Microsoft Office

Microsoft Office LTSC 2021 generally available

Effective October 8, 2021, Microsoft Office LTSC 2021, the next perpetual license of Office is available. LTSC stands for Long Term Servicing Channel:

  • Office LTSC Professional Plus 2021
  • Office LTSC Standard 2021
  • Office LTSC Standard for Mac 2021
  • Project * Professional 2021
  • Project * Standard 2021
  • Visio LTSC Professional 2021
  • Visio LTSC Standard 2021

* Microsoft omits “LTSC” with Project 2021

Office LTSC offers five years of support and is built for specific situations, such as regulated devices that cannot accept feature updates for years at a time, process control devices on the manufacturing floor that are not connected to the internet, and specialty systems that must stay locked in time.

As installation technology Office LTSC uses Click-to-Run instead of Windows Installer (MSI) as with Office 2016 or earlier. Activation remains the same by using Key Management Service (KMS) or Multi Activation Key (MAK).

Office LTSC 2021 is separate from the Office that’s available through Microsoft 365 or Office 365 plans. If you have deployed Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise (previously named Office 365 ProPlus), you don’t need Office LTSC 2021. You already have all the features that are included in Office LTSC 2021, along with many more features that aren’t available in Office LTSC 2021.

Office LTSC 2021 won’t receive any new features after its release. If you want to get new Office features on an on-going basis, you should consider moving to a Microsoft 365 (or Office 365) plan that includes Microsoft 365 apps for enterprise, i.e. Microsoft 365 E3 or E5.

For the announcement, please visit: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/blog/2021/09/16/office-ltsc-is-now-generally-available/

For useful deployment information, please visit: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/deployoffice/ltsc2021/overview.

Please contact us for more information and to request a quote.

Microsoft 365, Microsoft Office 365

Microsoft 365 and Outlook for Windows connectivity

Starting November 1, 2021 and completed by mid-May 2022, the following versions of Microsoft Outlook for Windows, as part of Office and Microsoft 365 Apps, will retire and will not be able to connect with Office 365 and Microsoft 365 services anymore:

  • Office 2007: all versions of Outlook for Windows
  • Office 2010: all versions of Outlook for Windows
  • Office 2013: Outlook for Windows Version 0.4970.9999 and older
  • Office 2016: Outlook for Windows Version 0.4599.9999 and older
  • Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise (formerly Office 365 ProPlus): Outlook for Windows Version 1705 and older
  • Microsoft 365 Apps for business (formerly Office 365 Business): Outlook for Windows Version 1705 and older

Versions that are newer than minimum version requirements listed above, but are not the currently supported version, may experience connectivity issues. It is recommended that all users upgrade to the supported versions of Office and Microsoft 365 Apps. Supported versions of Outlook for Windows in Office and Microsoft 365 will continue to connect to Microsoft 365 services as expected.

For a list of the currently supported versions of Microsoft 365 Apps, please visit: https://docs.microsoft.com/officeupdates/update-history-microsoft365-apps-by-date.

For a list of the currently supported versions of Microsoft Office 2013 and 2016, please visit “Latest Public Update” here: https://docs.microsoft.com/officeupdates/office-updates-msi.

Microsoft Azure

Microsoft Azure Reservations scope Management Group

Effective September 20, 2021, a new reservation scoping option for Microsoft Azure Reservations is in public preview: Management Group Scope.

When you purchase an Azure Reservation, you choose a scope for it which defines where it may be used: within a specific Resource Group, a specific Subscription, or all Subscriptions. A Management Group is a group of Azure Subscriptions and Microsoft announce this as a new option for the scope of a Reservation.

Your reservation discount applies to virtual machines, SQL databases, Azure Cosmos DB, or other resources that match your reservation and run in the reservation scope. The billing context is dependent on the subscription used to buy the reservation.

When you set the scope to a Management Group, the reservation discount is applied to matching resources in the list of subscriptions that are a part of the Management Group and the billing context. To buy a reservation for a Management Group, you must have at least read permission on the Management Group and be a reservation owner or reservation purchaser on the billing subscription. You can always update the scope after you buy a reservation.

For more information on Microsoft Azure Reservation scopes, please visit: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cost-management-billing/reservations/prepare-buy-reservation?toc=/azure/cost-management-billing/reservations/toc.json#scope-reservations.

Please contact us for more information and to request a quote.

