Visio Professional 2013 is software for creating diagrams. Users choose a template, drag shapes to the drawing, connect the shapes, and add text where needed.

This donation provides one license. See a summary of Volume Licensing Product Use Rights for specific licensing details.

Visio Professional contains all features of the standard edition of Visio plus specialized tools that are better suited for more technical projects. It also allows linking diagrams to data sources and having more than one person work on a diagram at the same time.

Benefits for Organizations

You can use Visio Professional in the following ways:

• General users can create flowcharts, organization charts, office layouts, and more.
• IT professionals can plan and document existing networks, proposals for new infrastructure, and directory services.
• Engineers and facilities managers can create electrical, mechanical, and process engineering schematics.
• Developers can create entity relationship diagrams for proposed database schemas and map and troubleshoot existing Internet or intranet sites.

Major Capabilities

• Templates: Templates include shapes used for creating a particular type of diagram collected in groups called stencils. They can also include special tabs on the Ribbon and wizards to help get the diagram started.
• Themes and styles: You can add sets of colors, fonts, and effects to an entire diagram with a single mouse click. Each theme has several variants. In addition, you can also apply styles to individual shapes to make them stand out. Effects include such things as shadows and glows.
• Threaded conversations: A commenting pane allows reviewers' comments to appear in threads.
• Co-authoring: If a diagram is stored in SharePoint or SkyDrive, several people can work on it at once. An icon appears on the diagram to show parts that someone else has changed.
• Links to dynamic data: Shapes in a diagram can display data from external sources like SQL Server or Excel spreadsheets.
• Cloud storage: The default location to save diagrams is the user's SkyDrive.

Important Volume Licensing Information

With Visio 2013, organizations can choose between two types of volume license keys for product activation: a Key Management Service (KMS) license key or a Multiple Activation Key (MAK). Organizations will be provided with both types of keys on the Microsoft Volume Licensing website.

Microsoft recommends KMS activation only for organizations with at least 50 networked computers requiring activation for Visio 2013 or requiring activation for a combination of Visio 2013, Office 2013, and Project 2013 software. Organizations with fewer than 50 computers requiring activation or organizations with non-networked computers should activate their products using a MAK. For help deciding which type of key to use, see TechSoup's Volume Licensing Service Center – Product Keys. Microsoft also offers instructions on how to use a MAK or KMS key to activate volume editions of Office 2013 software, which also applies to Visio 2013.

Obtaining This Product

Installing this product requires you to download the software from the Volume Licensing Service Center and enter a license key. You can download any available version or language for your product. After you download the software, learn how to install it or burn it to a disc for later use.

The license key allows you to install the product on as many computers as you have received licenses for. This quantity is specified in the first email you receive from TechSoup after requesting this product.

Expect three emails:

1. When your donation request has been approved, TechSoup will send a message to your organization email address confirming the number of licenses you have requested.
2. Microsoft will send an email welcoming your organization to the Volume Licensing Service Center (VLSC).
3. TechSoup will send an email with information about obtaining your license key and managing your donation at the VLSC. If you are new to the VLSC, you should wait for this email before you register there.

Software Assurance

Under the Software Assurance program, you have the right to install any new release of products covered in the agreement during the term of your coverage.

• Hardware:
  • 1-GHz (or higher) processor, 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit
  • 1 GB RAM for 32-bit systems; 2 GB RAM for 64-bit systems
  • 2 GB available hard-disk space
  • 1024 x 576-pixel (or higher) display
  • For graphics hardware acceleration — DirectX10 graphics card
  • For touch features — touch-enabled Windows 7 or Windows 8 PC
• Software:
  • Windows 7; Windows 8; Windows Server 2008 R2; Windows Server 2012
  • .NET 3.5 or later
• Other:
  • For viewing Visio Services diagrams through a web browser — SharePoint Server 2010, SharePoint Online or SharePoint Server 2013; Internet Explorer 8/9/10, Firefox 10 or later, Safari 5 or later, Chrome 17 or later
  • For co-authoring — SharePoint Server 2010 or later, SharePoint Online, or Microsoft SkyDrive
  • For presence notification — Lync

