Omnissa Horizon is Omnissa’s platform for delivering virtual desktops and published applications from on-premises data centres, public clouds or Omnissa-hosted services. It was sold as VMware Horizon until the End-User Computing business became Omnissa. Horizon 8 is the customer-installed product. Horizon Cloud and the Omnissa-hosted Horizon Control Plane provide the SaaS layer.[7] Every current Horizon edition is licensed per Named User or per Concurrent User.[1] Horizon 8 recognises four licence types: perpetual, term, Plus SaaS subscription and Universal SaaS subscription.[4]
Editions
Omnissa publishes two feature matrices, one for SaaS subscription editions and one for Subscription Term editions.[2][3] The Product Guide states the licence notes for each edition.
| Edition | Type | Metric | Notable inclusions (Product Guide) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Horizon Universal Subscription | SaaS | NU or CCU | Desktops and apps on-premises or Horizon Service; ThinApp, Teams pack, Session Collaboration, Access Cloud, Cloud Connector[1] |
| Horizon Apps Universal Subscription | SaaS | NU or CCU | Published apps and session desktops; App Volumes Advanced; DEM Enterprise; no VDI components of Horizon Service[1] |
| Horizon Apps Standard Subscription | SaaS | NU or CCU | Published apps; DEM Standard. End of sale in August 2026[1][2] |
| Horizon Cloud on Azure Standard Subscription | SaaS | NU or CCU | Windows desktops; cannot be mixed with other SaaS editions[1][2] |
| Horizon Standard Plus Subscription | SaaS (Plus) | CCU | ThinApp, DEM Standard, Access Cloud, Cloud Connector[1] |
| Horizon Enterprise Plus Subscription | SaaS (Plus) | NU or CCU | App Volumes Advanced, DEM Enterprise, Session Collaboration, Access Cloud[1] |
| Horizon Standard Term | Term | CCU | ThinApp, DEM Standard; on-premises or designated cloud[1] |
| Horizon Enterprise Term | Term | NU or CCU | App Volumes Advanced, DEM Enterprise, Monitor Standard[1] |
| Horizon Apps Advanced Term | Term | NU or CCU | Published apps, App Volumes, DEM Enterprise; no linked clones or virtual desktop features[1] |
| Horizon for Linux Term | Term | CCU | Linux desktops; DEM Standard[1] |
The SaaS matrix also lists a Horizon Platinum Subscription column, and both matrices show which editions include VMware vSphere Foundation for VDI.[2][3] Legacy perpetual editions (Horizon Standard, Advanced and Enterprise Edition, and Horizon Apps Standard and Advanced) still have licence notes in the Product Guide, because customers continue to run them.[1]
Metrics
Horizon uses two metrics, both defined in section 1.1 of the Product Guide.
- Named User: the customer’s single designated human User.[1]
- Concurrent User: the total number of Users maintaining an Active Connection at any given time, “including active and idle session states”, to their desktop through each endpoint device.[1]
An Active Connection is generally any connection to a Powered-On Desktop Virtual Machine, a Terminal Services Session or a physical computer. Horizon for Linux narrows this to Linux desktop VMs and physical computers. The Horizon Apps editions narrow it to Terminal Services Sessions.[1]
Counting / floors
Idle sessions count. Because the definition includes idle session states, a disconnected session that stays logged on still uses a Concurrent User licence until it ends.[1] Session timeout policy therefore affects how many licences are consumed. Catalog: Concurrent Users include idle sessions.
One powered-on desktop per Concurrent User. For Horizon Enterprise and Enterprise Term, Enterprise Plus and Universal Subscription Concurrent User licences, each Concurrent User may use Windows or Linux desktops, but not both at the same time, and only one Powered-On Desktop Virtual Machine.[1] A user with two simultaneous desktop VMs therefore needs two Concurrent User licences, or a Named User licence. Catalog: One powered-on desktop VM and one OS family per Horizon Concurrent User.
One metric per SID. For Horizon Apps Standard, Apps Universal, Cloud on Azure Standard and Universal Subscriptions, the customer may buy Named User or Concurrent User subscriptions, but all subscriptions under a single SID must use the same metric.[1] Catalog: One SID holds only Named User or only Concurrent User subscriptions.
What Horizon Console reports. The Usage panel shows Current and Highest Total Concurrent Connections. The Highest figure is the peak since the pod was configured or the count was last reset. For named users the console shows a high-water mark of users who have connected since the same point. Other session metrics on the panel do not count towards licensing.[6] For SaaS subscriptions the Horizon Control Plane’s figures are the correct ones where they differ from the console.[6] Catalog: Horizon Console usage figures and the Control Plane as the SaaS record.
Bundled entitlements. Bundled components follow the parent edition’s quantity. An Enterprise edition includes App Volumes Advanced and Dynamic Environment Manager Enterprise “for up to the number of” Named or Concurrent Users paid for. Each pack includes one ThinApp Packager, and ThinApp Client licences match the users paid for.[1] See Omnissa App Volumes, DEM and ThinApp licensing.
Floors and add-ons. No minimum order is published. Horizon Accelerator requires an active Horizon subscription and an equivalent number of seats and subscription term.[1] Every Term edition includes Omnissa Monitor Standard. Omnissa Monitor Advanced is a paid add-on that must match the number and type of users and the term of the Horizon Term entitlement.[1] Catalog: Horizon add-ons must match the Horizon quantity and term.
