Microsoft 365 plan comparison documents

There are updated (February 2024) Microsoft 365 plan comparison documents where Power Virtual Agents is replaced by Copilot Studio.

These useful documents tell you which (of the many) different components are included in which Office 365/Microsoft 365 plan, and there’s a table for SMB customers (https://bit.ly/4bm9crn), one for Enterprise customers (https://bit.ly/3HQRFtG), one for Education customers (https://bit.ly/3OwHkH8) and still more for EEA customers – one for SMB (https://bit.ly/3SpfihV) and the final one for Enterprise (https://bit.ly/42tUo5O).

Microsoft Open programs overview

There’s an updated (February 2021) Microsoft Open programs overview document.

Just four pages long, it’s a summary of all of the key points of the Open License, Open Value and Open Value Subscription programs, and is updated for the discontinuation of the Open License program in December 2021, and the availability of Open Value offers for education and nonprofit customers in July 2021.

Find this document here: https://bit.ly/3kWBheV

Further changes to the Open License Program

Back in October 2020 Microsoft announced that commercial customers wouldn’t be able to buy through the Open License Program after 31 December, 2021 (http://bit.ly/393LlhZ). A recent article confirms that this will also apply to government, education and nonprofit customers in the same timeframe.

These customers will be able to buy perpetual licences for the traditional on-premises products in CSP in July 2021, and there will be additional Open Value options from March 2021 for nonprofit and education customers to buy licences with SA or to renew SA.

Find the article here: http://bit.ly/39693dH, where it might be worth perusing the FAQs at the bottom of the page.

Windows 10 upgrade licences in education

From November 1, 2020 customers who have purchased Microsoft 365 A3/A5 or Windows 10 Enterprise A3/A5 through CSP can upgrade from Windows 10 Home to Windows 10 Education, and page 42 of the November 2020 Product Terms is updated with this change.

Partners will need to submit a support request to get a Windows 10 Pro Education key which is installed by the customer and then, when the device joins the tenant domain, it is automatically upgraded to Windows 10 Education.

Get a step-by-step guide to the process and an FAQ here: https://bit.ly/36nkkUp, and a useful overview of the Windows 10 editions for education customers here: https://bit.ly/3lfBqJQ.

Office 365 ProPlus Device-based Subscription for Education

Microsoft announce an Office 365 ProPlus Device-based Subscription for Education, which means that educational institutions can now assign an Office 365 ProPlus licence to a device rather than a user – useful, of course, where shared devices are used.

The experience for users is that those who DO have a User Subscription Licence including Office 365 ProPlus will be able to use the apps on the licensed device as well as their associated cloud services like OneDrive, while completely unlicensed users will be able to use the apps on the device and to save files locally. Using Office 365 ProPlus in this way doesn’t count towards one of the five allowed installations for a licensed user.

This new, free, add-on licence is available from 16 August, 2019 for customers who have an Enrollment for Education Solutions (EES) agreement where they’ve covered all Education Qualified Users with Office 365 ProPlus or a suite that includes it. They’re then entitled to as many Device-based Subscriptions as the number of Education Qualified Users.

The Device-based Subscription replaces the Lab and Library benefit that was the previous solution for institutions needing Office installed on a device basis, and note that this benefit remains for OVS-ES agreements where the new solution is not available.

Find the announcement from the Microsoft Education team here: http://bit.ly/30enR2Z, and refer to this page for deployment instructions: http://bit.ly/2KSJjnB.  

Office 365 Education – free to eligible students and teachers

Office 365 Education is now available free to students and teachers at schools that have licensed Office institution-wide for their faculty and staff.

The plan allows the installation of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneNote, Publisher, and Access on up to 5 PCs or Macs, and the Office apps on other mobile devices.

It also includes 1TB of OneDrive storage and rights to Office Online.

See the Microsoft announcement confirming availability from 23 Feb 2015 here: http://bit.ly/1wQvxmg, and details on eligibility here: http://bit.ly/1M4JLJ5.