Section 10 Supplementary information
Types of software licence
(Taken from the Ferl Practitioners’ Programme, Strand 5, Module W – Bridging the Gap)
The software licence is a contract between the software manufacturer and the user, allowing that person to use the application. Software licensing can be difficult to understand because licences from different software companies vary in how they allow you to use their software. The consequence of not abiding by the licence contract can be anything from a fine to a prison sentence.
There are a number of different types of software licence:
- Single-user licences
A single-user licence allows you to install and use a software application on a single computer. In some cases, especially if a CD-ROM is required to run the software, it may be possible to install the application on more than one computer, because the need for the CD-ROM would limit the use to a single computer at a time. - Multi-user licences
These allow you to install and run the same application on more than one computer. The number of licences will dictate the number of computers that the software can be installed on. - Stand-alone licences
There can sometimes be a distinction between installing the software on a local computer and installing it on a network. An activation code or ‘dongle’ (a device that you plug into your computer to enable you to use the software) is sometimes used to make sure that the licence on each computer is unique. - Network-concurrent licences
These are licences that allow you to install the software onto a network. These are most likely to be multi-user licences, and may require additional network management to allow you to track the use of the application. The software can be accessed by all or any number of computers on a network, but the number of computers running the software at any one time must be limited to the number of concurrent licences that you hold. - Network non-concurrent licences
These allow you to install software onto the network, but may require an additional client-side installation onto computers to allow the software to run. If the licence is non-concurrent, then the number of computers that can access the software must not exceed the number of licences held. - Network licences
A network licence will allow you to run an application on any number of computers connected to a network, but may not necessarily allow you to install the software on stand-alone computers on a site. - Site licences
A site licence will allow you to run an application on any number of computers at the site the licence is bought for. - Campus licences
A campus licence will allow you to run an application on any computer that is owned by the education organisation, and would allow you to install and run the application at outreach centres or other sites. - Home-use licences
Some site or campus licences may allow staff to install the software on their home computers. For instance, a Microsoft® campus agreement allows a member of staff to install Microsoft Office on their computer at home if they are the primary user of a computer running Microsoft Office at the education organisation. The organisation’s anti-virus software licence may also cover home use, thus extending the protection of a network.
The most common misuse of licensing is to install or use the software on more computers than the licence covers, and the organisation must ensure that there are procedures in place to manage all licensing issues. It is often necessary to check with software companies exactly how you can use an application.
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