Creative Suite 5.5 was released last week and is now available on Adobe’s Business Store, which was formerly called the Volume Licensing Store. But this volume license program is not just for businesses – it’s for anybody who would like to run more than one copy of the CS5.5 software at one time, or has multiple concurrent users. The standard licensing for Adobe’s off-the-shelf retail products permits only a single user running on up to two installed computers – which is usually not enough for most members of a company, group, office, team, school, or enterprise. And it’s occasionally not enough for some homes!

Regardless, the benefits of going with an Adobe CS5.5 volume license even for a simple or small purchase are numerous and clear:

• The product pricing is lower, the more copies you buy.
• The license management and maintenance is easier and flexible.
• A single serial number for all installations, open and switchable.
• Adding new users or additional computers is simple and fast.
• You can install on both the Windows and Mac platforms simultaneously.
• You can access and run older versions if you need to, like CS5.0 or CS4.
• There is no paperwork and no signature “contracts” to sign.
• You can buy online with a credit card with no minimum order size.
• Instantly download the software online for free (or get media by mail).
• You can sign up for an upgrade plan to receive automatic future releases.
• All CS5.5 suites & products (Photoshop, Dreamweaver, Acrobat, etc) qualify.
• Easy web-based license management tool for all seats in your organization.
• Just like elsewhere, each user’s license can install on up to two computers.
• Convert a standard Adobe trial to volume-licensed just by entering the key.
• In some cases, set up a flexible or floating license scheme across a network.
• Gain access to the Adobe licensing community and associated resources.
• Volume licenses are transferrable or resellable to other users, if necessary.
• Can get credit for past qualifying purchases of retail or off-the-shelf versions.
• No sign-up or membership or subscription costs, no hidden or extra fees.
• Despite the name, the online store is not just for businesses or large purchases.
• Called TLP (Transactional Licensing Program), it gives options not found elsewhere.
• Offered for all: individual, commercial, academic, or government customers.
• Now open for education too: schools, colleges, universities, students & teachers.
• Available direct from Adobe all over the world – with no reseller needed.

Questions about how it works?  Please see our previous in-depth article on CS5 volume licensing for all the answers and details on the program.

Or go right to the Adobe Business Store to see all the CS5.5 products plus more information, including an Instant Quote for the applications you’re interested in, no matter how many seats.

Not in the U.S.? No worries… Adobe now has online volume licensing stores all over the world – in North America, Europe/UK, Asia, and Africa…  Just visit the Adobe Store Selector and choose your country, and then “Business Store.”  That’s it – buy and download (or ship) your volume-licensed product in your local currency with your local address.

Also:

• Our Creative Suite 5.5 Release Guide
• What’s new features for each product in the new suites
• What’s the difference between CS5.5 vs. CS5 or even earlier versions
• Download a fully-functional free trial of any suite or product
• Ask the CS5.5 Experts: the first FAQ and the second FAQ
• CS5.5 demos – video tours on Adobe TV
• Forecast for a future CS6 release

If you have any questions, feel free to ask them below and we’ll post fast answers for you.

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• How to Install or Run Adobe CS5.5 on Both Windows PC and Mac OS
• How to Run Multiple User or Computer Licenses for Adobe CS5.5
• New Adobe Volume License Store is Online
• Adobe CS5.5 Student Editions – Save Extra $50, No Coupon Needed
• Using Adobe CS5 to Create Websites and Apps for Mobile & Tablets

With Adobe Creative Suite, if you’re just looking to set up and run CS5.5 on either a Windows PC or a Mac OS system, the instructions for that are easy. And in fact, as we discussed here last month, it’s relatively straightforward to install and activate the software on up to two computers of the same operating system type – in other words, either two Mac machines, or two Windows PC’s.

But in most cases, with the platform selection for Creative Suite and Acrobat products, it’s “either-or.” Either Apple or Microsoft. Either Mac or Windows. That’s the story for the retail and education versions of the software. And, if you want to change or swap platforms entirely, and move your tools from one o/s to the other, you can do that with an Adobe CS “crossgrade.”

However, there is one other possibility if you want or need to have the applications available on both operating systems (Windows plus Mac OS) at the same time – and that is to buy (or upgrade to) an Adobe volume license. Despite the name, anybody can do it (not just businesses and even for just one copy), though it does offer discounts for larger purchases… and there are some additional advantages too.

