Adobe Acrobat

Adobe Acrobat’s widespread use has resulted in its becoming a frequent point of attack for malware authors. Adobe releases security updates for recent products, but if you are running Acrobat version 8 or older, your computer is at risk.

If your unit is supported by OIT Desktop Support Services, planning for the purchase and deployment of Acrobat is part of that support.  In other cases, users will need to buy a brand new copy of Acrobat to stay safe. There are two additional options available for use on University computers.

Purchase 2-year software maintenance when buying Acrobat. Departments can purchase a new license of Acrobat for $56.87 through the University contract software reseller, SHI. At the same time you may also purchase 2-yr maintenance for $19.  The maintenance price is pro-rated if you purchase mid-term.  Maintenance allows you to upgrade at no additional charge and is renewable. Thus, for only $19 every two years, you’re always current, and can take advantage of Acrobat X’s newest features, like the ability to convert PDFs to Microsoft Word or Excel files.

If your 25% or more of your department uses Acrobat, you may want to consider the Acrobat Term Site License Program (TSL). The TSL is an annual leasing program.  Under the TSL, a department counts all computer users in the department (“knowledge workers”), whether they use Acrobat or not. Part-time employees count ½, and part-time faculty count 1/3. This count is multiplied by a lease rate to determine the department’s total annual cost. Pricing for the April 2012 renewal has not yet been released, but is expected to be about $4/knowledge worker/year. You always have rights to upgrade to the latest version.

Example: if your department has 100 employees, and 30 use Acrobat, you’d pay $1700 for new licenses, and $300/year for maintenance.  Under the TSL you’d pay $400/year for always-current licenses.  Then, should you need to deploy Acrobat on more computers, there would be nothing more to pay. Enrollment for the TSL occurs in April only, so don’t miss your chance!  Please contact Bob Hudack 824-6759, rjhudack@uci.edu to get started.