EES-Am I Missing the Catch?

[Bankesy]

Hello

 

With pending summer upgrade work I have been taking a lot of advice with regards to licencing.

 

This school prior to my arrival it would seem has always bought the required licensing outright but I had a couple of sales phone calls with reference to EES and it just seems too good an alternative to be true.

 

Apparently it's going to cover the required client access licenses for the servers being replaced this year (but I still have to pay for 2 server 2012 licences separately) and then next year when we come to upgrade Windows and Office we just pay the EES subscription again and that covers all of those required licenses.

 

The only down side I could see is that if one year there is no development work then we're basically just paying to retain licences but I suppose this is offset by access to the latest upgrades as they are available.

 

Does that sound right or have I been lied to?

[LeMarchand]

Sounds about right, but (having just signed up for 3 years) I'm wondering where this news leaves EES: Microsoft to stop producing Windows versions - BBC News

[Boredguy]

EES-OVS is a yearly licence based on your staff FTE count, which can be major savings over a renewal period, (or can be more expensive if you don't upgrade that regularly)

 

A way to look at it is you are spreading your development costs over multiple years so your initial outlay is much lower so you can make your current budget go further.

The bonus is you can choose at any point to upgrade your OS and Office version without having anything else to pay since Software Assurance is built into it (and your staff/students get Office for home)

[3s-gtech]

(but I still have to pay for 2 server 2012 licences separately)

 

You can add other licences onto your EES agreement - we have SQL, Exchange, Lync, and several copies of server (DC and Standard) so you can do it all together. They're pretty cheap on EES too!

[mjk]

Apparently it's going to cover the required client access licenses for the servers being replaced this year (but I still have to pay for 2 server 2012 licences separately) and then next year when we come to upgrade Windows and Office we just pay the EES subscription again and that covers all of those required licenses.

This sounds right to me. But do bear in mind year 3, and 4 and 5 and 6. What you should do is work out how much it costs over a 5 or 6 year upgrade cycle and then divide by that number. If EES is cheaper then go with that if it isn't then buy the licenses outright. Remember that if/when budget cuts happen you won't be able to use your office/windows without paying the subscription. If you buy outright you can just delay the upgrade.

[Arthur]

I'm wondering where this news leaves EES: Microsoft to stop producing Windows versions - BBC News

In the same position we are now. You are still going to need a volume licensing agreement in order to install the Education or Enterprise editions of Windows 10.

 

There’s going to be a whole bunch of Windows 10 versions

 

The first few editions are straightforward. Windows 10 Home, Windows 10 Pro, and Windows 10 Enterprise will fill the same roles as their Windows 8.1 namesakes. Home will be the mainstream consumer version. Pro will add most of the management features (such as domain joining) that Home lacks. Enterprise will add further management capabilities and will only be available through volume licensing agreements.

 

Windows 10 Education will be similar to Windows 10 Enterprise—only available through academic volume licenses—and it will be available as an upgrade to Windows 10 Home and Pro for students and schools, but how it differs from Windows 10 Enterprise is currently unknown and not at all clear.

 

Windows 10 to be the last version of Windows, until the next version

 

For the time being, of course, Microsoft is sticking with Windows 10. It'll be the last version of Windows, right up until the marketers think it's time for a new version.

[DMcCoy]

Do remember that for the Windows clients, they still need a base version of Windows to be covered by EES (or OS X for Macs). Not usually an issue unless you build your own machines.

[Jobos]

I looked at EES when it first came out but it wasn't worth if then but as that was a few years ago and with Windows 10 round the corner I thought it was about time I looked at the figures again.

 

When calculating FTE staff do I count TA's? All staff here have email including the cleaners (don't ask me why) and I know for sure some TA's don't use it so do I count them too? Information about ESS is very confusing and I've found a guide here How to calculate Microsoft's MS EES licence. - Spiceworks It's 4 years old so could well be outdated now so what I really need is a simple way to work out how many FTE staff when I ask our licencing provider for the price.

[localzuk]

I looked at EES when it first came out but it wasn't worth if then but as that was a few years ago and with Windows 10 round the corner I thought it was about time I looked at the figures again.

 

When calculating FTE staff do I count TA's? All staff here have email including the cleaners (don't ask me why) and I know for sure some TA's don't use it so do I count them too? Information about ESS is very confusing and I've found a guide here How to calculate Microsoft's MS EES licence. - Spiceworks It's 4 years old so could well be outdated now so what I really need is a simple way to work out how many FTE staff when I ask our licencing provider for the price.

 

The calculation is:

 

All staff who work 200 hours per year and are a "computer user". So, if TAs use computers, yes. Kitchen serving staff, even if they use a computerised till, no. Cleaners? No.

 

The calculation on that Spiceworks is quite simply, and always has been, wrong for the UK market. There's no dividing or the like involved - its a simple question instead.

[sonofsanta]

The hours to meet FTE are very low - 200 hours a year, so only 5 hours a week through the academic year.

 

They have to be a computer user to count as well, so none of the kitchen staff count (just the kitchen manager here) and none of the cleaners count. If your TAs use the computers at all, for emails or resources or anything - and I'd imagine they do - then they count.

 

More generally, regarding cost effectiveness of EES, I figured it as breaking even over 6 years for us, because during that time we'd have upgraded Windows and Office (new version every ~3 years, we plump for every other version). Except in those 6 years we'd have saved ~£12k by shifting to the included Microsoft AV away from the Symantec EP we had, we'd have been able to upgrade as and when we pleased, not when we could afford it, and we'd have had the peace of mind of knowing we're licensed. The addition of Student Advantage only made it better.

 

It depends on your staff numbers (we're selective, so don't have many TAs at all) but it really can be as good as it looks.

Edited July 1, 2015 by sonofsanta

[3s-gtech]

Any FTE employees who use a computer in your organisation. Typically that doesn't include cleaners (but will include yours), canteen staff, groundsmen etc. It will include TAs in most cases. Basically, if they have a login, count them.

[Jobos]

Thanks everyone for the information. I don't think the numbers will have changed that much since the last time I did the sums, still I'll fire off an email and see what happens.