Software monetization can be a tricky business in today’s technology economy in which the cloud, mobility and the subscription and services-based model are becoming increasingly prevalent. Companies developing and selling software and services need to tread carefully to get the most return on their investments while keeping their customers satisfied and ensuring maximum value is gleaned by all.
Gemalto (News - Alert), a company that specializes in software monetization, believes a Best Practices Lifecycle Methodology is the most efficient approach to the problem, aiding businesses and executives alike. A best practices approach helps organizations better integrate software licensing into overall company operations, driving efficiencies and product quality. Gemalto has published a free whitepaper outlining its suggested methodology as well as its best practices scorecard for measuring software implementation readiness. The scorecard also keeps track of a company’s ongoing software management capabilities based on its core business objectives.
“In the past, software was primarily deployed on-premise and only required updating on a periodic basis because of the relatively static nature of the operating environment,” writes Gemalto. “In today’s far more dynamic world, software is expected to be available ‘on-demand’ and to be continuously enhanced to meet the constantly evolving needs of the user. And, in many cases, the software user/buyer wants to be able to select the appropriate package from a variety of choices. These changing expectations have forced a growing number of software developers – both established independent software vendors (ISVs) and intelligent device vendors developing software for the first time – to juggle multiple software licensing options with a variety of packaging and pricing approaches.”
One of the best ways an organization can get a handle on software licensing and monetization is to establish a software license program management team. This group will administer the business functions related to licensing and monetization, including the auditing process, which involves collecting all the necessary information to develop and administer software licensing and monetization processes. The group will also authorize a set of policies and procedures surrounding usage and enforcement techniques, as well as automate tasks surrounding licensing and enforcement.
Gemalto’s Best Practices Scorecard provides a concise way to measure a company’s software implementation readiness while ensuring companies stay focused on their key business objectives. As part of the overall Best Practices Methodology Lifecycle, the scorecard ultimately measures the maturity of an organization’s software monetization policies and procedures as well as technology and skills.
For additional information about the Software Monetization Best Practices Methodology Lifecycle, download the free whitepaper.
Edited by Alicia Young