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5 Indiana Schools Secure Joint Deal for Microsoft Software

Five public institutions in Indiana have banded together to save money on Microsoft products across their campuses. By combining their purchasing power, Indiana University, Purdue University, Ball State University, Ivy Tech Community College and the University of Southern Indiana were able to secure a sizable discount on the licensing agreement to distribute the company's software to all students, faculty and staff.

Led by Indiana U, the institutions submitted a joint request for proposal this spring for an Enrollment for Education Solutions (EES) agreement, which resulted in a three-year contract with a certified Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) reseller.

"We came to together to collaborate shared resources and like programs for better purchasing power, and in turn we got the biggest discount any of us has ever had with a Microsoft reseller," said Tally Thrasher, Indiana University director of purchasing administration, in a press release. "Additionally, our contract is going toward a minority-owned enterprise, which helps all of us to achieve state goals in that area."

Indiana University has partnered with Microsoft since 1998. "The new contract continues IU's existing deal with Microsoft to allow IU students, faculty and staff to download many of Microsoft's most popular software products at no cost through IUware," according to a university statement. "Also, throughout the life of the contract, they can upgrade to the latest versions of these Microsoft products at no additional licensing cost."

"IU's agreement includes a significant discount over the standard educational pricing offered to other schools and is by far the least expensive way to provide these products to the institution," said Mark Lynch, manager of IU's software services and licensing unit, in a statement. "Without these discounts, the cost to IU would increase by $1.1 million per year."

"For almost 20 years, faculty and parents could be certain that every IU student on every IU campus from Gary to New Albany had the essential software tools to support their education," commented Cathy O'Bryan, IU associate vice president for client services and support. "This deal is a great equalizer to all students on IU campuses."

About the Author

Rhea Kelly is editor in chief for Campus Technology, THE Journal, and Spaces4Learning. She can be reached at [email protected].

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