An Azure subscription including Active Directory must be available before deploying Microsoft Azure Stack Hub. Purchase this subscription from Dell Technologies, Microsoft, or other providers.

The solution includes the required Dell Technologies and Microsoft licenses:

• Azure Stack Hub with Microsoft Windows Server 2019 Datacenter Edition

The solution is licensed through pay-as-you-use metering and consumption billing. Azure Stack Hub consumption includes both public and private cloud workloads. Microsoft aggregates the metering information for this usage at regular intervals. The only licensing options that can be used for Azure Stack Hub consumption billing are enterprise agreements (EAs) and the Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) program.

For more information, see Microsoft Azure Stack Hub Pricing.

Enterprise agreements are ideal for organizations that already use an EA for other Microsoft software programs. An EA offers complete control of the Azure subscriptions running on the stack solution. Azure Stack Hub use is applied to the monetary commitment in the EA, and support for the Azure services is provided directly from Microsoft. An EA is also the only method to license Azure Stack Hub if you want to run it in a disconnected mode. This capacity model requires an annual subscription.

As an Azure CSP Direct and Indirect provider, Dell Technologies offers consumption-based licensing on Azure Stack Hub to enterprise organizations and channel partners. Through CSP, Dell Technologies provides sales, provisioning, billing, and support. Dell Technologies bills enterprise customers on a monthly basis, but the CSP agreement is non-contractual. Dell Technologies partners using the CSP Indirect program bill their end-customers in the format the customer selects for their Azure use, whether bundled with other services or pass‑through.

For more information, see Microsoft Azure in Cloud Solution Provider.