Date:
10 Oct 2022
Author:
PREO AG
Microsoft Licencing
With PREO you can use the savings potential of used Microsoft Office licences
Did you know that Microsoft Windows is installed as the operating system on more than 1.5 billion devices worldwide? A gigantic number. So it's hardly surprising that Microsoft Office is by far the most-used office software. In Germany alone, the market share was 85 per cent, according to a survey from 2020. The figures are likely to be similar in other European countries. With such a high market share, the dynamic development cycles and the switch to subscription and cloud models that manufacturers have been pushing for several years, clever management of the required Office licences offers considerable financial savings potential. In this blog post, you can read why the integration and use of second-hand Microsoft Office licences plays an important role for medium-sized businesses and large companies or organisations.
Microsoft Office licences - needs analysis opens up potential savings
MS Office is by far the most popular office application software in the corporate sector. The programmes included are optimally adapted for use in everyday business, user familiarity is high, the need for training is low and the productivity of the individual Office applications is outstanding. However, the essential questions regarding licence management can only be answered within the framework of a precise needs analysis. Which applications are actually needed in which work areas? Is it necessary to use the latest and thus most expensive Office version in all areas? And in how many areas is it more efficient to use cheaper previous versions such as Office 2016 or Office 2013? In this context, compatibility issues with the respective Windows and server releases as well as dealing with the official end of support are also of crucial relevance. In short: Only with an analysis of the existing software assets and the concrete needs in the individual work areas will the possible efficiency potentials open up for your company when switching to used Microsoft Office licences or integrating them into a hybrid licensing model.
Why second-hand Microsoft Office licences are particularly in demand
Microsoft offers new Office licences with the so-called "Software Assurance", which usually includes all update versions released during this period for three years and a total of two releases, depending on the update cycle. However, this service also comes at an appropriate price.
If you buy second-hand MS Office licences instead, PREO gives you the opportunity to save up to 70 percent on the price of a new release. The advantage of this is that you do not only benefit financially. You also get a product that is as good as new, since software does not age compared to many other products. What's more, with used Office licences you don't have to install a new version that may not fit your company's update cycle at all.
Another factor is the official support period of the Office licence, as this includes all necessary security updates. Since Microsoft has shortened the mainstream support for Office 2019 which will now expire in autumn 2023, we are already receiving more enquiries about used Office licences, for example Office 2016.
PREO offer: Buy Microsoft Office volume licences second-hand
Larger companies or organisations usually license MS Office products in the form of volume licences. These offer various advantages over individual licences. The most important are:
- Significantly easier handling than single licences with product key card
- Downgrade rights to older versions
- Splitting of volume licence contracts possible
- One computer can be licensed per licence
- Possibility of virtualisation
- Volume licences are terminal server compatible
PREO offers you a wide range of used and 100 percent audit-proof Microsoft Office volume licences with price advantages of up to 70 percent compared to the new price:
- MS Office Standard 2003 - 2019
- MS Office Professional 2003
- MS Office Professional Plus 2007 - 2019
- MS Office Professional Plus 2021 LTSC
The demand for used Office licences in particular has risen continuously in recent years. This is also underlined by the following example of our customer E&P Service GmbH for the equipment of 38 Dorint Hotels in Germany, the Netherlands, Austria and Switzerland.
How Dorint Hotels use the advantages of used software
For almost 10 years, E&P Service GmbH has only equipped new openings once completely with new IT systems. After that, the service company consistently falls back on used software from PREO for the centrally controlled servers of the Dorint Hotels when existing releases are replaced by newer ones. "We deliberately standardise on older releases. New is not always better. Sometimes even faulty," explains IT specialist Heinz Josef Postels, E&P Service GmbH/Neue Dorint GmbH. "Our IT budget, especially for smaller or somewhat less profitable houses, is limited. With used software, we get significantly more up-to-date licences at much more favourable conditions." He illustrates the savings potential with the example of the equipment of the Dorint Hotel Bad Brückenau: "While we would have to provide 82,000 euros for new hardware and the latest software releases, the costs with used software and corresponding second-hand electronic equipment are only 22,000 euros."
Buy Microsoft Office second-hand - the advantages at a glance
You too can benefit from the advantages of used MS Office licences for your company. Your advantages at a glance:
- Personal advice on all questions regarding the purchase of pre-owned Microsoft Office licences, compatibility with Windows and server releases as well as integration in classic network structures or hybrid cloud models.
- Legally and audit-proof licence acquisition with maximum transparency of all processing steps. Because it is not only with Microsoft products that license violations can result in severe penalties.
- High savings in licence costs compared to the respective new licence of up to 70 percent and in individual cases even more.
- Benefit from our licence management capacities for large IT infrastructure projects with thousands of workstations and various locations.
- Benefit from the experience of more than 15 years in the European trade with used software licences and the innovative power of a pioneer in a still young, dynamic market environment.
If these advantages have not yet convinced you, take a look at our reference projects for numerous well-known companies.
