As of July 2013, UofT has entered into a licensing agreement with Microsoft called Microsoft 365 (formerly “UofT Microsoft Campus Agreement”), covering current versions of the Windows Operating System (v.7, 8 or 10), Forefront Endpoint Protection (antivirus), and Microsoft Office for all university-owned PCs.

The program provides licenses at no cost to the end user; it is centrally funded by Simcoe Hall's Office of the CIO.

The MSCA terms provide upgrade licenses for MS Windows; any PC where you will install Windows under the MSCA license must already have a “base” license for MS Windows. Major brand names like Dell and HP include the base license with each PC purchase. You can see that a PC has a base license assigned by the Microsoft product sticker on the case. The sticker can be either a long rectangular “Certificate of Authenticity” (“COA”) with hologram and install key, up to Windows 7, typically on the back, top or side of the case; or for Windows 8 simply a smaller, square Microsoft “badge”, typically on the front of the case. As of Windows 10 some licensed PCs may have no sticker at all; you must rely on other documentation such as sales receipt or product specs to verify if the vendor supplied a Windows license with the purchase. Typically, major brands do include Windows licenses with most complete PCs sold.

PCs ordered from smaller retailers such as College St. stores may be 'bare' boxes with no included base license for Windows, particularly if built-to-order from parts. Such PCs are not eligible to use Windows under the MSCA unless you first purchase a base license and assign it to that PC. Some local retailers sell Windows separately. When ordering new PCs from such retailers, to qualify for MSCA, consider ordering the Windows license in the initial purchase rather than buying the PC 'bare' without the license.

The following table sets out your options for using MSCA licenses:

For ECE PCs without a base license (COA), you need to buy a base Windows license through a retail channel. Neither the Campus Computer Store nor UofT's Licensed Software Office offer base Windows licenses, only upgrade licenses. Also, you cannot use an MSDN-AA copy of Windows as your “base” license for the MSCA.

UofT-owned Apple computers with OS X qualify to use MS Windows under the MSCA - Microsoft treats OS X as the “base” license. You can run MS Windows on an OS X system via either Boot Camp, Parallels, VMWare or VirtualBox.

If you want to run Windows in a VM under Linux (or via dual boot), the hosting PC must still have a 'base' license to qualify for an MSCA license for this. A Dell that came with Windows but on which you are running Linux has a 'base' license. A 'bare'/'white box' PC 'from College St.' running Linux does not; you would need to buy a retail license to assign to that PC to permit running Windows in a VM.

Every install of Windows needs security software – Forefront EP, MS Security Essentials or other antivirus – even when virtualized. The viruses and trojans will happily infect the Windows VM just like a physical PC.

Our staff will be using the MS Campus Agreement licenses on Windows PCs we manage under “tier 1.” New O/S installs will use Windows 10 from the MSCA (each PC must have a base license for Windows to qualify.) New installs will include Forefront EP Protection and the latest version MS Office provided under MSCA - currently Office 2019. Office 2019 can be deployed on existing tier 1 Windows PCs on request.

Note that Microsoft ceased issuing security patches to Windows 7 in January 2020. Any PC still running Windows 7 should be upgraded to Windows 10 (or replaced).

The UofT MS Campus Agreement initially included a Home Use Program offering faculty and Staff very low cost personal licenses for Microsoft products. This program has been discontinued. In its place, faculty, staff and students are eligible to use Office365 through their UTORmail+ login both at UofT and at home.

Another new option is Office365 through the Microsoft Advantage program, available free to students MS Student advantage and at a deep discount to faculty and staff:Microsoft University Office365, a cloud-based program that includes use of current versions of all Office applications on up to five computers (PC or Mac, or both) plus five mobile devices, plus cloud storage and Skype credits; a four-year subscription costs $79 for faculty and staff. This covers more devices and version upgrades for a lower price compared to the staff/student pricing for Office 2013, though faculty and staff may prefer the MSCA Home Use program at $11. (Version upgrades require a new $11 MSCA Home Use purchase.)