Microsoft is breaking away from its normal “One price buys all” structure and has opted for the first time to offer its software, Office 365 Home Premium, as a monthly subscription.
With the new consumer version of Office 365, Microsoft is offering just one version for home users. It costs either $99.99 a year or $9.99 a month, which covers up to five computers in a household. They can include Windows PCs and/or Macs; Microsoft isn’t releasing a new OS X version of Office just now, but Office 2011, the current Mac version, is part of the package.
Though the new Office 365 allows users access to the advanced features usually only available through expensive enterprise options (you can see the full set of features here Microsoft Office Home Premium Features), Microsoft’s licensing strictly prohibits the use of Office 365 Home Premium in a corporate setting.
Office 365 Home Premium Excerpt from their License Agreement
Only one person at a time may use the software on each licensed computer or licensed device. The service/software may not be used for commercial, non-profit, or revenue-generating activities.
As more and more businesses adopt policies of BYOD (Bring your own device) and MDM (Mobile Device Management), having access to a corporate Office 365 has been a key for many. It’s only a matter of time before the corporate office starts seeing a more widespread use of Office 365 Home Premium Edition on their employee’s laptops and personal devices.
So what does this mean for businesses? Microsoft has made it clear that this new version of Office 365 with all the bells and whistles is strictly for personal home use. What alternatives to businesses have for their employees and how do they keep employees from utilizing the new Home Premium on their devices at work? While people may not have the answers right now, it’s definitely something that will need to be addressed sooner rather than later, so that licensing in corporate offices continue to stay compliant for industry best practice standards.
You can learn more about the new Office 365 Home Premium here: http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/compare-microsoft-office-products-subscription-plans-FX102898564.aspx
Home Office Premium At a Glance
The Home Premium release gives you the right to install the full desktop version of Office 2013 on up to five PCs (you can also devote one or more installations to Office Home & Business 2011 on a Mac). Although you need an Internet connection to install the Office programs, you don’t have to be online to use them. The package includes Word, Excel, Outlook, OneNote, PowerPoint, Publisher, and Access, along with 20GB of extra SkyDrive storage for the primary account holder and 60 minutes of Skype minutes per month. The subscription is good for one year.