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1 Jul 2025 9:00
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 From 1 July 2025 Microsoft has announced that it will end free licenses for charities for
- Microsoft 365 Business Premium
- Office 365 E1
If your organisation currently benefits from this free licensing it’s time to prepare for a change.
Your free licenses will expire at your next renewal date after 1 July 2025. This change does not affect any paid-for Microsoft 365 subscriptions.
✅ What’s Still Available for free?
Microsoft remains committed to supporting nonprofits and eligible organisations will still have access to:
- Up to 300 free Microsoft 365 Business Basic licenses
- Discounts of up to 75% on other Microsoft 365 plans, including Business Premium
This means you can still access Teams, Outlook, SharePoint, etc. - just with a different product and licensing.
💡 How Entec Can Help Your Charity Navigate the Change
Technology transitions can be daunting - especially if you’ve limited IT resources. Entec, with 19 years of experience supplying charities, can help make the change as smooth and cost-effective as possible with:
License Audit & Planning
We’ll help you review your current Microsoft 365 usage and identify the best mix of free and discounted licenses for your team.
Migration & Setup Support
Whether you’re moving users to Business Basic or upgrading to discounted Business Premium, we’ll handle the technical side so you don’t have to.
Ongoing Support
Our friendly support team is always here to help with troubleshooting, updates, and advice.
📞 Phone or email Entec!
If you're a UK charity affected by this change, don’t wait until you’ve reached your renewal date. Contact Entec today to ensure your organisation stays connected and secure.
📧 Email us at orders@entec.co.uk
📞 Call us on 01462 499699 |
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1 Jun 2025 16:55
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Adobe Express
You may have seen Adobe’s prime-time TV ads in recent weeks, heavily promoting this new online creative application. Express provides easy-to-use design tools which could help those in education and not for profit organisations, and not familiar with creative design apps, to create materials for teaching or conveying key messages. Depending on your needs it could be for free.
To use Express you don’t need to know how to use applications such as Adobe’s Photoshop or InDesign. When Adobe first demonstrated Express to their resellers they used the example of a person in an admin role given the task of organising a St Patrick’s Day pizza party for the office. Starting from scratch, in just a few minutes, they created an appealing flier that could be printed for noticeboards, emailed or messaged.
There are user-friendly templates and AI-powered features that make designing quick and easy - even if you’ve never done this sort of thing before. That’s the point Adobe are emphasising. It’s certainly worth a look.
Costs:
Users of Creative Cloud All Apps Named licenses:
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No cost. Express is included.
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| Primary and Secondary schools: |
Express is free for schools up to Sixth form.
If you’ve K-12 All Apps 300+ Named licenses Express is included for Users.
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Colleges and Universities:
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£8.30+ VAT per User per annum, minimum order of 100.
Students get 6 months free for those with .ac.uk emails. |
| Charities and Not for Profit: |
£40.49*+VAT, per annum, (promo price) OR,
Non-Profits utilise Adobe Education licensing. You can purchase at £8.30+ VAT per User per annum, minimum order of 100. That would be less than the cost of 3 Creative Cloud All Apps licenses (£352.99+VAT each) and everyone one in the organisation could have an Express license. |
Commercial:
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£40.49*+VAT, per annum, (promo price)
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For additional information please call or email Entec and you can also refer to:
Adobe Express version Comparison Chart
Adobe Express for Higher Education
Adobe Express for "Business” (replace mentions of business with School, College, or Non-Profit organisation!)
Adobe Express versus Canva
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16 May 2025 10:00
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As a reminder, the TLP buying program (TLP stands for Transactional Licensing Program) will end on 31 May 2025. This change by Adobe is effective worldwide. Many Entec customers will be familiar with the Adobe Acrobat Pro 2020 perpetual license (£208.33 + VAT from Adobe's TLP license scheme) that has proved exceedingly popular over the years.
In the future, for purchases of Acrobat, customers will need to use the Adobe VIP subscription license program. A few months ago Adobe introduced an entry level Acrobat subscription license called Classic, now renamed Acrobat Pro 2024, to help perpetual license customers move to subscription licenses. The cost of this new license is £38.99 + VAT per User, per Annum.
Acrobat Pro (full version) and Acrobat Pro 2024 comparison datasheet (Still called Classic on the datasheet).
