Microsoft for K12 Customers
If you're in need of a Microsoft site license for your school or district, you'll be looking at two different options for deployment: CSP, or Volume Licensing. Whichever option is right for you will mainly depend on your product needs. Are you in need of a user/device management solution such as Intune? Do you need server licenses as part of your agreement? Scroll down to see which option is right for you.
Volume Licensing
Microsoft Volume Licensing has traditionally been the portal through which school an non-profit customers accessed their Microsoft licenses. The Microsoft Coluem Licensing Service Center is still the main point of access for EES or OVS-ES agreements purchased by schools. EES and OVS-ES agreements will be priced based on your FTE count, which can be determined via the following formula:
(Full-time faculty) + (Part-time faculty ÷ 3) + (Full time staff) + (Part time staff ÷ 2) = FTE #
Once you have your FTE count, you'll need to determine which products you need. EES agreements can include Office Pro Plus, Windows, client access licenses, servers, Office 365 for students and faculty, or a combination of all of the above. If you are in need of servers, particularly datacenter, SQL, or any server other than standard, EES will likely be your plan of choice. Servers cannot be added to an agreement provisioned through CSP, which often makes EES the better financial solution for administrators who need to purchase a larger quantity of servers.
Cloud Solution Provider (CSP)
The Microsoft Cloud Solution Provider Program (CSP) is separate from the Volume Licensing Center, and enables schools to directly manage their entire network of Microsoft licenses through a single portal. Schools can purchase plans such as Microsoft 365 A3, Office 365 A3, Microsoft 365 A1, and Microsoft Windows Education A3. Each plan includes a different products, ranging from Office 365, to Windows Enterprise, to Intune, to Minecraft. Plans can be licensed based on a schools entire knowledge worker count, which will allow schools to obtain free Office licenses for students, or purchased on an individual faculty or student basis. CSP plans are great for schools who want a comprehensive, innovative solution to manage their devices called Intune, which is included with Microsoft 365 A1 and Microsoft 365 A3.
Pricing & Products
If you’d like to learn more about how the CSP plans are priced, as well as what products are included in each plan, you can start by taking a look at our Microsoft education page here. You won’t find OVS-ES on that page however. For enquiries regarding OVS-ES, give us a call at 800-433-6326 or shoot us an email at sales@genesis-technologies.com. If you’re not sure which plan is right for your, calling us is your first step! We look forward to hearing from you!
