University of Port Elizabeth and ML Sultan Technikon sign up for Microsoft`s Campus Agreement

The University of Port Elizabeth and ML Sultan Technikon recently signed up for Microsoft`s new comprehensive volume licensing programme, Campus Agreement. This agreement makes the latest Microsoft software available to tertiary institutions at the most cost-effective price.

Higher education customers have been involved with the development of Microsoft`s Campus Agreement every step of the way. Microsoft`s Campus Agreement includes software that has been designed to prepare students for the real-life challenges that face them once they start their careers. The Microsoft Campus Agreement exposes students to software that prepares them for the real world.

"With the Microsoft Campus Agreement, we have peace of mind that our software is legal and on par with that being used in the business sector," said Chris Nel, information technology director at the University of Port Elizabeth. "Our students benefit by working on software that is used in most areas of industry. This will add value to them once they pursue their careers as each student will be equipped with advanced information technology skills."

Local solutions providers, First Technology and Datacentrix, were involved with the sale of these two Microsoft Campus Agreements. This brings the total number of universities and technikons that have signed Microsoft Campus Agreements to 18 in the last 12 months.

"This is a strong indication that higher education institutions want to use Microsoft software, the response to the Microsoft Campus Agreement licence has been very positive," said Leanne Steer, academic programmes manager at Microsoft South Africa.

"The Microsoft Campus Agreement has proved to be the most cost effective way of ensuring that the latest technology is being used across campus and that it is legal," said Roy Bhagowat, information technology director at ML Sultan Technikon. "Not only has the Microsoft Campus Agreement proved to be convenient, it is flexible as well. We have found that we can have it tailored to meet our technikon`s specific needs by either adding on more products or not taking products that we do not need."

The Microsoft Campus Agreement is based on the licensing concept of counting the number of faculty and staff Full Time Equivalents (FTE). The FTE counts are the same numbers a tertiary institution must report to the government as represented in its SAPSE tables.

Universities and technikons make one annual payment, which allows them to run the software for a 12-month period. This includes all upgrades and downgrades of the software throughout the term of the agreement. Staff will also be allowed to use the software on their home PCs.

"Microsoft is committed to making the latest versions of its software available to education at great prices," added Steer. "The Microsoft Campus Agreement helps reduce administration, licensing costs and support issues while ensuring the campus remains legal."

At the end of the Microsoft Campus Agreement, tertiary institutions may either renew the licence, extend the licences to be perpetual or have the software removed from the PCs.

The following products are included in the Microsoft Campus Agreement:

• Microsoft Office Standard and Professional Editions

• Microsoft Office Macintosh Edition

• Microsoft Windows Upgrades

• Microsoft BackOffice Server Client Access License

• Microsoft FrontPage

• Microsoft Visual Studio Professional Edition

• Microsoft Office Starts Here Step by Step Interactive by

• Microsoft Press

Microsoft Campus Agreement version 2.0 offers the following add-on products for an additional fee per FTE:

• Microsoft Project

• Microsoft Windows 98 Starts Here by Microsoft Press

• Microsoft Windows NT Workstation Starts Here by Microsoft Press

• Microsoft Web Publishing Step by Step Interactive by Microsoft