What you’re describing (“licenses do not need to be individually assigned” and “cracked”) suggests either:
Instead of individual assignment, administrators use in the Microsoft 365 admin center or Azure portal. What you’re describing (“licenses do not need to
[Local Power BI Desktop] ---> Sends Request ---> [Microsoft Cloud Servers] | Checks Microsoft Entra ID License Status (Pro / PPU) | [Access Granted] OR [Access Denied] Many organizations waste money by assigning Pro licenses
Anyone on the internet can click the link and view the report. No Power BI Pro license, Microsoft 365 account, or login of any kind is required. For the majority of "viewers" who only consume
Many organizations waste money by assigning Pro licenses to users who only need to view a few reports occasionally. Conduct a thorough license audit. Identify your "creators" who must have a Pro license to build and publish content. For the majority of "viewers" who only consume content, assign them a Free license and ensure the content they need is in a Premium capacity workspace.
For organizations that operate in highly regulated industries or prefer to keep their data entirely off the public cloud, Microsoft offers an on-premises solution.