office through work question

iammumtoone

I have just discovered I can get microsoft office through work at a good price. However on reading the terms it ends when my contract ends (in a few weeks).

How does this work? If I download it to my pc how will the program know I am no longer employed by the company? What happens with everyone who has it via this method once they change jobs, can they no longer access their documents.

Just wondered as even if my contract was not due to end I don't know if it would be worth buying if i would lose everything if I found a new job/left.

Thanks

814man

I know that this was something that both the armed forces and the NHS had available through the terms of the enterprise licences they had. Staff were able to buy a very reduced price copy of MS Office (possibly only paying postage if I recall) and in the NHS you just had to provide an official NHS E-mail account to get it.
I presume that the entitlement is to buy it as there was no way that they could even try to track the licences as staff leave.

iammumtoone

814man wrote: »

I know that this was something that both the armed forces and the NHS had available through the terms of the enterprise licences they had. Staff were able to buy a very reduced price copy of MS Office (possibly only paying postage if I recall) and in the NHS you just had to provide an official NHS E-mail account to get it.
I presume that the entitlement is to buy it as there was no way that they could even try to track the licences as staff leave.

it might be the same thing (but I don't work for the NHS or forces), it cost 9.95 and yes I have to provide a work email but it states in the terms

The Home Use Program is a Software Assurance benefit available to Microsoft volume licensing customers with active Software Assurance coverage on their Office applications. Employees who use the covered licences at work are eligible to purchase these Office applications for use on a home PC during the term of their employment. This temporary licence expires with the employers Software Assurance coverage, or upon termination of employment with the covered customer.

which reads to me that once I leave the company I wont be able to use it

Ant555

Do you know what version of Office is on offer as it might make a difference if its Office 365.

If its office 2013 or older then it will continue to work after you leave - whether the license is officially 'valid' depends on the ts and c's but you will still be able to open any documents on your own PC.

The worst case scenario is using Word or Excel 'reader' software which is available free to open and print. Or alternatively Open Office/LibreOffice open MS Offi ce documents.

Hope this helps

iammumtoone

Ant555 wrote: »

Do you know what version of Office is on offer as it might make a difference if its Office 365.

If its office 2013 or older then it will continue to work after you leave - whether the license is officially 'valid' depends on the ts and c's but you will still be able to open any documents on your own PC.

The worst case scenario is using Word or Excel 'reader' software which is available free to open and print. Or alternatively Open Office/LibreOffice open MS Offi ce documents.

Hope this helps

it doesn't say its 365 but it would make sense if it is as it would be easy for them to discontinue. It says its Office Professional Plus 2013.

For the sake of £10 I might risk it and buy anyway to see what happens once I leave work, I know work will have to keep my email active for a while after I leave as they will have to have the emails re-directed to another employee if it works via my work email address then I will still have a good few months use from it after I have left.

gjchester

iammumtoone wrote: »

it doesn't say its 365 but it would make sense if it is as it would be easy for them to discontinue. It says its Office Professional Plus 2013.

For the sake of £10 I might risk it and buy anyway to see what happens once I leave work, I know work will have to keep my email active for a while after I leave as they will have to have the emails re-directed to another employee if it works via my work email address then I will still have a good few months use from it after I have left.

Typically its is what the company uses as the HUP should offer the same as the work use.


The software should not "turn off", but obviously the licence will be invalid, and you have the risk (however small) of if Microsoft ever checked up then you are using a pirate copy and could be prosecuted.


Have you looked at open office, its free and does most of what office does?

bod1467

I still have the Office 2003 Pro disc that I got as part of my company's old HUP agreement. (They're not in HUP anymore). It still installs and activates OK.

(Although I'm now actually using Office 2007 at home and work).