Renewal of Microsoft Campus Agreement 2016 for IUCC
(Inter-University Computing Centers)

It is with great pleasure that we announce an agreement for the renewal of our Microsoft Campus Agreement under the IUCC, a 3-year agreement which licenses all Microsoft products in use by the Weizmann Institute (and other universities).

Key Elements in the new 2016 Campus agreement:

  • The Microsoft Campus agreement is based on FTE (Full Time Equivalent) count of seats within the institution, including Faculty, Staff and Administration.
  • We are licensed for the Windows 7,8,10 Enterprise version that includes some key improvements:
  1. MDOP (Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack), a package that enables the use of up to four virtual machines (VM) under the hosting computer. A VM machine is like a regular application, but running a chosen Operating System (OS) as if it were a separate computer. It can be used for development, so that it will not interfere with the end-user environment on the hosting computer.
  2. SoftGrid is also part of the MDOP package. It enables virtualization on an application level, without the need to install anything on your computer. It is typically managed centrally, and different users may run different applications based on their functions in the organization.
  3. Language Pack is a package that provides a native Language User Interface without deep integration into the operating system, making it easier to toggle your computer to a Hebrew interface.
  4. BitLocker, a package that enables the creation of an encrypted volume on your computer to protect your data. This is best used for laptop/mobile computers.
  • Office 2013 Professional Plus is now an extended package that includes Microsoft Project and Microsoft Visio. These were previously standalone products that had to be purchased separately.
  • The Enterprise CAL (Client Access License) Suite level provides significant advantages:
  1. Enterprise Level CAL for Microsoft Exchange, a leading eMail system by Microsoft used around the world.
  2. Enterprise Level CAL for Microsoft Sharepoint, a leading collaboration tool for sharing information among groups, with a Portal User interface that is easy both to use and create.
  3. Enterprise Level CAL for Microsoft Communications Server, a unified communication platform that integrates between eMail, Voice Mail, Instant Messaging, Video, Send/Receive of Faxes, etc. The key advantage is the fact it is integrated with single end-applications like Outlook and/or Web, and mobile devices.
  4. Enterprise level CAL for other products, such as: Microsoft Terminal Services, the ability to work in a hosted environment, a server farm that hosts your application where the App is running in the server and the end-user sees the screen, keyboard and mouse only; Microsoft SQL, which works with databases in the work environment; Microsoft Operation Center, the management and monitoring of your computing resources (i.e. Desktop or Server) in the organization; Microsoft Forefront, a security protection application that provides Anti-Virus and Firewall level protection to desktops and servers.

Significance for the Faculty, Staff and Administration of the Insitute:

  • By entering a Campus level agreement with Microsoft, the IT Infrastructure Branch has successfully represented the needs and requirements of Weizmann collectively, for the transparent use of Microsoft products according to the legal obligation stated by the Microsoft End-User License agreement.
  • We are witnessing the proliferation of new tools, services and a significant new direction in the Microsoft world. We at Weizmann also want to take part in implementing Microsoft technology into our workflow, as has been done in other universities in Israel and/or abroad. We continue to examine, different options including the implementation of Microsoft Exchange Mail to replace existing legacy systems, the Microsoft Sharepoint platform to improve the Collaboration and Data sharing among Weizmann groups in the Institution, and the list goes on.
  • The Microsoft Campus Agreement is the foundation for our abilities to leverage Microsoft products, services and technology for the benefit of the greater Weizmann community.