SafeNet Introduces 'All-in-One' Software Licensing Solution for Cloud Services and On-Premises Applications
May 27, 2014
By Peter Bernstein, Senior Editor
As we all know from our personal and professional experience, the way in which software is packaged, purchased and paid for is in the midst of a major transformation. In fact, realities are that software users are increasingly looking for licensing models that customize software to meet their needs, and they’re increasingly demanding usage-based licensing. The attraction is compelling, you get and pay for only what you need whether the applications relied on are cloud-based or on-premise.
The challenge for independent software vendors (ISVs), especially those with a mix of cloud and on-premise solutions, is how to get complete visibility into what customers are using so they can better manage their business and optimize the relationships with customers.
Software monetization and entitlement management solutions provider SafeNet (News - Alert) is making life easier for ISVs with the announcement of an enhanced version of its Sentinel LDK® (Licensing Development Kit) software monetization solution that provides hardware-, software-, and cloud-based license delivery, intellectual property (IP) protection, and license management from a single, cloud-based platform.
You read correctly, as a result of the enhancements, both SaaS (News - Alert) and on-premise software vendors can use a single, cloud-based licensing and entitlement management back-end platform to deliver usage-based pricing and new business models for on-premises applications – enabling customers to pay as they grow.
Sentinel LDK is unique in that as SafeNet highlights it is currently the only licensing solution that gives ISVs the flexibility to meet the specific licensing demands of each customer group – regardless of their preferred delivery model, from cloud-based services to on-premises software applications.
The value of enhanced Sentinel LDK Cloud Licensing, as SafeNet explains, includes:
- Data Driven – Gives software vendors insight into their application usage to make better products, offer consumption based-pricing, and pursue more diverse business models.
- Real Time - Adapting to changing market dynamics and customer requirements in real time
- User-centric - Enabling ISVs to authorize access to their software from any machine and any device.
“Software vendors are looking to expand their cloud go-to-market strategy and they want to know which licensing models are right for their businesses and how to optimize their offerings,” said Shlomo Weiss, general manager, Software Monetization, SafeNet. “Our advice is to use a licensing and entitlement solution that tracks usage at a granular level and can adapt on the fly to deliver licensing models that meet changing market demands. This definitely requires a flexible, dynamic licensing solution.”
The creation, delivery, security, consumption and monitoring of software is in the midst of a profound and accelerating transformation. The shift from physical media with perpetual licenses to cloud-based licensing and entitlement management is a win/win for ISVs and customers alike. ISVs get the protection they need and visibility they require to be responsive to market needs while assuring compliance, while customers can leverage all of the advantages SaaS provides in terms of business models that make sense along with being up-to-date. However, as with all transitions, they do not happen over time and when done successfully that must be customized to ensure they do not impede existing operations.
Addressing the need to bridge the gap while the transition/transformation takes place, while actually adding protection and functionality, is what the enhancements to Sentinel LDK Cloud Licensing solution accomplish.
As SafeNet says, the Sentinel family of software monetization products provides an all-in-one solution that meets evolving software consumption trends giving ISVs a better way to be responsive now and going forward, and users options for efficiently and effectively meeting the challenges of a rapidly changing software-centric world with pricing that is aligned with what they get from the software.
Edited by Maurice Nagle
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