Guideline on Microsoft Licensing for Schools (February 2024)

Guideline on Microsoft Licensing for Schools

Table of Contents: Page

Introduction – Trend in moving to cloud based platforms 1

How Microsoft is changing its product licences 1
Summary table of licences including cost examples 2
More details of the main Microsoft products/services that are relevant to schools 3
Office 365 for Education, Office 365 A1, A3, A5 3
Microsoft 365 for Education, Microsoft 365 A1, A3, A5 3-4
Considerations for Antivirus, Data and Cybersecurity 4
Additional queries contact details 4

INTRODUCTION - TREND IN MOVING TO CLOUD BASED PLATFORMS

Over the past few years, there has been a notable shift among organisations, including schools, towards
using cloud-based platforms. The adoption of cloud computing is driven by its advantages, including
scalability, flexibility, cost-efficiency, and accessibility. Schools are increasingly using cloud-based solutions
to encourage collaboration and simplify how they manage user accounts, devices and school data to support
teaching and learning. Microsoft 365 and related products have reflected this move to the cloud.

HOW MICROSOFT IS CHANGING PRODUCT LICENSING

• Perpetual/Device Licence: In the past, schools typically purchased a device along with a Microsoft
Office licence as a one-time download for desktops or laptops. If the device became unusable, the
office licence could be transferred to another device, but upgrading required purchasing a new
license. Perpetual licenses can still be purchased, such as a one-time 6-year licence for approx’ €45
per device, including online and desktop apps, device management (Intune), and Minecraft
Education. However for schools who want to purchase a lot of devices, this could be costly. Also, the
trend towards cloud services makes alternative licence models more appealing and relevant.

• Subscription Licence OVS/ES (min 1 year): Microsoft has a subscription licence for schools, an OVS-
ES licence (Open Value Subscription Education Solution). This is based on the number of full-time
equivalent staff members and a school can sign up for 1-3 years. This gives users (students and staff)
access to both the online and desktop version of Microsoft apps (Office 365 A3). Schools must
purchase a minimum of 5 licences.

• Subscription Flexible, monthly, yearly, any number of licences, CSP: In line with the demand and
move to cloud services, Microsoft have introduced Microsoft 365 via a Cloud Solution Provider (CSP).
Microsoft 365 includes Office 365 but also adds Enterprise mobility and security, Windows desktop,
and Minecraft education. Similar to OVS/ES but based on EQU (education qualified user i.e. staff
numbers) with Student Use Benefit. Subscriptions can be monthly or annual, are flexible, so schools
can add or remove user licences as needed. There is no minimum quantity, so schools can purchase
a minimum of a single licence.

• Microsoft Intune: Microsoft Intune is a cloud-based service that allows organisations to manage and
secure their users' devices, apps, and data, enabling efficient mobile device management (MDM) and
mobile application management (MAM) across various platforms.
Intune for Education primarily focuses on managing Windows devices. While it does support some
management features for iOS and MacOS devices, its capabilities might not be as extensive as those
provided by specialised solutions such as Jamf for Apple device management.

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 Guideline on Microsoft Licensing for Schools (February 2024)

SUMMARY TABLE OF LICENCES

Office Office 365 Office 365 Microsoft Microsoft 365 Microsoft 365
365 A1 A3 A5 365 A1 A3 A5
Free Subscription Higher One time Office 365 M365 A3
Online Inc A1 subscription subscription online + features plus
apps features Inc A1 + A3 per device desktop + additional
incl’ plus features for a 6-year Windows + security,
Teams desktop plus licence some security, privilege
apps + additional Desktop mobility access
Intune security and apps + (Intune)+ management
analytics cloud Minecraft and analytics
etc. mgmt. of Education etc.
devices edition
(Intune) +
Minecraft
Education
Older OVS-ES model based on Per Device Newer CSP model based on EQU
FTE (full time equivalent) staff Licence for 6 (education qualified user i.e. staff
members 1- 3-year subscription. years available numbers) with Student Use Benefit
Will be phased out, min via CSP Can be a monthly subscription or
purchase is 5 licences. annual, more flexible, you can adjust
i.e. add/remove user licences as
needed, flexible as little as 1 licence
can be purchased.
APPROX COST Free 40-55 70-95 40-55 75-95 135-170
(€)

COMMENT Storage Common Not used Not used Most Large

limited subscription much much common organisations
subscription. requiring
Becoming tiered Admins
more popular and Enterprise
with schools. Users
EXAMPLES
of Licences most commonly used in schools

Cost per year € FREE 400 680

Small School
8 Staff
50 students
Cost per year € FREE 750 1275
Med School
15 Staff
200 students
Cost per year € FREE 2500 4250
Large School
50 Staff
750 students
NOTES
Costs are approximate and based on averages and may vary by reseller
Costs are for licences only, and do not include installation or configuration costs etc.