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25 Apr 2025 9:00
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On 8 April Adobe changed the name of the inexpensive Acrobat Classic to Acrobat Pro 2024. The product hasn’t changed. The per annum cost remains at £39.48 + VAT for education and charity Users. (When Acrobat Classic was launched is was over £80 + VAT per annum).
This relatively inexpensive 3 year Term License was introduced by Adobe to help customers with perpetual licenses of Acrobat Pro 2020 and Acrobat Pro 2017 transition to subscription licensing when Acrobat Pro goes end of life on 31 May (and end of support 30 November 2025).
If they choose to do so, new to Adobe subscription license customers can purchase the license for 3 years. Customers who already have Adobe subscription licenses can add Acrobat Pro 2024 to their existing Adobe account and the cost is pro-rated to the remainder of their Adobe year.
Acrobat Classic/Pro 2024 is proving popular with a lot of Entec customers who have taken out subscriptions as, although the facilities aren’t as comprehensive as Acrobat Pro DC (the full Acrobat subscription license) it satisfies the requitements of many Users who just need the key Acrobat functions.
Feature comparison for Acrobat Pro (full version) and Acrobat Pro 2024 (called Classic on the datasheet).
Product comparison between Acrobat Pro (full version) and Acrobat Pro 2024 (called Classic on the datasheet).
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28 Mar 2025 12:00
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🖌️ CorelDRAW Graphics Suite – 2025 release
The 2025 release of CorelDRAW® Graphics Suite introduces a range of updates aimed at improving performance, usability, and collaboration for creative professionals.
⚙️ Improved Performance
This version brings noticeable speed enhancements across the suite. Tasks like editing complex vector graphics or working with large image files are now more responsive, helping users maintain momentum during intensive design sessions.
🧠 Smarter Tools
Several AI-powered features have been refined or introduced, including tools for image enhancement and layout assistance. These are designed to reduce repetitive tasks and support more efficient workflows.
🌍 Collaboration Enhancements
The suite’s collaboration tools have been updated to support better sharing and feedback. Cloud-based workflows now allow for easier co-editing and commenting, which can be especially useful for teams working remotely or across different locations.
🛠️ Customisation and Compatibility
Users can expect more flexibility in how they work, with improved workspace customisation and broader support for modern file formats. These changes aim to make the software more adaptable to different design needs, whether for print, digital, or web.
If you're already using the suite or considering it for your projects the March 2025 release offers a number of thoughtful improvements worth exploring.
If you have CorelSure in place with your perpetual license or you subscribe to CorelDRAW you can download the new version for free.
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8 Nov 2024 18:00
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 Just announced by Adobe is that they will further extend availability of Acrobat Pro & Std 2020 perpetual licenses, from their TLP license programme, to 31 May 2025.
The full details are:
- Acrobat 2020 End of Sale has been extended from 30 November 2024 to 31 May 2025 for TLP licenses only. Acrobat 2020 End of Sale for CLP licenses is still 30 November 2024.
- Acrobat 2020 End of Support has been extended from 1 June 2025 to 30 November 2025 for all Acrobat 2020 licenses, regardless of buying program.
Adobe TLP Acrobat Pro 2020 perpetual licenses are the ones we have supplied to many charity and education customers and cost £208.33+VAT per license.
Adobe stated that they want "to provide more time for customers … to purchase Acrobat 2020 products.”
Creative Cloud Acrobat licensing is NOT affected.
On 1 April this year we had broadcast the Adobe announcement that they were to stop supplying Acrobat perpetual licenses on 15 July 2024. Then, on the 6 Aug, Adobe announced they were reintroducing Acrobat Pro 2020 and Std 2020 perpetual licenses and they would remain available to purchase until 30 November 2024 and the end of support was to remain at 1 June 2025. Adobe commenting that this was "to provide more time for customers......to explore new offerings, such as subscription.”
Adobe's 8 November news also revealed that End of Support has been extended from 1 June 2025 to 30 November 2025, for all Acrobat 2020 licenses, regardless whether purchased from the TLP or CLP license programme.
If you have any questions or would like to purchase perpetual Acrobat licenses please contact the Entec Team on 01462 499599 or email orders@entec.co.uk.
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