These volume products are offered “multiplatform” and are supplied with two license keys – one for each operating system – and you can install the software on both platforms at once… Just select “Multiple Platforms” on the online order page, it’s right there. Upgrades from most older versions, including standard retail and education editions, will work as well – with the same discounted upgrade pricing for all. Here is the relevant section from Adobe’s volume licensing policies page:

Cross-platform licensing

Adobe Volume Licensing (AVL) customers receive product serial numbers for both Windows and Mac OS, as long as the product is available for both and the two platforms are the same version.

Program members can choose to use either platform, as long as the total number of licenses being used does not exceed the number purchased.

As previously referenced for AVL, each license purchased here allows the user to install and activate the product on up to two computer systems, so long as they are not both used or run at the same time. These are the same terms as for all customers in the Adobe Creative Suite licensing agreement.

As more Macs make their way into the world, and as more folks acquire and own or use both types of computers on their networks, the need for multi-platform usage will grow. Recently, Adobe has begun to offer some shrinkwrap retail software for universal use – most notably Photoshop Elements and Lightroom in their latest releases. But currently, what’s outlined on this page is the only way to do it with Creative Suite (although one can hope this may change when CS6 eventually comes out).

But, if this is what you need to do now, then you may want to check this out…  And if you made a purchase recently, you may already know about Adobe’s Return & Exchange Policy.

Related Posts

• How to Get or Buy Older Adobe Software Versions like CS4 or CS5.0
• How to Transfer an Adobe Software License (CS5.5) Between People
• How to Move Adobe CS5.5 Between Computers, or from PC to Mac
• How Many Computers Can You Install or Run Adobe CS5.5 On?
• Adobe CS5.5 Volume and Site Licensing Now Available for Multi-User

One of the most popular articles on our site is How Many Systems Can I Run Adobe CS5 On? That covers Adobe’s rules for their standard off-the-shelf retail software purchased for home or home office use. But how about for the rest of the world – for businesses, companies, studios, groups, departments, schools, and other organizations? What if you need an open license to run Creative Suite 5 (or other products) concurrently with multi-users on a number of computers on your network?

Fortunately Adobe has an answer for this that makes sense – that’s easy and saves money both with product discounts as well as reduced maintenance via simple license management across your site… Why shuffle and keep track of individual serial numbers between different machines? Why pay more than you have to, when price discounts can begin with as little as one copy?

It’s called the Adobe Business Store (formerly known as the Volume Licensing Program) – but it’s not just for businesses, it’s for any person or enterprise that needs to run Adobe applica­tions with multiple seats, and it has some pretty great advantages:

1. You can purchase however many licenses you need online with a credit card or PayPal, immediately without any paperwork or signature contracts to deal with.
2. You get a savings off of the normal retail price and can download the software online for free (and/or receive the CD/DVD media via mail).
3. You receive a single serial number for your entire group that you can freely switch between your computers including between PC/Windows and Apple/Mac.
4. The actual software is completely the same as the standard versions, and you can add additional users at any time while keeping the same single serial key.
5. And there are no restrictions as to who can use the software or when, so long as the total number of licenses being used doesn’t exceed the number purchased.

Adobe has one other name for this site licensing plan – it’s also called the Transactional Licensing Program (TLP). That’s because the discounts available are based on individual transactions (with no minimum order size), rather than needing contracts and membership as with their other “Open Options” offering, the Cumulative Licensing Program (CLP, which is used by larger organizations with higher ordering thresholds).

Note Adobe also has separate versions of these two programs for education, whereby educational institutions like schools, universities and colleges can gain both academic and bulk-licensing discounts together with the flexibility of running the software on as many computers as needed.

Once you get your software, you can use Adobe’s straightforward Licensing Web Site (LWS) to easily track and manage licenses, which simplifies software administration and streamlines recordkeeping and legal compliance.

Some more quite interesting features (see all the details here):

• Just like with Adobe’s off-the-shelf software, these volume licenses are transferrable or resellable to other entities, if such need arises.
• Similarly, you can run each license on up to two computers (office and home/portable), so long as the second copy of the software is used solely for the benefit and business of the licensee, and the two copies are not used at the same time.
• Ordinarily, it takes some effort to switch CS5 between platforms. But all volume licenses here are cross-platform and you can run them on whichever system you want, Windows or Mac OS or both.
• Adobe no longer offers older versions via retail, but if you need CS4 instead you can still get it by ordering CS5 and then downloading a prior version – see the Backward Licensing Policy. Read more about this in our story on how to buy older Adobe software.
• If you need to set up a flexible or floating license scheme across a network of computers for concurrent use, that may be possible as well (with CLP).

