MetaCommunications (http://www.meta-comm.com) has announced the
launch and immediate availability of the new Software for Students
Program. Under the new program, any accredited educational
organization interested in teaching real-world estimating, billing,
scheduling, project collaboration, productivity techniques, and
project management skills to their students can acquire and use the
new Workgroups 2010 Suite for free.

“Educators preparing students for careers in ad agencies, internet
marketing, photography, video production, graphic design, printing,
and many other industries are telling us that it’s now more important
than ever for their students to have a working knowledge of
real-world electronic workflow and project collaboration skills,”
says Robert T. Long, Executive Vice President of MetaCommunications.
“Our new Software for Students Program formalizes our commitment to
the industry and to educators interested in preparing students with
the essential skills demanded by a technologically evolving job
market.”
Under the Software for Students Program, qualified high schools,
colleges, and educational institutions interested in using
MetaCommunications software as part of an instructional program are
eligible for: a free complete Workgroups 2010 Suite; unlimited users
license for all modules, free upgrades; free support; free professor
and classroom instructor training; and a Workgroups Online Option.

The new Software for Students Program provides institutions with the
option to install the Workgroups 2010 suite in-house for free, or
they can choose the subscription-based Workgroups online hosted
option for a zero-install experience. The Workgroups online option is
available through Workgroups.com and requires a monthly server access
charge to cover hosting expenses.

The Workgroups 2010 suite is an integrated collaborative process and
productivity management suite for marketing, advertising, creative
design, packaging and prepress. Workgroups 2010 is comprised of four
key modules: Virtual Ticket, a configurable project and workflow
solution; Approval Manager, an approval management workflow tool for
managing, tracking, and scheduling any proof review process within
and across marketing, advertising, creative design and production
environments; Digital Storage Manager, a storage management solution;
and Job Manager, a suite of financial management tools that enable
users to create estimates and quotes, monitor job costs, generate
on-demand reporting and invoices, and share information.

The suite has support for Mac OS X 10.6 (“Snow Leopard”) and Windows
7. Server components can be hosted on the following: SQL Server 2008
(including Express Edition); SQL Server 2005 (including Express
Edition); Windows Server 2008; Windows Server 2003; Windows 7;
Windows Vista; and Windows XP.