Risks with a “Do It Yourself” Approach to Software Licensing

SoftwareKey works with a wide range of businesses, budgets, licensing requirements, and staff skill levels.  Frequently, we find that customers underestimate the level of detail involved in successfully launching and maintaining a licensed application throughout its lifetime.

Consider What You Don't Know

When it comes to software licensing, as with so many things in this world, often you don’t know what you don’t know.

The correct implementation of licensing is essential to the smooth operation of your software product.    By opting for the most professional and secure implementation and design, you can be confident that your investment will lead to profits.

Do It Yourself Approach Works Well With Simple Licensing

Most customers who have simple licensing requirements, or those who have senior-level staff with licensing experience, can implement the SoftwareKey System inside of their software using our Do It Yourself approach.   And you can always contact us if you get stuck: we’re happy to answer simple questions under our Standard Support plan.

Consider These Risks with Do It Yourself Approach

BUT, remember that there can definitely be risks if you choose the Do It Yourself approach, especially if your staff is new to software licensing technology:

  • Trying to bring together multiple different licensing models in the same application can create inter-dependencies that are easy to miss or not realize until it is too late.  What may seem simple can become complex very quickly.
  • Responses to questions posted to our Standard Support staff will come from one of the many skilled people on our team. However, on this level you do not benefit from a central project manager who understands your licensing goals in detail. And unfortunately, answering questions in piecemeal bites without understanding your overall goals is possibly going to result in extra time being spent by all parties involved.
  • You don't want to be surprised if a flaw in your implementation is discovered after the software is released.  Patching security or implementation flaws on released software can sometimes involve significant time and money, and may even generate customer dissatisfaction.
  • Finally, even during normal operations, licensing flaws can sometimes open up exploitable holes that could allow customers or hackers to steal your software more easily.
profile-pic
Clint Monari Lead UI Developer, Bridge Software Institute

SoftwareKey's support is extremely responsive!

The SoftwareKey team has been extremely responsive in assisting us with implementation of cloud-controlled network licensing. They've answered our questions and helped with troubleshooting on multiple occasions, including outside of normal business hours.

profile-pic
Brooks Wait Owner & Certified LabVIEW Architect, Brooks Consulting LLC

Invaluable Customer Support!

I wrote a custom software dialog that gives our user the ability to evaluate our software or activate it, which is an advanced application that requires API calls and custom modifications to the license to activate both licenses. The SoftwareKey API has lots of options, so I worked with Tanner to activate their software and another licensed feature needed for our custom software licensing use case. Tanner's knowledge and support was invaluable throughout the process. I don't believe I would have been able to accomplish this task in an efficient manner without him.

profile-pic
Vu Nguyen Web and E-commerce Manager, RoboMatter

SoftwareKey Continues to Exceed My Expectations

We've been using SoftwareKey since 2005. They have been essential to our ability to license our software, and they haven't had any issues keeping up with our growth. SoftwareKey has been incredibly responsive with my needs and requests for features. Their support is also very proactive with issues I didn't even know I needed to fix. I can't recommend them enough when it comes to a product licensing. They are there whenever we need them, and they also continue to exceed my expectations when it comes to our company's needs.

profile-pic
Heloise Laight Co-owner / Canonbury Publishing Ltd

Customized Integration We Couldn't Find Anywhere Else

We used to have a very cumbersome, manual process for distributing our software licenses. After trying unsuccessfully to find a suitable solution with other licensing providers, we worked with SoftwareKey to fully-automate a customized connection to our Customer Relationship Management System. Now through a simple process in our CRM, customers are immediately notified of their license credentials and can activate 24 hours a day!

The SoftwareKey team is great! They provided a robust and professional solution and their support was fantastic - I wouldn't hesitate to recommend them.

profile-pic
Andre Martinez Executive Business Services, Inc.

Flexible and Stable for Thousands of Users

We have used Protection PLUS for many years with thousands of users, and it has been a very flexible and stable product. We recently encountered an issue requiring FIPS-compliance in our software in order to participate with some US government contracts. We contacted SoftwareKey support to inquire about a FIPS-compliant version of Protection PLUS. Even though it required a special build of their library, they researched the issue and provided a solution very quickly. This was a big deal for us to support some large companies evaluating our product.

profile-pic
Dave Poulin Senior Business Development Manager, Panasonic Computer Solutions Company

SoftwareKey Was a Good Decision for Us

SoftwareKey was able to help us address a business need in a quick and professional manner. They have consistently shown us how flexible and helpful their staff is. We took the selection of a vendor very seriously and the decision has proven to be a good one.

profile-pic
Abhay Deshpande Partner, Global Financial Datafeeds LLP

The SoftwareKey System and Support are Rock Solid!

We have been building data products for the financial market since 2008 - mostly for Indian stock markets.

SoftwareKey products are rock solid, you use them for your product protection, license management and it JUST WORKS! In last 10 years, thousands of trials & paid licenses were created & managed on SOLO Server Automation with no issues whatsoever. Their support is top-notch and always to the point. Their team understands what a customer is saying and on rare occasions when you need support, they are more than willing to help.

The SoftwareKey System made the license management aspect of our business so effortless that we were able to confidently make our software sales a primary focus.

Since 2008, we have immensely enjoyed the SoftwareKey System to protect and manage our software products. It is one of those rare companies which scores on every point!

profile-pic
Chao Han President, VirtualGrid

Excellent Service

I would like to thank the SoftwareKey team for the excellent service we received during the past years. I won’t hesitate to recommend your services to others!

profile-pic
Bill Roach Partner / ExhibitView Solutions, LLC

SoftwareKey's service and support are truly first rate.

My company, ExhibitView Solutions, LLC, has been using the SoftwareKey System for over a year now. We used to use a very developer-intensive system for our licensing. So, when we decided to launch a completely-revamped product, I knew I needed to simplify the licensing process. After searching online, my first phone call to SoftwareKey was to discuss how their system works. I was impressed that I never felt any pressure to end the conversation during that rather long phone call. My developers were able to implement the system in under one hour after I set up a short paid one-on-one tutorial with the SoftwareKey staff.

After the initial product launch, we implemented the system into all of our 3 products. I could not be happier. I would be happy to speak with anyone about my experience and would also encourage any other software company or entrepreneur to investigate SoftwareKey. The service and support are truly first rate, and I have certainly received a great value for my money.

profile-pic
Noel Carboni Owner, ProDigital Software

I'm Proud to Include Their Technology in Our Products

We started using the SoftwareKey System in 2009 and within a few days we had implemented the full Protection + Automation bundle in our graphics products. We've never even considered another solution since. The folks at SoftwareKey have always been responsive and genuinely helpful. They truly have an entrepreneurial spirit and I'm proud to include their technology in our products.

We have a growing internet software business where customers purchase and activate software licenses online, 24 hours per day. All in all, our customers experience a slick, integrated, and automated process.

>