Microsoft 365 A1 is a comprehensive education solution for small and mid-size schools. It is licensed by device and not by user. This means that a device licensed with Microsoft 365 A1 can be used by multiple users. This makes it a great solution for carts, labs and classrooms that share devices across students and teachers.
Microsoft 365 A1 is suitable for:
Schools that are purchasing new Windows devices, and
Schools that have existing devices licensed with Windows 7 Pro or later.
Microsoft 365 A1 is a per-device license and includes:
Office 365 A1
Windows 10 Pro upgrade
Intune for Education
Office 365 A1 is a completely free online version of Office with email, video conferencing, customized hub for class teamwork with Microsoft Teams, compliance tools, and information protection.
Intune for Education simplifies device deployment and management. It supports these common scenarios in schools:
Shared
1:1
BYOD
With Intune for Education, IT admins can set up a classroom of PCs with apps and settings in less than an hour. I will go through Intune for Education in detail in another blog post.
For now, let’s focus on Microsoft 365 A1 on a whole. The diagram below illustrates how Microsoft 365 A1 can be used.
Microsoft 365 A1 is offered at a one-time pricing of US$30 per device. There is no differentiated Faculty or Student pricing. The term of a Microsoft 365 A1 subscription is 6 years from the date of order. If the subscription extends beyond expiration of the agreement, the terms of the agreement will survive for the duration of the Microsoft 365 A1.
Microsoft 365 A1 may be reassigned to a new device of the same model (or equivalent) upon
permanent hardware failure of the device that the Microsoft 365 A1 was previously assigned to.
It is important to note that the device which you would like to license Microsoft 365 A1 with, must have an existing operating system. Microsoft 365 A1 merely gives the rights to upgrade from Windows 7/8 Pro to Windows 10 Pro.
To use Intune for Education, customers will need to upgrade to Windows 10 Pro Education. You will need to carry out the following steps to receive your Windows 10 Pro Education upgrade product keys:
1. Go to https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/cssedurequest to complete and submit the Windows
10 Pro Education Product Request Form, including uploading proof of purchases.
a) Provide proof of purchase for Microsoft 365 A1
b) Provide proof of purchase for devices that qualify for the upgrade (Windows 7 Pro,
Windows 7 Ultimate, Windows 8 Pro, or Windows 8.1 Pro)
2. If approved, you will receive an email with your institution’s Windows 10 Pro Education
product upgrade key(s) within 72 hours.
To qualify for the free upgrade, you must meet the following criteria:
Your Windows device must currently be running Windows 7 Pro, Windows 7 Ultimate, Windows 8 Pro, or Windows 8.1 Pro
The number of seats/devices requested must be equal to or less than the number of seats/devices on your proof of purchase
You must provide proof of purchases for both Microsoft 365 A1 and your qualifying Windows devices
For more information on Windows 10 editions for education customers, see TechNet article here.
Finally, I’ve included a table below showing how the Microsoft 365 A1 compares with the corresponding A3 and A5 plans.
Have questions? Reach out to us at +65 3159 1122 or info@gilltechnologies.com.
Contact us today to see how you can slash 26% off your Office 365 license cost!