No, it is not mandatory to use the Floating License Server with GeneSpring WorkGroup. The Floating License Server is used when there are many users of a GeneSpring client and most of them want to use the software at the same time.

No, the license for GeneSpring WorkGroup is different from the license for the Floating License Server.

GeneSpring WG_Client Fixed license is used on a single machine at a time. It is machine specific and gets locked with the machine on which it is activated and cannot be transferred to another machine.
GeneSpring WG_Client Floating License on the other hand is not machine specific and can be used on multiple machines simultaneously by connecting to the Floating License Server to be served an available license. The number of available licenses depends on the number of concurrent keys purchased with the floating license.

Both WorkGroup and Floating License Server are server-based applications but they work in different ways.
 
WorkGroup is used to keep all your data secure and can be shared among authorized WorkGroup users only.
 

GeneSpring Workgroup streamlines Multi-Omics data management at large and multi-campus organizations, providing server-side data analysis and secure archiving. It provides a secure repository for complete data analysis, which can be shared among users, whenever required.
 
When there is a large number of users and important data needs to be used in the analysis to-and-fro, it is recommended to use GeneSpring Workgroup, which allows server management capabilities to the users, through which data integrity can be maintained.