Licence keys and enforcement
One licence per pod. A Horizon 8 pod accepts one licence key or one subscription bundle. Some combinations in the same pod are allowed only with an Omnissa exception: Named User with Concurrent User bundles, different Term editions, and the same bundle with different term lengths. Term, SaaS and perpetual licence types can never share a pod.[5] Universal, Apps Standard and Apps Universal Subscriptions may be mixed with each other, and Standard Plus with Enterprise Plus. The two Plus editions cannot be mixed with other SaaS editions.[5] Omnissa states that mechanisms monitor the use of two different licences, and that staying compliant is the customer’s responsibility.[5] Catalog: One licence key or subscription bundle per Horizon 8 pod; mixing needs an exception.
Keys and subscriptions. Perpetual and term licences use keys obtained from the Omnissa Customer Connect portal. SaaS subscriptions need no keys. They are enabled through the Horizon Cloud Connector or Horizon Edge, which connect the pod to the Horizon Control Plane.[5] The Control Plane licence service syncs with the Connection Server every 24 hours.[5] Horizon Access Cloud also checks that a SaaS subscription is active. Without that validation the customer “must not and will not be able to access” the desktops and applications.[1] Catalog: Horizon SaaS editions validated through Omnissa Access Cloud.
The 2412 key change. Perpetual and term customers upgrading to Horizon 8 2412 or later need a new key that uses the Omnissa licensing module. Without it, Horizon Console enters restricted mode after a 60-day grace period. Horizon 7 keys do not work for Horizon 8.[5] From Horizon 8 2406, perpetual licence activation also requires the administrator’s consent.[4] Catalog: Horizon 8 2412 and later need a new-format Omnissa licence key.
Expiry. A term licence keeps working for 30 days after its written expiry date. After that, Horizon Console enters restricted mode: no new or expanded pools or farms, but existing desktops keep working.[5] The vSphere licence in a Horizon term bundle has no such grace period. It moves to a restricted level of service immediately on expiry.[5] Catalog: Horizon term licences have a 30-day grace period; bundled vSphere does not.
Virtualization & partitioning
Horizon itself is not licensed by host, processor or core. Many Horizon SaaS and Term bundles, however, include VMware vSphere Foundation for VDI. According to the edition matrices, this covers vSphere Enterprise Plus (per user), vCenter Standard, vSAN Enterprise with 100 GiB of trial capacity per processor core, and instant clones.[2] Broadcom has mandated that Omnissa flow down its terms for these licences. Use is subject to Broadcom’s Foundation Agreement and restricted to VDI. The permitted purposes are hosting desktop VMs, Windows terminal services sessions, RDS hosts, and the related desktop management and monitoring tools. The licences may be used only with the Horizon offering.[1] A host licensed this way should not run general server workloads. The VVF for VDI term may also differ from the Horizon term.[7] Catalog: VVF for VDI licences restricted to VDI use with Horizon. See VMware vSphere and VCF.
Cloud / BYOL
Universal-type SaaS subscriptions let the customer, at any time during the term, deploy Horizon on-premises or use the Horizon Service cloud. Entitlements can be split across deployment options, but the total may not exceed the purchased quantity. The Product Guide’s example: 1,500 Named User entitlements may be used in any combination of on-premises and public cloud, up to 1,500 Named Users in total.[1] Term editions may be deployed on-premises or in the customer’s designated cloud environment.[1] The Term matrix describes them as restricted to single-cloud deployment, while hybrid and multi-cloud deployment is a SaaS feature.[3] Catalog: Horizon Service entitlements portable across on-premises and cloud up to the total; Horizon Term editions may run on-premises or in a designated cloud.
If Horizon Service use exceeds the Order, or continues after the term ends, Omnissa may notify the customer. If the overage is not fixed, Omnissa may suspend or terminate the service, and the excess use is chargeable in any case.[7] Catalog: Cloud Service overages: notice, then suspension or termination.
Programs
- Migration from Perpetual to Term. Existing perpetual keys may be used until the customer upgrades to the subscription release. After that, the perpetual licences receive no upgrades or support. Customers moving from vSphere perpetual licences to VVF for VDI must upgrade those keys immediately.[1]
- Subscription Upgrade Program. When moving to a Cloud Service, perpetual licences must be retired within 90 days of the Order’s effective date.[7]
- Horizon Accelerator. This is a Day 0 to Day 2 lifecycle service. The customer may not take possession of its software elements, and only Omnissa may operate it.[7]
- Workspace ONE Enterprise. Workspace ONE Enterprise Subscription includes Horizon Apps Universal Subscription for the same Named Users. Workspace ONE Enterprise Perpetual includes Horizon Enterprise Edition, and that right ends with the Workspace ONE licence.[1] See Omnissa Workspace ONE licensing.
Out of scope
- Microsoft Windows licensing for virtual desktops (for example VDA rights), which Horizon requires but does not provide. The Product Guide’s Terminal Services Session definition assumes a valid Microsoft Windows licence.
- Broadcom’s own terms for VVF for VDI beyond the flow-down summarized here.
- Horizon DaaS service provider offerings and partner price lists.