Adobe Value Incentive Plan (VIP) Channel FAQ General program 1. What is Adobe Value Incentive Plan (VIP)? The Adobe Volume Licensing (AVL) Value Incentive Plan (VIP) is a membership-based program that enables customers to immediately download and deploy available Adobe products under a subscriptiontype, annual-term payment plan. There are no minimum-purchase or discount-level requirements. 2. When can resellers start to announce and inform their customers? The official announce date is December 5 th. 3. Is this program available for education and government customers? VIP is available to all segments in most countries as a standard program (Not available in countries where laws or other restrictions prevent Adobe from offering the program, or in regions that decide from time to time not to offer programs based on adverse business conditions.). Note that there are no special variants, such as student licensing. 4. What are the benefits of VIP? Adobe VIP provides the following benefits to customers: Immediate access to Adobe products Low entry cost Access to the latest applications, features, and services with no wait for major product releases Customer-centric subscription management console for easy license management Easy compliance management Ongoing membership customers agree to the terms and conditions only once 5. What products are included in Adobe VIP? At launch, Adobe Creative Cloud for teams will be available through VIP. Other Adobe products will be made available in the future. 6. How does VIP differ from other AVL programs? Other AVL programs, such as TLP, CLP, and EA, are perpetual-based licensing programs, meaning customers pay for the outright ownership of the versioned software license available at the time of purchase. VIP is subscription based, meaning customers pay for a certain amount of time to use the latest software available, but they do not own the license outright. Adobe Value Incentive Plan FAQ v.2 2012 1
7. Is an internet connection required to take part in VIP? Yes. End users must have internet access to participate in VIP. The plan requires confirmation of authorization every 30 days which requires connectivity to the internet. If no connection is detected, Adobe will check for authorization/connectivity every day for 7 consecutive days before access to the software will be affected. 8. Can we get a copy of the T&Cs? Yes they will be available [here] on Adobe.com at launch. 9. What if an organization does not have a reseller? Can it sign up for VIP without one? Customers must go through a reseller to purchase Adobe software products through VIP. 10. What do you mean by customer? By customer, we mean the organization as a whole. 11. Where can I review the emails that will be sent from Adobe? A list of the system-generated emails will be posted for internal Adobe employees. Please ask your Account Manager. 12. Which resellers can sell VIP? Adobe Partner Connection (APC) Certified, Gold & Platinum Resellers Worldwide will be able to sell VIP. All resellers who are currently selling CLP can sell VIP. Enrollment 13. How do customers enroll in VIP? Enrollment is initiated by the reseller, who sends an invitation to the customer to enroll in VIP. If the customer accepts, a customer VIP Number is generated, and the customer then has access to the VIP Admin Console. Note: The VIP Number that is generated links the customer to the reseller with whom the customer enrolled. This is how the reseller is able to help the customer manage the account as well as view and manage seats through the Reseller Console. 14. Can the reseller insert a generic email address to be cc ed on the customer invites? No, however Resellers have visibility to information regarding customer invites on the Reseller Console. Adobe Value Incentive Plan FAQ v.2 2012 2
15. What prevents resellers from sending out blanket invitations to their customer base? Nothing, but the customer has to accept the terms and conditions first. An invite does not automatically link the reseller to the customer. It is recommended that resellers reach out to their customer base and introduce them to VIP. Read question 10 for further details regarding the reseller and customer relationship within VIP. 16. Can multiple resellers send invitations to the same customer? Yes. 17. Can a customer enroll in VIP through multiple resellers? It is highly recommended that customers maintain a one-to-one relationship with a reseller for VIP membership. While technically, a customer may enroll with multiple resellers, such scenarios do not support the ease of use intended with VIP. If a customer enrolls in VIP by accepting multiple invites from various resellers, then they will have multiple VIP Numbers with various anniversary dates to manage. With multiple anniversary dates, subscription end dates may differ, so all products are not coterminous. In addition, resellers can see only products they order for their customers. All these factors increase the complexity and effort required to manage VIP products. 18. If a customer has a decentralized purchasing plan, there could be a situation of one company having multiple VIP Numbers as we as multiple resellers. Yes. There will be cases where companies could have workgroup level purchasing. 19. What if a customer enrolls under one reseller and then decides to switch to another one? The customer will need to call Adobe to change the reseller that can view the customer s information and receive notifications through the Reseller Console. 20. What if a customer does enroll under many resellers, creating many VIP Numbers, and then wants to work with only one reseller? The customer will need to call Adobe to consolidate multiple VIP Numbers. 21. If a customer does change resellers, does the new reseller have full visibility of previous purchases? Yes. 22. Can a customer add products using one VIP Number through more than one reseller? It is possible for a customer to use their VIP Number generated from entering a relationship with reseller A to add products from Reseller B, but Reseller B will not have visibility to the customer s previous orders on their console. Because that particular VIP Number is linked to Reseller A, all account information, purchases, renewal notices, and software management will appear on Reseller A s Reseller Console. Adobe Value Incentive Plan FAQ v.2 2012 3
