is the difference between security admin and license owner in ESET License Administrator?
    

1. How do I purchase a license?
   Purchase and download all ESET Home products and solutions at: http://www.eset.com/us/products/home/. Business customers, to request a quote from ESET Sales Support, visit http://www.eset.com/us/contact-sales/. For personalized assistance in North America, call:
   • United States: 866-343-3738, option 2 (Monday – Friday, 6:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m., PST)

2. How many licenses do I need to purchase?
   One license is required per operating system. For example: If you have a file server, print server and three workstations, you need to purchase five licenses.

3. What if I need to purchase more than 15 seats for my business?
   ESET offers custom security packages for all of our security solutions designed for medium (16-1999 workstations) to enterprise-scale (2000+ workstations) clients. For personalized assistance in North America, call:
   • United States: 866-343-3738 (Monday – Friday, 6:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m., PST)

4. I purchased a license for ESET Endpoint Security/Endpoint Antivirus—can I still download ESET Smart Security Business Edition/NOD32 Antivirus Business Edition?
   
   Yes, your business license is applicable to ESET server/endpoint products as well as ESET Business Edition products. However, we recommend only using ESET Endpoint Antivirus and ESET Endpoint Security with the latest versions (5.x, 6.x) of ESET Remote Administrator.
    

5. If I want to protect virtual or thin clients, or multiple client sessions on my server, how many licenses do I need to purchase?
   

   Terminal servers: You need to buy an ESET endpoint license (ESET Endpoint Antivirus, for example) for each of your concurrent terminal sessions; however, you need to install ESET File Security for Microsoft Windows Server on each of these instances (this product has the same features as ESET Endpoint Antivirus, but can be installed on a terminal server). We recommend that you purchase an ESET Endpoint Protection Standard license, which will entitle you to install and activate both ESET Endpoint Antivirus and ESET File Security for Microsoft Windows Server. 

   Virtual Desktop Infrastructure Environments (Citrix, VMware, etc.): You should purchase a license for the product you actually use on your Virtual Machines, and you should purchase licenses for the maximum number of VMs that run concurrently (in a VMware environment, for example, using vSphere and vSHield, ESET Virtualization Security will only count machines connected to ESET Virtualization Security and powered on). For example, in an environment that has 300 VMs to cover three shifts, with each shift consisting of 100 employees, you would need to purchase a license that protects 100 protected VMs.
   
   North American customers: EVS is priced per VM where one VM is counted the same as one physical endpoint and consumes one seat from the license. Alternative pricing models are available by contacting ESET sales.
   
   Customers outside North America: There are three licensing types to match your needs, your network infrastructure, and the way you use your virtual environment—per virtual machine, per host, or per processor. 

6. How do I renew my license file for ESET Remote Administrator (ERA) or ESET Mail Security for Microsoft Exchange Server (EMSX)?
   Renew your ERA or EMSX license file by contacting your ESET authorized reseller, or by calling ESET Sales Support:
   • United States: 866-343-3738 (Monday – Friday, 6:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m., PST)
   
   After your order has been processed, you will receive your new license file (nod32.lic) via email which you will need to import into your ESET Remote Administrator Console.
   Reference the following articles for step-by-step instructions on updating your ESET security product with a new license file:
   • How do I remove an old license (.lic) file and update ESET Remote Administrator with a new one? (5.x)
   
   
   • What do I do with my ESET Mail Security for Microsoft Exchange Server license files?

7. How do I renew my license file for ESET Mail Security, ESET File Security or ESET Gateway Security?
   Renew your license file(s) for these server products by contacting your reseller, or by calling ESET Sales Support directly:
   • United States: 866-343-3738 (Monday – Friday, 6:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m., PST)
   After your order has been processed, you will receive your new license file (nod32.lic) via email. We recommend using the esets_lic utility to manage your license files via the following commands:
   

   The esets_lic utility requires root access

   sudo esets_lic --list
   sudo esets_lic --import <filename>
   sudo esets_lic --remove-expired
   sudo esets_lic --help

8. I just renewed with the same ESET-issued Username and Password, but my license is not active. What's wrong?
   It may take up to 12-24 hours for your license to be activated in our database. Likewise, it may be 12-24 hours before you can download the latest product versions from our website. Your software will automatically update when the license becomes active. Your virus protection will remain active and your computer will be secure during this time period. ESET Remote Administrator users, please refer to the following articles for more information:
   • When does my ESET Remote Administrator license expire?
   
