Microsoft Products

Microsoft provides an enormous range of products for personal computers and servers. A full list of available products can be found here.

Licence Type

The University signed a new three year software site licence agreement with Microsoft in March 2006. The agreement is in three parts (Campus Agreement, Academic Select Agreement, Student Select Agreement) and these affect parts of the University community in different ways.

Staff Use

(i) The Campus Agreement

• It is pre-paid from central funds on an annual basis.
• The authorised users of the software consist of all faculty, staff, administrators and students who have access to computers used exclusively by the University. This includes computers that remain in open access labs.
• It is available to visiting professors, fellows, other academic researchers and scholars, but specifically NOT to affiliates of the University.
• The agreement only applies to those staff included in the DEST FTE count (PDF 117KB) for the University, plus all enrolled students when using on-campus facilities.
• It provides the following (and ONLY the following) software at no internal cost to departments:
  
  Office Professional
  Windows desktop OS UPGRADE
  Core Client Access Licence (CAL)
  SQL CAL
  Visual Studio - Academic Edition
  FrontPage.
  
  
• All licences are temporary. At the end of the agreement the University has no residual rights to continue to use the software unless it enters into a new agreement or takes a buy-out option for the licences in use.

(ii) STAFF Academic Select Agreement

This is the same as the licence agreement the University has had for the last 3 years.

• The three pools of Microsoft software (Server, Systems, Applications) may be purchased at special educational prices.
• The licence to use this software is perpetual once purchased.
• It is available for computers used by University staff and students on campus and includes other entities the principle function of which is to support the life and culture of the University or student life associated with the University, where that entity is either owned and/or controlled by the University. It also includes affiliates who are formally registered with the University.
• All products not covered in the Campus Agreement would need to be purchased through this agreement.
• It is a pay-as-you-use arrangement - each department must purchase their own licences for the software they wish to use.

(iii) Common Conditions for Campus and Staff Select Agreements

• There is a requirement that records are kept of every installation of this software during the licence period by the authorised installers. Installations should be logged at this URL.
• No full Operating System licences for desktop computers are available under this program. It provides only for OS upgrades. However, the Select Agreement allows for the purchase of new Server operating system licences.
• They cover both Macintosh and Windows versions of software (where applicable).
• They allow for Work at Home rights (for staff) for specific products for work-related purposes only. This will be offered through the web site of our Large Account Reseller with a small cost for the supply of the media (a CD posted out with licence keys and software, probably around $20).
• You may run a prior version or different language version (with the restriction in the next sentence) of a product in place of the product version you have licensed. You may use copies of the English Multi-language version of a product only if you acquire licences for that version.
• You may not separate components of a product (such as Word, Excel and Powerpoint in the Office product) by running them on different computers.

Licence Costs

The cost of products under the Campus Agreement are met centrally. Under the Select Agreement individual licence costs are met by the University department purchasing the software. The price list can be viewed here .

Hardware

Windows based PCs and Macintosh platforms are supported. It covers 'qualified desktops' - these are personal desktop computers, portable computers, workstations and similar devices, which are provided or made available to University users, but does NOT include such devices leased or owned by students.

Workplace Use - Campus Agreement

The agreement only applies to computers used by those staff included in the DEST FTE count for the University, plus all enrolled students when using on-campus facilities. It is only available to faculty, staff and students of the University, including visiting professors, fellows, other academic researchers, scholars, but specifically NOT for affiliates of the University.

Workplace Use - Select Agreement

Products are available for computers used by University staff and students on campus and includes other entities the principle function of which is to support the life and culture of the University or student life associated with the University, where that entity is either owned and/or controlled by the University. It also includes registered formal affiliates of the University.

Use on Private Notebook Computers

Staff may use a University copy of Microsoft software on a private notebook computer providing:

1. The computer is primarily for use in the work place at Flinders University by staff employed by Flinders University or staff with current formal academic status granted by Flinders University.
2. The software licence is purchased by a University department (and is therefore owned by the University).
3. The software is totally removed from the private notebook computer when that staff member ceases their association with Flinders University.

STAFF Home Use

Available for installation on a single computer owned by:

• staff employed by Flinders University
• staff with current formal academic status granted by Flinders University
• staff not directly employed by Flinders University, but whose major employment task is research for, or clerical support for, a member of Flinders academic staff.

The software may be ordered through the web site of our Large Account Reseller with a small cost for the supply of the media (a CD posted out with licence keys and software, probably around $20).

Availability - Campus Use

Details on how to order the software products are available here.

Documentation

There are no manuals available for these products through our site licence, though each product comes with on-line help. We recommend the many training books published by independent writers which are available at all bookstores which have a computer section.

Support

The licence does not include individual assistance for users of the product. Your local computing support staff can assist with installation of the product on your workplace computer. Support for home computers is not provided. The Staff Development & Training Unit provides courses on many of these products.

Bug Reports

If you think you have uncovered a bug in Microsoft software you can register the details at their web site.

Student Use - STUDENT Academic Select Agreement

This is a licence for students of the University to purchase Microsoft Office for personal use on their own computers at special educational prices.

• It will be offered through the web site of our Large Account Reseller Large Account Reseller from whom the software can be purchased.
• The software and licence key will be supplied on CD by mailout after payment.
• The program will be available to all enrolled students.