How can Microsoft compete with this licensing?

[bcsdtech]

Please tell me if I'm wrong.. I hope I am.

 

Under current enterprise agreement we are paying $50/ faculty for all software upgrades. Students can access MS Office on nearly 3000 laptops around the district.

We are expanding the number of laptops for students, and starting a 1:1 next year.

 

With 365 pricing at 2.50 / student and 4.50 for faculty. How can we make this huge jump?

 

At 780 faculty x $50 = $39,000/ Year

 

 

Say we only pay for our 6th-12th grade:

 

780 Faculty @ $4.5/month = $3510 X 12 Months = $42,120

2100 students @ 2.5/month = $5250 X 10 Months = $52,500

 

So to keep Microsoft when we move to 1:1 it will double our licensing agreement? Even though no extra faculty will be getting access to MS Office?

 

Is there any cheaper way to do this?

[john]

I don't know if the US has much difference in agreements but MS and 1:1 is not well thought through at all, school owned laptops are fine but as soon as you do the 1:1 assignment the rules change as does the licensing. It is something Microsoft need to get to grips with going forth as its not well thought out.

 

So that is what you have found that 1:1 is very expensive the solution is don't 1:1 it general pool laptops cost nothing to sort out under EES as they are general computers thus covered by the usual EES FTE count.

 

You could use OpenOffice or another open-source office program on the 1:1?

[Hedghog]

I'm not sure how licencing works in the states and I am in the UK:-

 

we get an EES licence which is based on the number of full time teaching staff in the school and included in that is access to 0ffice 365. If we moved to 1:1 for the students it would have no impact on the licencing charges only if we employ more staff does it change.

Hope this helps

[bcsdtech]

Apparently moving to 1:1 here in the US makes it so we must add licensing for students...

[john]

I'm not sure how licencing works in the states and I am in the UK:-

 

we get an EES licence which is based on the number of full time teaching staff in the school and included in that is access to 0ffice 365. If we moved to 1:1 for the students it would have no impact on the licencing charges only if we employ more staff does it change.

Hope this helps

 

Ahh it would as I assumed that wrongly (or my licensing provider told me rubbish).

 

EES only allows the students to use pool computers EG Laptop Trolleys, IT rooms etc... Once you assign a device to a specific student you are no longer covered by the EES and have to buy a specific license for that device as its not a shared device anymore.

[Ashm]

Ahh it would as I assumed that wrongly (or my licensing provider told me rubbish).

 

EES only allows the students to use pool computers EG Laptop Trolleys, IT rooms etc... Once you assign a device to a specific student you are no longer covered by the EES and have to buy a specific license for that device as its not a shared device anymore.

+1 & also if students access the software from their personal devices eg Office/Windows via RDS.

[CyberNerd]

This is *exactly* the problem we faced. Combined with the fact that we would have to pay even more for terminal services licenses because MS don't actually supply a version of office for the devices the kids own!

 

The solution was fairly simple and even means we don't need to pay for EES!

We moved the whole school to a mix of Google apps and libre office. We still have a few copies of ms office for certain tasks. The transition was relatively painless (some whining but very few legitimate problems).