License utilization for Symantec Protection Engine in NAS and Cloud environments

Products

• Protection Engine for Cloud Services
• Protection Engine for NAS

Issue/Introduction

This article explains how license utilization is calculated for Symantec Protection Engine (SPE) across different deployment models, including Network Attached Storage (NAS) and Cloud Services (CS). It addresses common questions regarding server limits, user counts, and transaction volumes.

Environment

• Symantec Protection Engine (SPE) 8.x, 9.x
• Protection Engine for NAS
• Protection Engine for Cloud Services
• AWS (EC2), Azure, Google Cloud Platform, Kubernetes

Resolution

Symantec Protection Engine for Cloud Services (SPE-CS)

There are two primary licensing models for cloud environments. In both models, there are no restrictions on the number of SPE Scan Servers or instances (e.g., Windows EC2) you can deploy, provided the total usage remains within your entitlement.

1. Per-User Subscription:
   • Purchase one license for each 'known' user with access to content scanned by Protection Engine.
   • If you have unknown or anonymous users accessing the application, an additional Application Server subscription license (SPE-CSAS-SUB) is required for each application server protected.
2. Per-Transaction Subscription:
   • Each subscription covers 10 million transactions (scans) per year.
   • This limit is an aggregate total across all SPE instances. You can install the license on an unlimited number of systems as long as the combined scan volume does not exceed the purchased limit.
   • Anonymous users do not require separate server licenses under this model.

Symantec Protection Engine for NAS (SPE-NAS)

• Utilization Monitoring: SPE does not hardware-enforce or monitor license limits within the console.
• User Counting: Licensing is based on the total number of unique 'known' users in the organization with access to the protected NAS device. Multiple sessions by a single user count as one user.
• Compliance: If the total number of users increases, additional licenses must be purchased to maintain compliance.

Examples

• Company with 10,000 Employees: Protecting an internal facilities app used by all staff requires 10,000 Per-User licenses.
• Public Banking Service: A bank hosting an application on 5 web servers accessed by the public and managed by 12 internal staff requires 12 Per-User licenses and 5 Application Server (Add-on) licenses.
• Cloud Scan Engine (EC2): A customer with a 10 million scan-per-year license can deploy SPE on 50 different EC2 instances; compliance is measured solely by the total yearly scan count (10 million).

Additional Information

• For further details, refer to the attached SPE Licensing Guide.
• To speak with a customer representative or a Support Engineer see Contact Support. Scroll to the bottom of the page and click on your respective region.
• For licensing inquiries, please reference Contact Broadcom Support