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Overview of MSU Licensing for Adobe Products
Michigan State University's contract with Adobe specifies that licenses must be renewed yearly in May/June, regardless of when the license was purchased. The product descriptions on the MSU Tech Store website include the renewal date. The purchase price is prorated by the time remaining until the next renewal date.
For example, an Adobe license purchased in January may appear much cheaper than one purchased in July, but that is because it only covers the few remaining months until the next May/June renewal date.
The MSU Tech Store helps:
- process licensing for new users,
- current users stay licensed and productive, and
- facilitate the license renewal process for the university.
It is highly recommended to set a reminder for the first week of May every year to place a RENEWAL order for the Adobe product that matters to you.
Feel free to reach out to the MSU Tech Store at techstore@msu.edu with any questions about renewals. The MSU Tech Store sends multiple emails in the weeks leading up to the renewal date in an effort to help anyone who purchased or was assigned an Adobe license.
Types of Adobe Product Licenses
MSU's contracts with Adobe allow for two different types of licenses for their products purchased through the MSU Tech Store:
- Specific Named User, and
- Shared Device
Not all Adobe products allow both types of licensing. The license type will be specified on the item on the MSU Tech Store webpage.
Which Type of Adobe Product License is Recommended for Me?
- For devices used by only one person, the MSU Tech Store recommends the Specific Named User License.
- For devices shared by multiple people, the MSU Tech Store recommends the Shared Device License.
What Adobe Product is Right for Me?
- Acrobat Pro: Allows you to read and edit PDFs as well as including powerful e-sign functionality (bulk send, tracking, branding, and more).
- Adobe Reader is a free product that allows you to read (but not edit) and e-sign PDFs (without any additional functionality).
- Creative Cloud Suite: Includes Acrobat Pro and 20+ other Adobe products, which allows you to edit much more than just PDFs, including audio and video, digital images, rendered 3D objects, and more.
The full listing of Adobe products sold by the MSU Tech Store is available by searching for "adobe" on the
MSU Tech Store website (link goes to search results).
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Specific Named User Licenses
Benefits
- It can be signed into two computers at the same time
- One of the sign-ins MUST be on a departmental computer, but the other can be a personal computer if desired
- It is transferable – meaning, if a person in the department leaves, the license can be transferred to a new user’s emails address for the rest of the contract year
- Contact the MSU Tech Store at techstore@msu.edu with questions on how to transfer a license
Restrictions
- It MUST be associated with an @msu.edu email address – email techstore@msu.edu with questions
- It can only be used by the person with that email address
How Long Does it Take to Get Assigned a Specific Named User License?
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Shared Device Licenses
Benefits
- It stays with the device unless uninstalled
- It is designed for public spaces, such as computer labs, library spaces or a workstation used by multiple staff members through a day
- It is transferable, though these licenses should be strategic in design and more rare than a Named User License – please consider contact the MSU Tech Store at techstore@msu.edu for a consultation
Restrictions
- It can only be used on one device, which must be MSU-owned
- An Adobe Administrator must be designated by the MSU Tech Store to install the license
How Long Does it Take to Get Assigned a Shared Device License?
- Less than two business days to process and assign the Adobe Administrator to help install the license
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