Microsoft 365, Microsoft Cloud for Financial Services, Microsoft Dynamics 365

Microsoft 365 and Dynamics Cloud for Financial Services Industry add-ons available

Effective November 1, 2021, Microsoft Cloud for Financial Services Industry (FSI) is generally available as an add-on within Microsoft 365 and within Microsoft Dynamics 365.

Microsoft Cloud for Financial Services integrates cloud services across the depth of our offerings -Microsoft Azure, Microsoft 365, Microsoft Dynamics 365, and Microsoft Power Platform – underpinned by an industry data model, with new capabilities and customization unique to the financial services industry.

Microsoft Cloud for Financial Services provides you with the following capabilities:

  • Deliver differentiated experiences: Designed to accelerate loyalty, growth, and profitability through personalized customer interactions and financial insights.
  • Empower employees: Use solutions to improve productivity and workflow to boost employee experiences and strengthen customer connections.
  • Combat financial crime: Help identify and respond to evolving criminal activity while helping to protect against losses.
  • Boost security and compliance: Help stay ahead of sophisticated attacks and on top of evolving regulatory requirements.

For more information on Microsoft Cloud for Financial Services, please visit: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/industry/financial-services/microsoft-cloud-for-financial-services.

For more details, please visit: https://cloudblogs.microsoft.com/industry-blog/financial-services/2021/10/04/microsoft-cloud-for-financial-services-accelerating-innovation-for-sustainable-growth/.

Please contact us for more information and to request a quote.

Microsoft Dynamics 365

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management Edge Scale Unit Add-In available

Effective November 1, 2021, the Microsoft Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management Basic and Standard Edge Scale Unit add-ins are available. These are licensed as Volume Licenses (VL) or via the Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) program through SCHNEIDER IT MANAGEMENT.

These allow organizations to run critical warehousing and manufacturing workloads on the edge in a distributed model using Azure stack devices. This improves resilience and ensures operations without interruptions even when temporarily disconnected from the cloud and is especially helpful for companies struggling with latency and connectivity when running operations in remote facilities.

For an overview video on Supply Chain Management, please visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R3Ol_-prHeI.

For information on upcoming Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management changes, please visit: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/dynamics365-release-plan/2020wave2/finance-operations/dynamics365-supply-chain-management/planned-features.

For more information on warehouse management workloads for cloud and edge scale units, please visit: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/dynamics365/supply-chain/cloud-edge/cloud-edge-workload-warehousing.

For an overview page of Microsoft Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management, please visit: https://dynamics.microsoft.com/en-us/supply-chain-management/overview/.

Please contact us for more information and to request a quote.

Microsoft Dynamics 365

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Service Voice Channel available

Effective November 1, 2021, a new voice channel for Microsoft Dynamics 365 Customer Service is available as a new entitlement offer and a combined offer with Dynamics 365 Customer Service. This new voice channel is built on Microsoft Azure Communication Services and is licensed as Volume License (VL) or via the Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) program through SCHNEIDER IT MANAGEMENT.

The addition of this channel gives businesses the scale and reliability of the calling platform that powers Microsoft Teams. With native voice, businesses receive end-to-end omnichannel experiences within a single solution, ensuring consistent, personalized, and connected support across all channels.

With this solution being built on Microsoft’s own infrastructure, added benefits are available right out of the box that enable organizations to:

  • Simplify their solution
  • Get instant visibility into trends across all channels
  • Leverage AI to resolve issues faster
  • Streamline self-service capabilities
  • Intelligent routing for voice
  • Create true omnichannel experiences

For an explanatory video, please visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6t1Yz-60ic.

For the announcement, please visit: https://cloudblogs.microsoft.com/dynamics365/bdm/2020/09/23/new-voice-channel-streamlines-omnichannel-customer-experiences/.

Please contact us for more information and to request a quote.

Microsoft Dynamics 365

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Engagement Insights per-tenant available

Effective November 1, 2021, Microsoft Dynamics 365 Engagement Insights, a capability of Dynamics 365 Customer Insights, per-tenant offers are available. There will be a per-tenant base offer and an “overage” offer which will allow customers to prepay for additional “events”. These are licensed as Volume Licenses (VL) or via the Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) program through SCHNEIDER IT MANAGEMENT.

Engagement insights enables you to understand, using interactive metrics, how your customers are using your services and products. You can do this both individually and holistically, on websites, mobile apps, and connected products. Engagement insights combine behavioral analytics with transactional, demographic, survey, and other data types from Microsoft Dynamics 365 Customer Insights.

For an overview on the Microsoft Dynamics 365 Customer Insights engagement insights capability, please visit: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/dynamics365/customer-insights/engagement-insights/overview.