Adding Seats 23. If the customer adds seats, does the reseller have to authorize the purchase? No. When a customer adds a seat, they also need to indicate that they authorize their reseller to purchase on their behalf, which is the purchase authorization. Customers can add seats on their own, or the reseller can add seats on their behalf. 24. If a customer adds seats, how is the reseller alerted? An email is sent to the reseller, and a notification is viewable in the Reseller Console. Similarly, if the reseller adds seats, an email is sent to the customer. 25. What is the difference between adding and deploying seats in VIP? Adding seats is the same as deploying seats. Both of these terms mean that the customer s intention is to purchase products. Within 30 days of adding the seats, an order needs to be placed to purchase them. 26. Can the customer cancel seats that have been added? Customers may request a return within 30 days of adding a seat(s) if they qualify under the rules outlined in the VIP Program Guide. Beyond the 30 days, there are no returns. At the end of the current subscription term, customers may choose to not renew for the next term on the Anniversary Date. 27. Can a customer terminate their subscription in the situation of downsizing etc.? No. Termination of seats is not permitted during the subscription term. A customer can reduce the number of seats at time of renewal. Ordering 28. Is the ordering process different with VIP than with other AVL programs? No. The ordering process for resellers and distributors is the same with VIP as with current programs. 29. Who at the customer will be able to enter this PO number? The customer administrator will be able to enter the PO number in the Admin Console. 30. When resellers add seats, do they still place the order with distribution? Yes. The order workflow does not change for VIP. If resellers order Adobe products through a distributor for CLP, then they would do the same for VIP. If resellers buy directly from Adobe for CLP, they will continue to do so for VIP. The Reseller Console enables the reseller to see exactly what the customer is doing and add seats for the customer before the order is fully processed by Adobe. Adobe Value Incentive Plan FAQ v.2 2012 4
31. Are any notices given to a customer that they must follow the ordering process set up by their reseller to finish the transaction? For example, a reseller may require a physically signed purchase order to place an order. The ordering process is between the customer and the reseller. Adobe will inform customers that by adding seats, they are authorizing the reseller to place the order. Adobe expects that most resellers will still require a separate, official PO to be submitted. 32. What about customers who are required to receive three bids from different partners each time they want to add a seat(s)? 33. They can continue to do so, but they may run into issues if the reseller associated with the customer may not be the reseller who processes the order. If this is the case, adding seats prior to ordering is not recommended since there could be issues with matching duration due to lack of visibility by all resellers. Can a reseller host a license for the customer? No, this is not allowed. 34. What happens if I incorrectly prorate an order? Orders that are incorrectly prorated will be held in a saved order status until the price discrepancy is addressed. Anniversary Date/ Membership Term 35. Can customers change their Anniversary Date? Not at launch; however this feature will be available soon after launch. 36. Are 2 or 3 year contracts available? No. Currently the subscription term is yearly. We may offer options beyond that in the future. 37. Is there an option to purchase month to month? No. Subscription 38. What determines the start date of a subscription? A subscription start date is determined by the date the seat was added. 39. Are seats that are added mid-subscription term pro-rated to the Anniversary Date? Yes, they will be pro-rated. Example, seats added halfway through will be pro-rated for 6 months instead of the full 12. Adobe Value Incentive Plan FAQ v.2 2012 5