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 Guideline on Microsoft Licensing for Schools (February 2024)

DETAILS OF THE MAIN MICROSOFT PRODUCTS/SERVICES THAT ARE RELEVANT TO SCHOOLS

OFFICE 365 FOR EDUCATION

Microsoft Office 365 Education is an integrated cloud-based platform tailored for educational institutions,
offering a combination of online and desktop applications, such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and
collaborative tools including Teams and OneNote.

Office 365 A1
This is a Free subscription plan offered by Microsoft for educational institutions. It is designed to provide
basic productivity tools and online services for students and staff. Below the key components included in
Office 365 A1 are:

Online Versions of Office Applications:

Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote: Online versions that can be accessed through a web browser.

Email and Calendar:

Exchange Online: High quality email service with a 50 GB mailbox per user.
Outlook on the web: Web-based access to email and calendar features.

Online Storage:
OneDrive for Business: Cloud storage for documents and files with 1 TB of storage per user.

Collaboration Tools:
SharePoint Online: Collaboration platform for sharing and managing content, documents, and applications.
Microsoft Teams: Collaboration platform for chat, video meetings, file sharing, and collaboration on
documents.

NOTE: Effective February 1, 2024, users of Office 365 A1 (free subscription) will be limited to a maximum of
100GB for OneDrive storage, within the 100TB of pooled storage for the school tenant. Schools will have the
option to purchase incremental storage based on their needs.

Office 365 A3 – there is a subscription per annum for this service and it comes with additional features,
notably the desktop applications as well as the online apps featured in A1.

Office 365 A5 – there is a higher subscription for this and as well as the features of Office 365 A1 and A3,
with A5 there are additional enhanced security features for example more analytics.

MICROSOFT 365 FOR EDUCATION

Microsoft 365 is a more comprehensive solution than Office365, bundling Office 365 with additional features
that extend its capabilities to cover features such as managing devices, mobility and security, desktop
operating systems, and educational tools like Minecraft Education. As with Office 365 there are different
plans available to schools as follows:

Microsoft 365 A1
This is a one-time-per-device learning solution to meet the needs for staff and students. Every user would
have access to desktop apps like Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Microsoft Teams, Minecraft Education Edition,
and more. This license also provides cloud management through Microsoft Intune for Education to save time
by managing school devices in a single ‘dashboard’ view.

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 Guideline on Microsoft Licensing for Schools (February 2024)

Microsoft 365 A3
As well as including all the features of Office 365 A3 i.e. online and desktop applications such as MS Word,
Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook email, Storage, Teams, and One Note, Microsoft365 A3 includes management
and mobility with Intune, Windows OS, and Minecraft education edition. This is fast becoming one of most
popular licenses for mid to large schools, particularly Post Primary schools.

Microsoft 365 A5
This solution includes all the features of Microsoft 365 A3 plus additional features such as advanced security
features like ATP (Advanced Threat Protection), Microsoft Defender for Office, Privilege access management
and a number of other security features.

CONSIDERATIONS FOR ANTIVIRUS

• In the past Anti-Virus (AV) software was required by schools as an important additional ‘security’
software tool which helped to protect their data and IT systems from harmful software ‘viruses’. In
more recent years Microsoft Windows operating systems and Microsoft 365 have added integrated
security tools including ‘Microsoft Defender’, which is a security feature that includes
malware/antivirus protection, web protection, and real-time security notifications. For schools that
are using both Microsoft Windows 10 or 11 Professional operating systems and are also using
Microsoft 365 A3, (and with their relevant security features appropriately configured, as per
Microsoft guidelines), an additional 3rd party Anti-Virus software product is no longer seen as
essential.

• Some schools still opt for third-party antivirus solutions such as Symantec, ESET, Kaspersky, McAfee,
or Sophos, among others, albeit at a per-device cost. The pricing variance among these options can
be significant, hence obtaining quotes for at least three different types is advisable.

NOTE: It is important to ascertain the type of Microsoft Licensing your school has in place, as
additional endpoint security may already be incorporated (eg., in A3 or A5), potentially eliminating
the need for additional third-party licences.

• Other devices such as Chromebooks or iPads tend not to require any antivirus software. In some
cases, schools choose to use a freeware type (these however may not give full protection).

DATA PROTECTION AND CYBERSECURITY

Data Protection and Cyber Security are critical areas for all schools and are concerned with managing and
protecting school data, and reducing the risks that data is deleted/compromised, lost or stolen. Schools need
to have an overall data and cybersecurity strategy in place which outlines the main objectives of their
strategy. To support schools in this area Oide Technology in Education have developed a cybersecurity guide
which can be downloaded at the following link.
https://www.oidetechnologyineducation.ie/technology-infrastructure/data-security/

For additional queries or support schools can email us at [email protected]