More Office Licensing Queries

[CHiLL]

We've been running Office 2019 Professional Plus for a few years now and since 2021 was released, I'm taking a look at the option to upgrade. The reason we aren't using M356 (O365) is because we're on OVS-ES licenses (due to <1000 users) and thus not elidgable for Device Based Licensing, as it's only available for EES (or at least was the last time I looked into this). Without DBL, we were hitting the 5 device limit in O365, which is an issue for shared computer rooms.

 

I had pinned my hopes on Office 2021...but alas, they've only made it available as User Based Licensing and removed the option to enable Shared Computer Licensing. I assume this will also have the 5 device limit that O365 has, which rules it out as an option.

 

Does that mean all schools with <1000 users are stuck on Office 2019, unless they have 1-1 devices?

[smarties11]

We have less than 1000 users and have been using the O365/M365 versions of Office for about 6 or 7 years now. First we used the original incarnation of Device Based Activation (which is now deprecated). Then we shifted to Shared Computer Licensing. There is no 5 device limit, this only applies if you don't use the Device Based / Shared Computer options available and get your users to sign in manually (as they would at home). We stored the Shared Computer license centrally on the network, to reduce the amount of activations against MS servers (they can apparently throttle these if they are excessive, we've never had any issues). Just customise your O365 installed using the customisation tool, to tell it to use shared computer licensing, and give it a path to save the license to if you go down the central option. For home users, when the central license path isn't available, it automatically reverts to local.

 

EDIT: Just to add, the only minor issue we sometimes see is on a PC that hasn't re-activated within the relevant thresholds (i.e. if a PC has been off for a while) it doesn't re-activate instantly, it says that it is not licensed and editing is disabled. Rebooting the PC sorts it.

Edited November 26, 2021 by smarties11

[Boredguy]

We've been running Office 2019 Professional Plus for a few years now and since 2021 was released, I'm taking a look at the option to upgrade. The reason we aren't using M356 (O365) is because we're on OVS-ES licenses (due to <1000 users) and thus not elidgable for Device Based Licensing, as it's only available for EES (or at least was the last time I looked into this). Without DBL, we were hitting the 5 device limit in O365, which is an issue for shared computer rooms.

 

I had pinned my hopes on Office 2021...but alas, they've only made it available as User Based Licensing and removed the option to enable Shared Computer Licensing. I assume this will also have the 5 device limit that O365 has, which rules it out as an option.

 

Does that mean all schools with <1000 users are stuck on Office 2019, unless they have 1-1 devices?

 

When you are on OVS-EES, you can use the Shared Computer Licensing if you have A1 Plus in 365 (which was free from Microsoft for schools, but could mean a few hoop jumping to get it enabled depending on your tenancy domain name). Think it also works if you have ProPlus assigned to your users if you only have A1.

 

You can now get EES if you have an FTE over 100.

Using Shared Computer Licencing, we've not noticed the 5 device limit when we've logged a whole IT suite on with the same account when doing training etc. That count is when a user downloads and installs it on a device itself (such as at home/mobile etc)

[localzuk]

EES has device based licensing - https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/deployoffice/device-based-licensing. The machines have their own license each, so it doesn't use a user's license. You are eligible for EES if you're over 100 EQU's, as there's a scheme that allows it now. Speak to Phoenix or Pugh software and they can tell you about it.

[CHiLL]

Unfortunately we don't have 100 FTEs either! I think it was 82 at our last count.

[localzuk]

So, from my understanding then, the volume licensed edition of Office Pro LTSC 2021 are licensed with a KMS key like it always has, so the user/shared computer licensing shouldn't matter? They're only for the 365 continuous install model? You just have to contact MS to get them to add a key to your account I think?

[CHiLL]

So, from my understanding then, the volume licensed edition of Office Pro LTSC 2021 are licensed with a KMS key like it always has, so the user/shared computer licensing shouldn't matter? They're only for the 365 continuous install model? You just have to contact MS to get them to add a key to your account I think?

That's what I thought. I'm using config.office.com to create the configuration.xml and under the Licensing and activation section, KMS is selected, but so it User based activation. The other two options of Shared Computer and Device based are greyed out:

 

[ATTACH=CONFIG]63775[/ATTACH]

 

I'll give it a test over the next few weeks.