Beginning in 1990, Microsoft has released a new version of Office every 2 to 3 years, with the latest being the 2021 edition. However, the introduction of Office 365 in 2011 as a subscription-based product has confused OEM customers, who need help determining which product to use. With multiple channels available for procurement, such as Retail, System Builder, ISV, and CSP, it can take time to select the correct option.
To address this issue, Microsoft has recently released a specialized version of Office for embedded and IoT solution providers who build fixed-purpose appliances. This release provides the best option for IoT OEMs and addresses many of the challenging installation hurdles they typically face.
In the past, our IoT OEM customers would utilize the retail license for Microsoft Office Home and Business, which came in a physical box with a small card containing the product key. However, this posed several obstacles. One major challenge was the requirement to activate the product against an email address, which the OEM might not have at the time of installation. As a result, the OEM would often need to create new email addresses to complete the installation, leading to another hurdle, as Microsoft imposes a limit of six new email address creations per day. Additionally, if the OEM needed to operate offline without internet access, they would encounter a third obstacle, as the Home and Business Office product required internet access to activate and install. Fortunately, Microsoft has addressed all three of these issues with their new IoT Office product, providing a solution better suited to the needs of IoT OEMs.
The Office IoT Standard 2021 LTSC product is now officially available to IoT OEMs from Microsoft. This product is designed specifically for IoT OEMs and requires a current and active CLA or Customer License Agreement for purchase. It is for use with fixed-purpose appliances but only in support of the appliance’s intended function, meaning that the Office product can only be used to display charts or spreadsheets or to play PowerPoint presentations in a digital signage scenario. The critical point to note is that the Office product must be used solely to support the appliance’s intended function.
An exciting development is that obtaining an Office IoT Standard 2021 LTSC product key is now possible using the same request process that IoT OEMs employ when requesting Win 10 IoT Enterprise keys. With a single key, multiple activations are possible, providing greater flexibility for the user. Additionally, the product now supports telephone activation for offline devices, eliminating the previous email address requirement. Instead, the key is linked to the IoT OEM, and the OEM can pre-install and activate the Office product before shipping the device.
What about the media? Unlike other IoT products, the Office IoT Standard 2021 LTSC product is not accessible through the Software Order Center. Instead, it uses the Office Deployment Tool (ODT). To help with this process, I have prepared an OEM Office Standard LTSC 2021 Installation guide that outlines the necessary steps to obtain and use the tool for pre-installing the Office product. Download my Office LTSC 2021 installation guide.
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PART# |
OFFICE LTSC 2021 STANDARD OEM |
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XJ6-00002-1P |
Office LTSC 2021 Embedded ESD OLC |
Microsoft did not address downgrade rights, which is an important consideration for many OEMs who still require older editions of Office. Downgrading to an older version of Office is not permitted with this product, and only the 2021 edition is allowed. However, despite this limitation, the other benefits of the Office IoT Standard 2021 LTSC product make it a worthwhile option. If you have a current CLA on file, you have internal test rights and can download and test the product before making any license purchases. We encourage IoT OEMs to try the product to determine if it will work within their solution.
If you have additional questions about this product, please contact us at windowsiot@arrow.com.