   
   • How do I update ESET Remote Administrator with a new license file?
      

9. What if I want to add, subtract or combine my previous license(s) before renewing?
   Our Sales Support team will be happy to assist you. License modifications are allowed within 30 days of your initial purchase or within 60 days of your renewal period. Please use our contact page for further assistance. For personalized assistance in North America, call:
   • United States: 866-343-3738 (Monday – Friday, 6:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m., PST)

10. Can I extend my license before the expiration date?
    
    ESET does not currently offer a license extension program. However, you can renew up to 90 days before your license expires. If you do decide to renew before your expiration date, your new expiration date will NOT take effect until your original expiration date passes.

    Example: If you renew on the 15th of this month and your expiration date is not until the 1st of next month, then your new expiration date will not take effect until the 1st of next month.
     

11. I lost my license file for ESET Remote Administrator—how do I replace it?
    
    If you have lost or misplaced your license file for ESET Remote Administrator, please see the following Knowledgebase article:
    • I lost my license file for ESET Remote Administrator—how do I replace it?
       

12. How is ESET Security for Microsoft SharePoint Server licensed?
    
    ESHP is licensed two different ways depending on how you (the user) license and use Microsoft SharePoint Server:
    1. Internal
       Per Microsoft, if you are using Microsoft SharePoint as an internal-facing server (intranet or extranet in figure 1-1), there will be a set number of named users who access your SharePoint database. In this arrangement Microsoft SharePoint is licensed to you by Client Access License (CAL) on a per-user basis. ESHP is licensed from ESET by CAL to reflect the number of known users for your database when an internal configuration is used.
        
    2. External
       Per Microsoft, if you are using Microsoft SharePoint as an external-facing server (Internet in figure 1-1), and have licensed Microsoft SharePoint on an unlimited user basis, CALs are not required. ESHP is licensed from ESET based on server count when an external configuration is used.
        
    See figure 1-1 below for an explanation of the differences between intranet, extranet, and Internet websites—these concepts are important in calculating licensing for your Microsoft SharePoint Server and ESHP. For more information on Microsoft licensing for SharePoint Server, please visit the Microsoft Volume Licensing Blog.

Figure 1-1 
Click the image to view larger in new window

13. I purchased ESET Small Office Security—what do I do with my ESET File Security license files?
    
    License files for these products can be uploaded and used just like those of any other ESET product. For detailed instructions, see our Knowledgebase article.
     
14. What is ESET License Administrator (ELA)?
    
    ESET License Administrator is a new, web-based tool that can be used to manage ESET licenses. From ELA, you can monitor license usage and events such as seat count, expiration, and authorization. Additionally, you can assign Security Admin status to other users to allow them to manage certain licenses. Click here to learn more about ESET License Administrator.
     
15. Can my ESET-issued Username and Password be used to activate version 6 business products? 
    
    No. Version 6 business products, such as ESET Endpoint Security, ESET Endpoint Antivirus, and ESET File Security for Microsoft Windows Server, require a License Key during activation, which was sent in an email from ESET after your purchased a license. If you do not have a License Key, but need to activate a version 6 business product, you can convert your Username and Password into a License Key.
     
16. How do I convert an old Username/Password combination to a License Key using ESET License Administrator?
    
    To convert an old Username and Password to a License Key using ESET License Administrator, follow the steps in the Knowledgebase article below:
    • How do I convert an old license using ESET License Administrator? 
       
17. Why can't I activate my ESET File Security for Microsoft Windows Server (EFSW)?

    If you received an "Activation failed - License and product do not match" error message when attempting to activate EFSW 6, we recommend calling ESET Sales Support directly: 

    • United States: 866-343-3738 (Monday – Friday, 6:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m., PST)

18. What is the difference between security admin and license owner in ESET License Administrator?

    ​A Security Admin is a person who manages licenses for ESET products on a network, and can be different from the actual license owner. The license owner can delegate (authorize) a security admin to manage a license (make changes, associate units, etc.) and use the license to activate ESET products. For more information, please see our Online Help topic.