Oh, what a year it has been! The calendar year always goes too fast, there are always challenges thrown at our business, and this year was especially tough for the EdTech space. However, years like these remind us just how strong Education IT teams are…
We entered the year with uncertainty and a multitude of questions around the Broadcom acquisition of VMware. We’d been through this before with the Symantec acquisition, but no one knew just how much patience it would take to navigate all of this. Aliya on our team spoke to various VMware contacts a few hundred times (no exaggeration!) as we begged for answers for all of you. Your patience and grace as we tried to get clear direction on offerings and pricing was beyond generous! Products changed, you had to rethink your infrastructure, pricing changed, you had to find extra budget, pricing changed again, and the relationship details are still in flux. It’s been no small feat for both Logisoft and for our customers as we continue to take it one day at a time.
Amid all this, Adobe finally ripped off the proverbial band aid and announced the discontinuation of Acrobat Perpetual. While we all knew it was coming, we didn’t expect it to be with such short notice. Those of you that use a lot of this set-and-forget software have quite a bit to consider when it comes to future purchases, and we know subscription isn’t for everyone. The Document Cloud world is still evolving for both Acrobat and eSignature solutions, and this push to subscription added more stress for you.
Speaking of subscription stress, 2024 had a TON of subscription announcements. TechSmith and Veritas joined VMware and Adobe with their push to the subscription model. We know it’s the direction software is going, but it felt like a lot at once.
Cybersecurity continues to be a concern for both K-12 and Higher Education. 2024 saw Kaspersky booted from the US and 2,700 requests received for School Cybersecurity Funding via the new FCC pilot program. Your jobs continue to get harder as you try to keep your staff and students safe and your networks secure. Quite honestly, we don’t know how you do it! We can’t keep up with all the cyber products out there, and we’re not tasked with keeping a school up and running!
There’s so much more we could add to the list, like the growing focus on AI, decreased funding, and more pressure to provide value with your EdTech purchases. What we do know with certainty is this:
You, our dear customer, are amazing. Your IT teams are incredible and hard working. You do your best every single day and we SEE IT. We see YOU. So, keep being awesome, lean on us when you can, and know we’ll always be here to help, no matter what the future brings!
Here's to 2025!
Bob Ballard, President
&
Nicole Prevenas, Sales and Marketing Manager
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