• This donation is available to nonprofits with 501(c)(3) designation and to public libraries. Public libraries must either have valid 501(c)(3) nonprofit status or be listed in the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) database.
• Organizations that are not eligible: Not all 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations are eligible for participation in the Microsoft Donation Program. Those that are not eligible should visit Microsoft Volume Licensing for Industries for more information about charity licensing; they may still be eligible for discounted software from Microsoft. The following types of organizations are ineligible for Microsoft software donations:
• Governmental organizations or agencies.
• Educational institutions, including K-12 schools, colleges, universities, and trade schools.
• Healthcare organizations and networks, including hospitals, specialty networks, ambulatory healthcare services, home healthcare and assisted living healthcare organizations, research organizations, and laboratories. Exceptions: Community health clinics, medical research groups, behavioral healthcare nonprofits, women's health centers, and blood banks are eligible to request Microsoft software donations.
• Political, labor, and fraternal organizations; commerce and trade associations without charitable aims or activities; sponsorships of events, tables, exhibitions, or performances; fundraising events such as luncheons, dinners, walks, runs, or sports tournaments.
• Religious organizations not registered as a charity and without a secular community designation that is separate from the church or religious organization. A secular designation is defined as an organization that provides services to people regardless of their religious beliefs and does not propagate a belief in a specific faith. Example: A food bank with nonprofit or charity status that is run by a church but is a separate and unique organization that provides food and meals to anyone who qualifies for services, regardless of religious beliefs. Religious organizations without secular designations can visit Programs for Charitable Organizations for information regarding licensing options; they may be eligible to receive discounted Microsoft software through these programs.
• Refurbishers that will be installing the donated software on refurbished computers to be distributed or donated to nonprofits or schools. Please visit the Registered Refurbisher Program.
• Nonpublic libraries, including private libraries, school libraries, specialty libraries, armed forces libraries, and libraries in government agencies.
• Eligible organizations receive an allotment of Microsoft software donation requests that is reset every two years. An organization’s two-year cycle begins with its first donation request after July 27, 2011. After two years, a new cycle begins, and a new allotment becomes available. The organization does not need to request the full amount of its allotment. There is no limit to the number of separate requests the organization can make and no minimum quantity requirement.
• During its two-year cycle, an organization can request products from up to 10 title groups. For title groups that contain applications that run on an individual computer (like a desktop or laptop PC), there is a 50-license maximum. For title groups that contain client access licenses or other licenses that provide for connection to or management of a server, there is also a 50-license maximum. For server products, there is a five-product maximum, regardless of title group. For further details, see Quantity and Frequency of Microsoft Requests on the Microsoft Donation Program — Eligibility and Allotments page.
• Public libraries may request Microsoft software donations through this program only for use on public access computers or on computers used to directly manage either the public access computers or the library's public access program. Participating libraries must also make their collection and basic services available to the population of their legal service area without charges to individual users (excluding incidental fees such as printing charges). If they so choose, libraries may impose charges on users outside the legal service area and may provide products and services (beyond basic services) to the public at large, with or without individual charges.
• Organizations that engage in discrimination in hiring, compensation, access to training, promotion, termination, and/or retirement based on race, color, sex, national origin, religion, age, disability, gender identity or expression, marital status, pregnancy, sexual orientation, political affiliation, union membership, or veteran status, other than as allowed by law, are not eligible to participate in this program. Organizations must be willing and able to attest that they do not discriminate on any of these grounds in order to receive donations.
• Microsoft products may not be transferred between separate legal entities or resold. Additionally, Microsoft products may not be installed on computers that will be given to or sold to other organizations or individuals, even as part of a charitable program.
• Donated product will be distributed under this program to qualifying organizations and libraries only, not to individuals.