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.
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Matthew Friedman National Instruments

Big Value that delivers!

We spent a lot of time integrating the SoftwareKey platform with our platform, that was a really big value add that delivers productivity and value to our development community by having tight integration with our tools. Being able to work together [with SoftwareKey] like that enabled us to bring this additional value that would not have been possible otherwise.

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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.

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Mark Daniel Director of Explicit Business Solutions Ltd

The Jump Start Service Was Great and Helped Me Relax and Sort Things Out

We are a new startup business and will initially be selling software to the construction industry and providing consulting services.

What I really like about the SoftwareKey System is that it's quick to setup, provides full automation when using SOLO Server for customers to download and activate software instantly and it will also integrate with FastSpring for payments.

We are in the process of launching our first product. I went with the SoftwareKey System as the system looked relatively easy to implement and the fact that the client can purchase, download and activate automatically without me having to deal with that side of things is a great time saver.

I researched a lot of different products and kept coming back to SoftwareKey for the below reasons. They have a large amount of online information including online tutorials, webinars and tips, etc. which is great. As I am totally new to the licensing of software, one massive thing for me was good customer support for which I have only read good reviews about in regards to SoftwareKey. I also found their pricing to be very reasonable - especially important to me was that I did not want to be paying out huge amounts for the software automation for downloading and activating the software. This was important to me as a new start up company and not having massive cash reserves to rely on until the product gets some traction.

I used the Jump Start Service a few nights ago to make sure I was doing things correctly etc. Dan from SoftwareKey was who I dealt with and I have got to say he was great - relaxed and helped me sort things out - no worries. So yes the customer service is great. I would not hesitate for a second in recommending SoftwareKey.

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Chuck Vigeant M.Ed. Managing Partner, CLEARIFY®

We Made the Correct Choice with SoftwareKey

We have been impressed with both products and services by SoftwareKey. First and foremost, it works and when we need help we get it. Dependability is second to none - of any product I have used in the last 3 decades. They are receptive to constructive criticism, and are always honest in their approach.

SoftwareKey created a custom report for us, which allows us to view our licensing base - and what version they are on - in the blink of an eye, helping us support our customers better.

We made the correct choice when we made the decision to use their technology.

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Jason Grabowski Owner / Baseline Achieved, LLC

I Feel Like an Important Customer, Not Just Another Number

Customer service was absolutely the most important feature I was looking for. I knew that whichever licensing solution I selected, I would be partnered with that company for a long time! Tanner and the team at SoftwareKey were awesome. I used two hours of Jump Start services to get everything up and running, and a third hour to review everything and to make some tweaks to my licensing strategy. Now I am up and running and couldn't be happier! And I know that the SoftwareKey team is just an email away to answer any of my questions as they come up. SoftwareKey offers a complete licensing solution that is easy to implement. And if you are a coder that is not familiar with licensing, they offer great customer care to get you up and running.

In my opinion, what separates SoftwareKey from other licensing solutions is the customer care. They are very responsive to emails and they offer an excellent Jump Start service to get you up and running. They want my business and they are willing to work with me and support me to keep it. I feel like an important customer with SoftwareKey, not just another number. Not to mention that the licensing solution is great as well!

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Anatoliy Shishkin President, 2D Technology Group, Inc.

Confident in SoftwareKey's Products and Developer Team Competency

We are very pleased with the SoftwareKey team's dedication and professionalism in resolving complicated issues. We've been using the SoftwareKey System for several years and every time when we needed support we did get it promptly and in a friendly manner. The recent release of Protection PLUS 5 SDK expands SoftwareKey System functionality to additional platforms and processor architectures, which we are planning to start using because we are confident in the company's products and developer team competency.

Do not hesitate with SoftwareKey - it's a solid company, great competitive products and outstanding customer support.

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Ian Batey CEO, IDMB Advisory LTD

Best IT Support by a Country Mile

Every time I raise a ticket with SoftwareKey, it gets dealt with promptly and with insight. Your team should be congratulated on such a consistently good performance. TRUST me, I deal with a number of IT support sites and yours is the best by a country mile.

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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.

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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.

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Adam Reue Senior Software Engineering Project Manager, Revcord

They Always Help Me with a Prompt, Cheerful, and Very Easy to Understand Response

We have been using SOLO Server along with Protection PLUS 4 SDK for several years. We recently upgraded to Protection PLUS 5 SDK, and the SoftwareKey support team has helped make the transition a success. With our software release date quickly approaching, things began to become a bit hectic and I had some urgent questions that needed answers. SoftwareKey support promptly supplied me with more than ample documentation, and got me on the right path to resolving my issue that night before the start of the next business day. No matter how simple (or dumb) of a question I have, they always help me towards a resolution with a prompt, cheerful, and very easy to understand response.

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