Learn about the new Microsoft 365 Education licensing through OETC
Microsoft has overhauled their software licensing for education. The Education Desktop bundle is now Microsoft 365 Education, which differs in structure, offerings and user count.
This 15-minute webinar includes a presentation from OETC Executive Director Thomas Richards on the new Microsoft 365 Education licenses, followed by a brief Q&A.
The webinar covers the following:
- A1 vs. A3 vs. A5
- What is EQU?
- Add security to A3
- Special use rights
- Student use benefits
- Benefits if you transition early
- Why OETC?
- When to consider OVS-ES
View the Slides Request an M365 Quote
Webinar Q&A
Q:Is the cost per EQU similar to the cost per FTE?
A: Yes, it is similar. It depends on what agreement you were on and when you signed up, so I can’t say it’s the exact cost but it is very similar. If you had the desktop bundle with Enterprise CAL, it’s a very minor cost difference from the M365 bundle. The real cost difference tends to that you might have to license more people as part of EQU as opposed to FTE. If you had the desktop bundle and you had anything like Intune or Azure Active Directory Premium, or ATP, then it is actually less expensive. Some of our members saw their bill go down in that regard.
Ayone that’s in an April renewal, we are working on your quotes right now and will get those out quickly. If you have to transition to M365 because your agreement is up, we’ll need to get your EQU count and will be sending out information about that shortly.
Q: Is there a cost for the server licenses?
A: What they call the productivity server licenses are at no cost, so SharePoint and Exchange and Skype for on-premise are at no cost. They are included. Windows and SQL and SCCM are still separate costs. They’re not bundling that in for us at this point.
Questions from October Webinar
Q: Are named users capped at what we purchase at the beginning of the year?
A: Unlike the old framework with FTE, you are able to go up or down on your EQU at every anniversary renewal period. If you want to purchase more licenses in between your renewal periods you can do so; they will be prorated down to 6 months.
If you estimate on the low end at the start of your agreement, you can increase throughout the year but you will need to be on top of it. You will not be able to purchase more licenses overnight — Microsoft doesn’t process orders quite that fast.
That being said, it is easier to add on when needed, rather than wishing you could go down, as Microsoft will not refund unused licenses if you’ve over-purchased.
Q: Will this change affect shared device licensing for Office Pro Plus?
A: It does not. There is a way to do shared device licensing for Office Pro Plus. If you have lab environments, you will not need to license them through M365.
Q: Will each user need to be licensed through the portal (ie. have a login) compared to installing license keys on user machines?
A: Yes, each user will have to have an M365 login via the portal, then you grant them the license and they can log in and download Office. This includes student licenses.
There are other deployment options with Office, but they are getting a little harder to do each year as Microsoft pushes everyone to put their users in the portal and assign licenses that way.
You can still deploy using license keys/VLSC, but fundamentally Microsoft sees M365 as a cloud-based system where you assign the users license rights and they can then download the product. This includes student licenses as well.
Want to learn more about M365? Visit our comprehensive M365 licensing page.