40. Is there an option to expire seats before the VIP Anniversary Date for customers who may only need a certain amount of months of product for a project? No. Customers must pay for the full subscription term. 41. How is the reseller notified of the start date of a new subscription for billing purposes? Start date and proration details will be provided in the Seat Authorization History section of the Reseller Console. In addition, an email will be sent to the reseller alerting them when customers add additional seats including the new subscription information. Automatic Compliance 42. What happens to a customer s installed software purchased through VIP if they do not renew or make the purchase within 30 days? The product checks to confirm activation once a month. If a payment isn t shown, the customer s rights to the seat may be turned off. 43. How would software installed on the user's machine be disabled if they do not renew or make the purchase within 30 days? The product "calls home" to confirm activation once a month. If a payment is not shown, the rights to the seat may be turned off. 44. What happens at the end of the year for renewal? All subscriptions that were deployed during the subscription term will end on the last day of the last month of the subscription term. There will be a grace period before the seats are deactivated. Specifics on the renewal process will be communicated soon. 45. Can we process renewals earlier than the anniversary date? Yes. 46. Will there be an auto-renewal option to automatically renew subscriptions in the console? This feature is not available at launch; it is being considered for the future. 47. If a customer has multiple VIP Numbers with different renewal and Anniversary Dates, is there a way to have all the subscriptions co-terminate on the same day? Yes, if a customer wants to consolidate their accounts, they can contact Adobe for assistance. We intend to enable customers to do this action themselves in the future. Adobe Value Incentive Plan FAQ v.2 2012 6
Reseller Console 48. What languages are supported? English, French, German, Japanese, Spanish, Italian, Dutch, Swedish 49. Will the interfaces and emails be localized? Yes, in the languages listed in the question above. 50. Is there a limit on the number of users in the Reseller console? No. 51. Is there a system available prior to launch for resellers to test the consoles? Not at this time. 52. How does the reseller log in with Reseller ID or the Adobe ID? 53. Adobe ID. Can resellers have more than one administrator? Not this time. We are looking to add the ability to have multiple administrators in the future. 54. Will all reps from the same company see all the reseller customers in the Reseller Console? Yes, all reps will have the same access. Reps can filter to see just their individual customers. 55. Can we limit the view of the users in the Reseller Console? No. All users other than the administrator have the same access. 56. Can the reseller see the same view as the customer s Admin Console? No. However, similar information is available for Resellers in the Reseller Console. 57. Is there an automated capability for uploading customers into the Reseller Console? Not at this time. 58. Can the partner add users on behalf of the customer? Not at launch, but it will be available in the near future. The customer will need to designate the partner as a contact and assign the partner as Admin in the Admin Console. 59. What is the search capability on the Reseller Console? Reseller search is limited to the VIP accounts that are signed with that particular reseller. Within your own customer list, you can search by VIP number, name, etc. Adobe Value Incentive Plan FAQ v.2 2012 7
60. Where do resellers go to find a consolidated purchase history? Do they need to use the Reseller Console, or can they use LWS (where all other purchase history is located)? Resellers will see all customer purchases, both perpetual and subscription in LWS; however, customers will not have a consolidated view in LWS. For their subscription purchase history, they will need to refer to the Admin Console, and for their purchase history for TLP, CLP, and EA, they will need to refer to LWS. 61. If I am a reseller buying through a distributor, will I be able to view the Reseller Console and receive notifications? The Reseller Console is for the reseller managing the purchases for the customer. Distributors will be able to view transactions in LWS; however, notifications will be sent to the reseller. 62. Will renewal notifications be sent to only one reseller or to each reseller that sold to the customer? Renewal notifications for subscriptions will be sent to the Reseller Console associated with the VIP Number via email and will be viewable on the Reseller Console. If a customer has ordered through multiple resellers, then each reseller will see only those renewal notifications associated with the purchases made through their Reseller Console. See question 16. 63. Will resellers have one login to the Reseller Console, or is each individual person at the reseller going to have access? One person will be assigned administrator access to the reseller account and will be able to add others to the account. 64. When a reseller logs in to the Reseller Console, do they see all the customers for their whole reseller account? Or can they filter to just see only the accounts they are assigned to? They can click My Customers at the top to see a filtered view that shows only their customers. 65. Is there a separate aggregation of all the alerts? Resellers can sort by alert type within the Reseller Console. Admin Console 66. Can only one person at the customer organization have administrative access to an account? We will have multiple administrator capability on the Admin Console at the time of launch on December 5. 67. Can a customer assign someone that has purchasing capabilities but maybe not other admin functions? No. There is only one type of administrator access to the Admin Console at the moment. Different roles may be examined as a future feature. The process for ordering is between the customer and the partner. When the customer adds seats, a notice is displayed alerting them that by adding seats they Adobe Value Incentive Plan FAQ v.2 2012 8