Please contact us for more information and to request a quote.

VMware

VMware vRealize Cloud Universal Standard Add-on for Horizon available

Effective September 20, 2021, VMware vRealize Cloud Universal Standard Add-on for Horizon is available. Existing vRealize Operations for Horizon customers can purchase this Add-on at a discounted price.

VMware vRealize Cloud Universal is a software-as-a-service (SaaS) management suite designed to accelerate cloud adoption by combining on-premises and SaaS capabilities for automation, operations, log analytics, and network visibility into one license. It gives the flexibility to deploy on premises or as SaaS, interchangeably, without the need to repurchase, for a consistent hybrid and multi-cloud management experience.

vRealize Cloud Universal Standard includes the following components:

On-premises components:

  • VMware vRealize Operations Advanced
  • VMware vRealize Log Insight
  • VMware vRealize Suite Lifecycle Manager

Hosted components:

  • VMware vRealize Operations Cloud Advanced
  • VMware vRealize Log Insight Cloud
  • VMware vRealize Cloud Subscription Manager
  • VMware Skyline

vRealize Cloud Universal Standard customers have access to the following features:

  • VMware vRealize Cloud Federated Analytics
  • VMware vRealize AI Cloud

For more information on VMware vRealize Cloud Universal, please visit: https://www.vmware.com/content/dam/digitalmarketing/vmware/en/pdf/products/vmw-vrealize-cloud-universal-licensing-whitepaper.pdf and https://www.vmware.com/content/dam/digitalmarketing/vmware/en/pdf/downloads/eula/vmw-vrealize-cloud-service-description.pdf.

Please contact us for more information and to request a quote.

Corel, Promotions

CorelDRAW Technical Suite 2021 available with promotional pricing

Effective September 28, 2021, CorelDRAW Technical Suite 2021, a collection of versatile design and drafting applications, is available with promotional upgrade pricing of more than 47% off for perpetual licenses.

As CorelDRAW Technical Suite’s purchasing options are changing, in the future users will be able to choose from a full perpetual license with maintenance or a subscription. Promotional upgrade pricing will soon no longer be available to users on older versions of the software.

CorelDRAW Technical Suite 2021 offers the following features:

  • An all-in-one suite for visual technical communication: Create everything from precise technical illustrations, like assembly instructions and complex schematics. It’s suitable for a broad range of needs from technical illustrators, to drafters, writers and graphics users.
  • Suitable to repurpose key assets: With 3D visualization efficiencies, users can insert 3D models as linked or embedded objects into Corel DESIGNER files for instant access, sharing and reference. CorelDRAW Technical Suite comes with the integrated XVL Studio Corel Edition, and the optional XVL Studio 3D CAD Corel Edition can be added on for advanced 3D CAD assembly formats.
  • Unmatched file format compatibility: Users can enjoy support for the latest file formats widely used in technical publications, including CGM, WebCGM, SVG and 3D PDF, with new interactive possibilities. Import from, and export to, an expansive list of file formats, including EPS, DWG, TIFF, PNG, and JPEG.

For more information on the upgrade to CorelDRAW Technical Suite 2021, please visit: https://www.coreldraw.com/en/pages/upgrade/technical-suite/.

For more details on the CorelDRAW Technical Suite 2021 (without upgrade pricing), please visit: https://www.coreldraw.com/en/product/technical-suite/.

Please contact us for more information and to request a quote.

Microsoft Dynamics 365, Promotions

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central on-premises transition promo

From September 1, 2021, to June 30, 2022, a Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central promo to migrate to Online Services is available for small and medium-sized businesses (SMB) via SCHNEIDER IT MANAGEMENT as your Cloud Solution Provider (CSP). This promotion offers a 60% discount off the price list.

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central is an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system delivering functionality to support financial management, supply chain management, relationship management and much more.

This promotion is specifically defined to provide a transition path for customers who wish to migrate their custom solutions to Business Central online over the next two to three years. It provides customers with a monthly online licensing equivalent to their existing annualized Enhancement Plan (EP) value and the ability to continue to use their on-premises solution while transitioning to online services throughout the offer term. Customers who enroll in this offer sign up for a one-year term with the option of renewing for three additional years.

To be eligible for this promo, you must be active on the Dynamics Price List (DPL) Enhancement Plan.

For more information on Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, please visit: https://dynamics.microsoft.com/en-us/business-central/resources/.

Please contact us for more information and to request a quote.

Experts in Enterprise Software Licensing