Work@home rights - how do you handle installation?

[pete]

Reading this: Microsoft UK Education - Types of Educational Licence - Select Licence It appears our staff have access to work-at-home rights for Office 2007 Enterprise (Select Agreement), as was the case with Office 2K (yes, that old and crusty ).

 

Our staff are honest and unlikely to deliberately leak keys etc, but I can't say the same for their offspring or a mishap.

 

I have a copy of Microsoft's Work at Home Acceptance Form that I plan to adapt regarding policy, how do you handle the practical "install software on machine"? How are you ensuring you licensing info, serials and media don't go walkabout?

[mb2k01]

I'm not sure if it is still the case, but there used to be a portal where the staff logged on to request a media kit (about £15).

 

I'm not sure where you stand about installing yourself on equipment using VLKs though.

Your Microsoft Volume Licensing reseller should be able to help, or spend a bit of time poking around on licensing.microsoft.com - that's where I found it a couple of years ago I think!

[bossman]

@pete:

 

We operate an external service if the end user cannot bring their workstation in so as not to let serials and media fall into the wrong hands, as you have said your staff you trust but their siblings not...............nuff said!

[DMcCoy]

Home Use Program is better, however:

 

Microsoft Product Activation and Academic Volume Licensing

 

 

Do note: "Software for Work-related purposes at home under its Microsoft School Subscription Enrollment. You are not licensed to use the Software at home for personal purposes."

[rayfleming]

If you've got a School Agreement (or Campus Agreement if you're from FE/HE), then I think an easier-to-manage option is to use the Home Use Programme. Basically, it means that once you've taken one step (a tick box in the MVLS system) you then simply send staff to a webpage, where they place their order directly and it is shipped to them.

 

It avoids you having to manage media etc, and staff receive a licensed media pack and licence key directly from us. And it costs them a tenner.

(There's also a Mac version available on this scheme)

 

It's also lower workload for you than Work At Home eg it's the employee who owns the responsibility for making sure they're correctly licensed - eg to stop using it if they leave your employment

 

There's a blog post on the Schools blog from earlier this year with the details and links:

Microsoft UK Schools News Blog : Lowest cost for Office 2007 - Home Use Programme for schools

 

And finally, I think the main reason to put the small print in the Work At Home rights about work use, not personal, is to avoid a potential tax liability for your staff. Home Use Rights has been separately cleared by one of the Big 3 accountants as having no liability

[enjay]

Thanks for the link, Ray. I'm considering taking out a Schools Agreement this year, so that is really helpful.

[pete]

If you've got a School Agreement (or Campus Agreement if you're from FE/HE), then I think an easier-to-manage option is to use the Home Use Programme. Basically, it means that once you've taken one step (a tick box in the MVLS system) you then simply send staff to a webpage, where they place their order directly and it is shipped to them.

 

It avoids you having to manage media etc, and staff receive a licensed media pack and licence key directly from us. And it costs them a tenner.

(There's also a Mac version available on this scheme)

 

And finally, I think the main reason to put the small print in the Work At Home rights about work use, not personal, is to avoid a potential tax liability for your staff. Home Use Rights has been separately cleared by one of the Big 3 accountants as having no liability

 

Ray, we have a Select Plus agreement* via the Specialist Schools & Academies Trust, does that still qualify for the Home Use Programme?

 

*based on the predicted timescale for our next office upgrade, it was cheaper for us to buy the licences outright.

[rayfleming]

Ray, we have a Select Plus agreement via the Specialist Schools & Academies Trust, does that still qualify for the Home Use Programme?

 

If you have Software Assurance with it, then yes, but not without.

 

You can still use Work at Home instead - just involves a little more work for you.