are authorizing the reseller to place an order. It is assumed that most resellers will still require a separate, official PO to be submitted. 68. How is the customer administrator chosen? The reseller inviting the customer will enter the email address of the contact person at the customer organization. This contact person will receive the invitation and will also be the initial administrator for the customer s account in the Admin Console. 69. Does a new administrator user email need to be an Adobe ID? Yes. The administrator can create an Adobe ID when they are directed to the Admin Console if they don t already have one. 70. How easy is it to reassign to another user? Very easy. It's a matter of replacing the name in the Admin Console for that seat. 71. Can customers have multiple resellers listed in their console? Not at launch. 72. Does the customer see pricing on the Admin Console when adding seats? There is no pricing on the Admin Console since pricing is set by the reseller, not Adobe 73. Will customers who have purchases through TLP/CLP/EA and VIP need to go to both LWS and Admin Console to manage their product licenses? Yes. 74. Is pricing on the customer console? No. Price lists for VIP are available in the same manner as other licensing programs today. Pricing is set by the reseller (similar to CLP today and is never communicated directly to the customer from Adobe). 75. Is payment status visible to the customer? Yes. The Admin Console will display the seat(s) that are deployed but not yet paid for so the customer will be aware of the payment status. 76. What about organizations who have a firewall? Administrators and end users must have access to the internet, and be able to download and install products locally on their machine to utilize products purchased through VIP. Adobe Value Incentive Plan FAQ v.2 2012 9
Adobe Creative Cloud licensing 77. How will Creative Cloud work for users who want to install products on a work and a home PC? Adobe allows two installations of the desktop product per seat. 78. Can a customer download once and give installers to another user? No. 79. If customers upgrade to Creative Cloud for teams, do they give up rights to their perpetual license? No. The Creative Cloud for teams seat purchases are not considered an upgrade, so customers will still retain rights to use the perpetual licenses they ve already purchased. 80. Are seats assigned per user or per machine? Each seat is assigned to a specific user. Each user has up to two installations for the desktop apps. 81. How easy is it to reassign a seat to another user? A seat can be reassigned by simply replacing the name in the Admin Console for that seat. 82. Is CC for teams limited to a maximum number of users within 1 VIP account? There is no limitation to the # of users or seats. Customers are required to purchase one seat for each person using 1 VIP license. 83. Does the CC installation/deployment designate WW location? Is there anything different for worldwide deployments versus NA only? There are no changes to the rules of sales. You will still need to designate where the seats will be deployed in the order, so you can only sell in the locations you are authorized in. 84. Where is data stored? Data is stored on Amazon Data Centers. Financial, Quotes and Pricing 85. Do distributors ordering via EDI need to pass the VIP Number back to Adobe on the EDI messages? Is this the same field as the CLP Number on CLP orders? Yes and yes. 86. Will there be industry specific pricing? There will be separate price lists for commercial/education/government. Adobe Value Incentive Plan FAQ v.2 2012 10
87. Will customers be able to add seats without their credit line/limit being checked? Yes. The credit line/credit limit topic is between the reseller and the customer. Adobe does not get involved in this aspect of the business. 88. Will Adobe ever bill customers if no PO is received after 30 days? No. 89. Is the pricing for CCM Team calendar month or subscription month? Subscription month. 90. If you are a global company, could a customer buy from outside your region because it is cheaper? The same purchasing rules apply in the ordering portion of the process in LWS/EDI/through a distributor in regards to regions. The Creative Cloud for teams product will allow the software to be deployed anywhere, but there are rules which are outlined in the regional deployment section in the VIP Program Guide 91. How do you structure a renewal quote for customers? The renewal process is still being defined, but all renewals should be for 12 months.. 92. Can a reseller sell lower than promo price/srp? Yes. This is a suggested retail price. Resellers determine the final sales price to their customers. 93. What is the Non Profit price of CCT? We are allowing non-profit to purchase on the education price list. 94. Can we buy a pool of licenses and sell them on our own subscription time period? No. This goes against the EULA and the VIP program terms and conditions. 95. Will VIP run through distribution only or will it be distribution and Platinum resellers being direct to Adobe? Can we still use EDI? Yes. Your existing purchasing method with Adobe will remain the same. 96. How does the quote process work? A lot of customers need more than one quote. This is up to the reseller. Adobe Value Incentive Plan FAQ v.2 2012 11