6.x Named Web license versus 7.x Web Concurrent license
Based on customer feedback, ALL web app licenses in 7.x have transitioned to the concurrent or floating license model. What that means is that in 7.x we restrict the number of simultaneous users accessing the Zoom Web apps. For example, in a five-user concurrent use Web client license, after five users are logged into the Server using the Web Client, the sixth user is prohibited. With this new model, Zoom web apps do not care for the user login name when managing licenses, unlike 6.x. You could have 5 or 50 or 500 users request a concurrent Zoom web app license at various times during the day, with the license restriction that only a fixed number of simultaneous users would actually be able to get a license and login, the rest will get a message warning that licenses have been exhausted, at which point they can wait for a license to be available and retry later.
What is the difference between concurrent Web Client and Web Collection license in 7.x?
Web Client license grants an internal Zoom user access to the entire Zoom project vault if they have appropriate permissions. All the permitted assets can be accessed in a Web Client session. A Web Client license is typically used by managers who are not creatives to manage collections, to self-serve files, to crop/edit assets or to upload new files. Commenting or markup are not possible from within a Web Client.
Web Collection license grants an internal Zoom user or external user access to only the selected files that are shared in a Web Collection. Asset editing such as image cropping, sub-clipping are not possible from within a Collection. Collection can be used for commenting & provided feedback to enable collaboration. Web Collections are used to share & collaborate with external users or partners typically.
Desktop licenses still use the same Named User license model
There is no change to the desktop license model. These continue to be named user licenses. But a desktop license is not actually used until you assign the user to a role with permission. In other words, if a user is not assigned any role in 7.x, the user could be still listed under the “Manage Accounts” tab in the Web Management Console and would not consume a desktop license. This allows you to add more users than the desktop user count permitted by your license key and assign them a role when needed in order to grant them a desktop license. This gives more flexibility to the Zoom system administrator in 7.x when managing the users.
What happens to Web Approver or Lightbox license in 6.x?
In Zoom 7.x, the 6.x web-based Lightbox client has been removed. It has been replaced by a much more functional and feature-rich Web Collection license. The sales team will issue you a credit for the extra Web Lightbox licenses that you purchased and paid for in 6.x towards the new Web Collection concurrent license. Based on the price difference you will typically get fewer Web Collection concurrent licenses than the named 6.x Web Lightbox licenses. This is simply because multiple 6.x named licenses can be mapped to a fewer floating or concurrent 7.x licenses, as not all 6.x named users need to log in at the same time. Typically, for every 4-5 named users, you need 1 concurrent license as a general rule of thumb.
Can a desktop user create a collection without a Web Collection license?
Yes, desktop users can create dynamic or static collections as before. The only change is if the desktop user tries to open the static collection created in 6.x or 7.x in the new Web Collection app, they will consume a Web Collection concurrent license as soon as they try to manage the Web collection or modify the Web collection from the Web Collection app. If they never try to access the Web Collection app and manage the collection entirely from within the desktop app then no web collection license will be needed.
In practice, most desktop users will want to share assets with other upstream users via a Web app, so it is recommended that you provide an adequate number of Web Collection licenses. A good rule of thumb is to get 1 Web Collection license for every 5 desktop users. For example, if you have 20 desktop user licenses, then you might want to get 5 Web Collection concurrent licenses for internal desktop users’ needs plus extra licenses for external users who will simultaneously access the shared Web Collections.
Can desktop users access the Web Asset Browser (WebVAB) in 7.x?
No, the desktop users can only access desktop apps with a desktop license. Even in 6.x, the named web client licenses for accessing WebVAB were never meant to be used as desktop licenses. Since there was no enforcement of a named web client versus desktop user license in 6.x, some customers might have violated the terms of our license agreement and allowed desktop users to grab the licenses meant for named web client or vice versa. In 7.x this would not be permitted as the 7.x web apps enforce a concurrent license scheme as described above.
if you had purchased named web client users for WebVAB access in 6.x, the sales team will issue you a credit towards purchasing the new Web Client concurrent license. Based on the price difference you will typically get fewer Web Client concurrent licenses than the named 6.x Web Client license. This is simply because multiple 6.x named Web Client licenses can be mapped to a fewer floating or concurrent 7.x licenses, as not all 6.x named users need to log in at the same time. Typically for every 4-5 named users, you need 1 concurrent license as a general rule of thumb.
Do I need a separate license for Web Asset Browser and Web Client in 7.x?
No, in 7.2+ the license model was changed to consume only 1 concurrent web client license from the same web browser if opening two tabs, one for WebVAB and another for the new 7.x Web Client.
Unlimited read-only Web Collection licenses
The 7.x license model has been made more generous when it comes to users wishing to receive a Web Collection for viewing or downloading assets. Each 7.x license key ships with complimentary unlimited read-only web collection concurrent licenses. Also by virtue of this, if all the concurrent Web Collection (read and write) licenses are exhausted, the next user who tries to access a collection will automatically be downgraded to a read-only web collection license.
Can I control who gets a regular (read+write) versus read-only Web Collection license?
No, this is automatically handled by Zoom. If a user logs into a Web Collection they start with a grant of a read-only Web Collection license. As soon as they try to modify (upload files or comment) or manage the collection they will automatically grab a regular (read+write) concurrent Web Collection license if one is available. If not, they will stay in a read-only mode as far as the web collection is concerned.
Difference between internal and external users
Any user that shows up in the “Manage Accounts” tab in the Web Management Console can act as an internal user. Such a user can have access to Zoom project vaults if permitted or can be a pure Web Collection user if not added to any project vaults in Zoom.
External users can not have access to the Web Client licenses. They are only permitted to have access to a Web Collection. These are external partners or clients that have been invited via an email to collaborate on a Collection. There is no restriction on the number of external users. If external users are invited to a collection, they must register by setting up a password through the web app registration option on the login screen, in order to access the Web Collection.
Mark as Web Concurrent user only
If an internal user should never be granted a desktop license, you can mark then as Concurrent user only from the Web Management Console > Manage Accounts panel. Such users will only be able to log in from a Web App: WebVAB, Web Client or Web Collection. This ensures that desktop licenses meant for creatives or power users are not issued to a Web user accidentally.