Announcement
May 16, 2014

Last week, Autodesk announced in a press release that Autodesk software will now be free of charge to educational institutions.  This is great news to our educators as budget will no longer limit their ability to offer industry-leading software to students.  With the ability to learn on software that is standard in the real-world, students will build employable skillsets whether they are at a small or large district or university.  It is truely a win-win for the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) curricula that has become a focus for the US schools because of the lack of graduates in these areas.
Read the full press release from Autodesk.

Download Free software

To download free software, students, educators, and school district information technology administrators can go to the Autodesk Academic Resource Centre.  You can create a free user name to download either standalone versions for home machines or network versions for the classroom.
Register for free software.
Also be sure to check out the Autodesk Student Community, a site that provides educators with pick and click tutorials and offers currciula for specific industry topics like Sustainability, Building Information Modeling, and Digital Prototyping.  You can use all the modules available or only pick certain projects.  Check out the Autodesk Workshops here.

Affordable Support from Synergis

The free software comes with Autodesk online installation support through a web link only.  We know that this is not always the most effective way for educators to get the support and service that they need.  At Synergis, we have been education-specialized for over two decades.  Assisting IT staff, keeping educators up to speed, and supporting k-20 students continues to be the focus of our education team at Synergis.  We understand how to work around school firewalls, how to support the software users, and how teachers learn information to be able to teach it in their classroom.  We have also rolled out affordable institution pricing for Helpdesk or Installation Support to work with the budgets you had already set aside for software.  We also provide in-depth training in our state-of-the-art training rooms and aim to help you and your classrooms stay ahead so that your students will be ahead of their peers after they graduate.
Here are the current offerings:

Option:
Educational Offering
Includes:
Pricing
1
Free Software Download
Software only -no installation or support*  Download from the Autodesk site
*With this option, all support (including installation and activation) is direct with Autodesk through an online portal.
No Fee
2
Synergis Virtual Install Protocol (VIP) for Schools
Option 1 – Free Software License Download
Installation Phone support – 90 days
Remote installation of downloaded software on up to 2 workstations
Activation of license server
$800
3
Synergis Annual Helpdesk Support Contract Only
Option 1 – Free Software License Download
Helpdesk Support Contract – telephone support between the hours of 9-5 PM EST, Monday through Friday
One year renewable contract
$1200
4
Synergis Annual Helpdesk and VIP Support Contract
Option 1 – Free Software License Download
Option 2 – Synergis VIP for schools
Option 3 – Annual Helpdesk Support Contract
$1800
5
Synergis Onsite Installation Support Only
Option 1 – Free Software License DownloadInstallation Phone Support – 90 daysOne-day, onsite installation of downloaded software on up to 2 workstations during onsite visit.
Initialization of remaining workstations in classroom labs
Activation of license server
$1200
For Options 2 – 5, please contact John McCarten, your Education Specialist at Synergis at 215-302-3045 or email john.mccarten@synergis.com.  In order to receive the above pricing, and to reserve service dates before school starts, please contact John to order as soon as possible.In addition to the installation and support options outlined above, Synergis offers special services for educators and technology coordinators including training on the various Autodesk applications (classroom, virtual and on-demand options available).   For further details on any of our offerings and to discuss your school’s specific needs, please contact John McCarten.

John McCarten
215.302.3045
john.mccarten@synergis.com
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