Office 2010 Available via Home Use Program

Good news for those of you who own Microsoft Office with Software Assurance – Office 2010 is available from the Home Use Program web site. Starting June 1st your employees can order Office 2010 Professional Plus for $10 to use on their home PC. Aside from new version rights, the Home Use Program (HUP) is one of the most valuable Software Assurance benefits. If you aren’t familiar with Software Assurance – check out this web site for docs, training videos, etc.

Before directing your employees to the site above, make sure your Software Assurance Benefits Administrator has activated the HUP benefit through the Volume Licensing Services Center. Once activated, the ordering process is drop-dead simple from an employee perspective. They get the program code from your company intranet or possibly a “Welcome to XYZ Company” e-mail on their first day of work…. then they log on to the site and enter the program code along with a valid work e-mail address... and BAM! – they’re moments away from an Office 2010 Professional Plus download.

Aside from being a great benefit for the employee ($10 for Professional Plus vs. $150 for the low-end Home & Student), many companies promote HUP prior to, or during an Office version upgrade. Bottom line – if you’re eligible for Office HUP and not actively using it, please take another look. Feel free to contact me directly if you have questions. Thanks --Jeff