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Adobe to stop selling Acrobat Pro 2020 & Std 2020 perpetual licenses 15 July 2024

Adobe to stop selling Acrobat Pro 2020 & Std 2020 perpetual licenses 15 July 2024
Not an April fool!  On 1 April Adobe announced that they will discontinue the sale of these licenses through their Transactional License Program (TLP) and Cumulative Licensing Program (CLP).  Subscription versions of Acrobat Pro & Std will continue to be available.  End of support for Acrobat Pro & Std 2020 will be in June 2025.

End of support does not mean end of life.  It means that Adobe will stop releasing security fixes.  Your licenses will continue to operate until they become incompatible with changes in your operating system.

The last date for placing orders for Acrobat perpetual license products in TLP and CLP will be July 15, 2024.

There will not be a new version of Acrobat perpetual beyond Acrobat 2020. Customers wanting a desktop-only, non-subscription version of Acrobat will have the option to purchase a term license of Acrobat, called Acrobat Classic, starting on 15 July 2024.  Entec will update you when Adobe release more information on this version.

Acrobat Classic will be license providing up to three years of access to Acrobat software and available as a "one-time, non-recurring purchase”.  Classic will not include ongoing Acrobat product feature enhancements or access to Adobe Document Cloud services via web browser or mobile devices.

Adobe added that they will be decommissioning serial licensing after this year.  Serial licensing is the licensing activation system used by perpetual licenses.  They did not elaborate on what "after this year” meant, nor what would happen to the popular Photoshop & Premiere Elements applications.

To some extent we’ve been here before.  In 2019/20 when Acrobat 2017 was the current version Adobe kept saying they wouldn’t release a new perpetual license version, then did, releasing Acrobat 2020.  Since they introduced subscription licenses (2013/14) they’ve been saying they would discontinue perpetual licensing and we still have that.
Created On  1 Apr 2024 12:52  -  Permalink
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Sage accounts for charities - handy survival guide

Sage accounts for charities - handy survival guideYou or your organisation may already use one Sage’s accounting systems.  Sage, a UK success story in the IT industry, produce the most widely used accounts applications in the UK and now offer systems for all sizes of organisations, from self employed up to corporate and are now in use around the globe.  

Although their systems may look as though focussed on corporate users they already include built in functionality for not for profit organisations.  If you are a charity you simply switch it on.  

Entec, a long term Sage user, receives news emails from them.  A recent one included a link to their Nonprofit Finance Team Survival Guide.  A handy e-book providing overview of the specific requirements for charities.  You can access this guide by clicking here.  (This file is on Entec’s online shop site, you won’t be taken to Sage).

If you use Sage and need help that’s more focussed on your organisation’s accounting requirements than you can get from Sage help you are welcome to contact Entec.  Belinda, one of the Entec Team, has providided Sage 50 consultancy and training to charities for many years.  Sage 50 is applicable from small to medium sized organisations.  (If you’ve an issue that you’d like resolved please us on 01462 499599 or email sales@entec.co.uk).

For all the news in the last few weeks please click here.
Created On  4 Aug 2023 9:30  -  Permalink
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Free product training

Two of the most popular applications customers purchase from us are CorelDRAW Graphics Suite and MindManager.  (Both, coincidentally, now part of the Alludo family and available as individual or volume licenses).

Both companies offer free online training sessions and webinars.  For MindManager you don’t even need to be a customer to access the training.
If you aren’t familiar with MindManager, though have heard about mind mapping, it could be worth having a look at their Starter Academy materials to see what’s possible and how mind mapping is such a brilliant tool for organising and planning.

MindManager training – their Starter Academy – can be accessed by clicking here (opens a new page).  Their "Meet the Experts” webinar sessions can be found by clicking here (opens a new page).

More about CorelDRAW Academy training – can be found by clicking here.

For all the news in the last few weeks please click here.
Created On  4 Jul 2023 15:57  -  Permalink
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E-signatures or e-signing

E-signatures or e-signing
All types of customer are starting to use e-signing. In education it’s being led larger establishments (colleges more than schools) though in charities it doesn’t seem to relate to the size of the organisation, more to their need to handle sensitive or legal documents. Both are using it where they have documents relating to employment matters.

Some years ago Adobe included basic e-signing in Acrobat and, more recently, introduced Acrobat Sign as a separate and more comprehensive product. Last year they included large chunks of Acrobat Sign facilities within Acrobat Pro and announced the cost of Acrobat Pro to commercial customers would increase and this happened in June this year. Education and not for profit Acrobat Pro costs for have not increased.
As Acrobat is the dominant application for PDF editing the need for e-signatures has been met in part within the Acrobat customers already had, whether that be perpetual or subscription licenses. Those with subscription Acrobat Pro (Creative Cloud) do get more facilities.

The common e-signature features in both include:
  • Digitally sign, certify, and verify documents
  • Turn paper or Word files into fillable PDF forms
  • Fill, sign, and send locked forms fast from your computer with smart autofill
To see what e-signature facilities you get with the perpetual and subscription versions take a look at the Adobe Acrobat Pro and Acrobat Pro 2020 product comparison datasheet by clicking here.

If you need all the bells and whistles you can still add an Acrobat Sign license. To see what extras you get take a look at the Adobe Acrobat and Acrobat Sign Solutions product comparison by clicking here.

For all the news in the last few weeks please click here.
Created On  14 Jun 2023 9:00  -  Permalink
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More Headphones and Headsets!

More Headphones and Headsets!
Demand for headsets in education remains high and Andrea Communications have added three new models to their range specifically aimed at education and competitively priced.  Their new AC-125 headphones (top picture) are £9.07 + VAT and might be compared with Avid’s AE-54 costing £11.00 + VAT and the £15.51 + VAT AC-155 USB headset (lower picture) could be viewed alongside Avid’s AE-55 USB costing £20.24 + VAT.

Formed in the early 1920s Andrea’s portfolio has changed over the years and included supplying the audio system used in NASA’s Mercury spacecraft flow in the 1960s.

You can have a look at the Andrea products range by clicking here (opens new window).

For all the news in the last few weeks please click here.
Created On  1 Jun 2023 9:00  -  Permalink
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Photos, videos, etc. What's what from Adobe Stock

Photos, videos, etc. What's what from Adobe Stock You need images, diagrams or videos for a newsletter, social media or website?

Although not the only resource for these Adobe Stock is one of the largest collections and you don't need to be an Adobe application user to access them.  A number of enquries to us in the last few weeks prompted us to summarise your options.

There are two ways you can purchase Adobe Stock (beyond making a one off purchase with a credit card) and neither need you to already have an Adobe VIP agreememt:  
  1. Stock for teams – a quantity of assets per month.  Unused assets in a month from the 10 and 40 assets per month plans can be rolled over to the following month and, if the subscription is renewed, rolled over to the following year.  The 750 assets per month plan does not roll over at all, neither monthly nor to the following year.
  2. Credit Pack for teams – a quantity of credits.  (If you've got a VIP agreement they do not follow your VIP year).  Credit Packs last 365 days from the date of purchase.  Unused credits at the end of the 365 days are lost.
Created On  15 May 2023 9:00  -  Permalink
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