One final benefit is you can sign up for is the Upgrade Plan, an exclusive maintenance plan you can buy which gives you the right to any future upgrades released during your chosen coverage period. It’s purchased per product at a fraction of the normal price, giving you the option to cover one or all of your Adobe software licenses. So this offers another way to save money on future upgrades and stay up-to-date with the latest Adobe technology without straining software budgets or administrative resources.

If you are currently running individual boxed Adobe products and would like to move from shrinkwrapped software to one of these volume licenses, Adobe will also offer a credit against past qualifying purchases.

So whether you’re private, commercial, education, or government, this is something to consider from several advantageous angles. Geographically it’s available world­wide in the US/Canada, Europe/UK, Asia, Australia/NZ, and Africa – just go to the Adobe Store Selector and select your country, and then “Business Store.”  That’s all there is to it – you can buy and down­load (or ship) your volume-licensed product with your local currency and address… or get an Instant Quote for the products you’re interested in.

If you have any questions, feel free to ask them below and we’ll post fast answers for you.

Related Posts

• How to Install or Run Adobe CS5.5 on Both Windows PC and Mac OS
• How to Get or Buy Older Adobe Software Versions like CS4 or CS5.0
• Adobe CS5.5 Volume and Site Licensing Now Available for Multi-User
• New Adobe Volume License Store is Online
• Photoshop CS5′s Content-Aware Fill: Before & After the Right Way

Adobe has a new voucher code: Use adobe10 to save 10% on all products in the Commercial Store in Europe, from now until March 17th 10th… (Update – Adobe has just notified us this offer was so overly successful that they had to expire it early – our apologies!) The code should be entered at time of checkout to receive the discount in the United Kingdom, Germany, France, and elsewhere in the EU.

Another new offer, valid worldwide, is save $20 (£13/€17) instantly when you purchase Photoshop Elements with Acrobat. This discount is in addition to the existing $20 Mail-in Rebate for Photoshop Elements products. See our quick take on Elements 8 here.

Lastly, Adobe has extended the deal for purchasing multiple copies of Adobe Acrobat – buy four, get one free – until April 23, 2010. So that translates into savings of up to US$449 when you sign up for the easy new online Volume Licensing Program with Adobe Acrobat software. Note that Adobe has just rechristened their volume licensing store to be called the Adobe Business Store, and this offer also works in both North America and Europe.

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• Adobe Black Friday / Cyber Monday 2011 Offers, Deals & Coupons

Adobe has just launched a new Volume Licensing Store in the UK and Europe, to go along with the one it opened online last year for North American customers. These sites can save you money, time, and provide benefits not found elsewhere – and make it easy for organizations of all sizes large or small to gain the advantages of volume ordering.

If you use multiple copies at your location (or may in the future), volume licensing is a good idea to consider – in addition to getting a discount on your software, you also simplify maintenance and upgrades enormously, as there is only one license key to deal with for all your systems… Administration becomes a snap and almost all Adobe products are eligible – and discounts can begin with as little as one copy.

It’s simple because it’s all online, and there are no membership requirements or signature “contracts” to sign. Plus you can conveniently charge your order instantly to a major credit card or PayPal, and download your software right away. Then once you’re registered it’s easy to add users via the flexible online management tool.

Further there is an option called Upgrade Plan where you are assured of automatic access to all Adobe upgrades for your covered products during the life of your plan – at your convenience and all at a single cost per licensed product.

If you like, there’s a new tool to get an Instant Quote for the products you’re interested in. And right now there’s also an offer going on where you can get 5 copies for the price of 4 – check it out at the Adobe Specials page.

Learn more with our full coverage page on Adobe’s Volume Licensing program.

Related Posts

• How to Install or Run Adobe CS5.5 on Both Windows PC and Mac OS
• Adobe CS5.5 Volume and Site Licensing Now Available for Multi-User
• How to Run Multiple User or Computer Licenses for Adobe CS5.5
• How to Get or Buy Older Adobe Software Versions like CS4 or CS5.0
• Save 10% in Europe, Up to $449 in North America