Office 365 A1 Plus 5 PC/Mac 100GB (OneDrive Storage) Lifetime

Why is Office 365 A1 Plus being retired?

Microsoft introduced Office 365 A1 Plus to schools in 2015 to simplify the provisioning process for IT when transitioning users to the cloud. While the goal was to aid schools in this transition, it introduced complexity for our customers, leading many to inadvertently become non-compliant. Today, Microsoft 365 A3 and A5 licenses provide easier provisioning, addressing customer needs and eliminating the need for a transitional program. All existing Office 365 A1 Plus licenses will expire on August 1, 2024.

Schools using Office 365 A1 Plus today have options

Schools with Microsoft A3 or A5 Schools already licensed with Microsoft 365 A3 or A5 can use their student use benefits to deploy A3 or A5 for students at a 40:1 student to faculty ratio. Learn your options for assigning licenses to users.

How to license users Schools can purchase additional licenses Schools can purchase additional Microsoft 365 A3 or A5 licenses for faculty or staff currently not covered under another license. Compare which edition is right for your school.

Compare editions now Schools can leverage Office 365 A1 Schools can leverage Office 365 A1, a free subscription providing access to online Office 365 web apps and collaboration and classroom tools.

Get started Discover the benefits of Microsoft 365 A5 Microsoft 365 A5 offers a comprehensive productivity, communications, and collaboration platform with advanced security features for learning, teaching, and work. It provides AI-powered services to enhance learning and productivity in a suite integrating advanced security, analytics tools, and unified communications.

Security Compliance Communication Compliance Unified Communications Power BI Analytics Comprehensive Security Solution A5 security enhances identity and threat protection to prevent damaging attacks with integrated and automated security. Gartner named Microsoft Security a Leader in five Magic Quadrants.

Compliance and Information Protection A5 combines information protection and advanced compliance capabilities to safeguard and govern data while reducing risk.

Communication Compliance A5 Communication Compliance includes policies to foster a safe learning environment by detecting, capturing, and acting on inappropriate messages in your school. Learn how Microsoft Purview Communication Compliance helps Prince William County Public Schools meet regulatory obligations.

Microsoft Teams Unified Communications A5 adds Teams Audio Conferencing and Teams Phone System to consolidate call, chat, video, and audio conferencing into one cloud-based platform. Microsoft was named a Leader in the 2022 Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Unified Communications as a Service, Worldwide.

Power BI Analytics A5 includes Power BI for analytics and business intelligence to derive significant value from your data. Gartner has recognized Microsoft as a Magic Quadrant Leader in analytics and business intelligence platforms for 14 consecutive years.

Learn the benefits of Microsoft 365 A3 Microsoft 365 A3 offers a comprehensive platform for learning and work with integrated security and management, advancing your institution with premium tools for learning and skill building, AI-infused productivity, increased security, and device controls for management and student safety.

Power Apps Power Automate Minecraft Education Security and management Desktop Apps Modernise learning with Power Apps Faculty and staff can modernise learning engagement with low/no-code applications within Teams using Power Apps. Microsoft was named a Leader in the 2023 Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Enterprise Low-Code Application Platforms. Assistant Principal Lauren Taylor in Tacoma built a solution to improve the reading assessment process for students and educators.

Save time with Power Automate Faculty and staff can save time with low/no-code automated workflows within Teams using Power Automate.

Build skills with Minecraft Education Students can stay engaged in learning and develop STEM skills with Minecraft through play.

Integrated security and management Microsoft 365 A3 helps IT manage school devices, provides core identity and access, basic security needs, such as preventing Phishing attacks, and information protection for sensitive data.

Microsoft 365 Desktop Apps Microsoft 365 Desktop Apps are included.

Recommendations to get started

Check for Office A1 Plus licenses

1. Navigate to the M365 Admin Portal https://admin.microsoft.com
2. Go to Billing > Your Products in the left-hand navigation menu.
3. Look for Office 365 A1 Plus for Faculty and Office 365 A1 Plus for Student assigned licenses.

Understand your scenario: A. If A1 Plus users are assigned a dual license of Microsoft 365 A3 or A5, no action is needed. Your users will default to those licenses. B. If A1 Plus users are covered with available A3 or A5 provisioned licenses, migrate those users via Group Based Licensing or PowerShell. C. If A1 Plus users are eligible for A3 or A5 licenses but not provisioned in the tenant, acquire eligible or entitled student use benefit licenses. D. If A1 Plus users are assigned a dual A1 license, the user will default to A1 and will no longer have desktop apps but can instead use online web apps. E. If A1 Plus is not covered by another paid license, acquire licenses or transition your users to A1.

Update your users

1. Update existing licenses using Group Based Licensing or PowerShell.
2. To acquire additional licenses, get the Microsoft 365 Education Infographic to see which edition is right for you and contact your licensing services provider or a sales partner.
3. To move to free Office 365, sign up and leverage the Office 365 A1 guide to communicate the experience to your end users.

We are here to help you get started

Our teams can assist you in acquiring new licenses to aid in your migration or to answer your questions.