Flexera Software Updates FlexNet Producer Suite Products

Flexera Software, provider of strategic solutions for Application Usage Management to application producers and their customers, has announced the availability of its updated FlexNet Producer Suite for Software Vendors and FlexNet Producer Suite for High-Tech Manufacturers.

Both suites include enhancements addressing the growing demand for application virtualization — enabling vendors to capitalize on the revenue opportunities associated with application virtualization, cloud computing and the creation of virtual appliances that increase manufacturing efficiencies and flexibility.

Key enhancements made to the FlexNet Producer Suites, which enable revenue growth and reduced operating costs through software licensing, electronic software delivery and entitlement management, include:

FlexNet Publisher — provides software licensing to secure and grow market share through flexible pricing, packaging, licensing, and protection of their software. FlexNet Publisher Virtualization Option contains patent pending technology enabling developers to establish varying enforcement strategies by customer segment and geography to protect and monetize their software in virtualized environments.

• Virtual Use Detection — detects if end-users are trying to deploy the application and license server on a virtual machine. It protects against revenue leakage by instructing the application or the license server to “operate” or “not operate” in virtual environments. It also delivers the foundation to enter new markets and/or monetize solutions in existing markets in new ways.

• Flexible Monetization Options — supports flexible revenue models ranging from preventing usage of software in a virtual environment to enabling software to run in virtualized environments while ensuring compliance. Flexibility can be restricted by ensuring licenses are bound to physical machines even while the software is running inside a virtual machine. It enables monetization of software and virtual appliances running in VMware and Microsoft Hyper-V-based public clouds.

• Tamper Proofing — adds WiBu dongle support to prevent tampering with the software licensing once the software is deployed. The inclusion of a physical dongle, which is coupled to the software via a software licensing system, greatly reduces the means to pirate software while still easily allowing the software to move from machine-to-machine.

FlexNet Embedded — gives high-tech manufacturers the power to unlock revenue with tailored software licensing, pricing, and packaging solution for their embedded software, including support for creating and running virtual appliances to replace hardware devices.

• License Pool Monitoring — provides functionality for serving and monitoring a counted pool of devices through the prebuilt FlexNet Embedded server application. This availability of an out-of-the-box server application greatly reduces development time and effort.

• Easier License Updates — adds support for a “push” model (in addition to a “pull” model where the device contacts the server when it needs a license update), where the server pushes updated licenses to devices. For devices requiring uninterrupted operation, the push architecture ensures a device’s primary functionality is not interrupted by server communications.

• Backup License Capability — ensures availability of FlexNet Embedded served pools of software licenses through server failover. The server and device APIs, communication protocols, and license rights have been enhanced to support a backup license server managing a license pool if the primary server becomes unavailable, further increasing reliability.

FlexNet Operations — enables easy and efficient support for new revenue models by quickly creating product configurations to meet market demands, cutting operational costs by automating the generation, fulfillment, and activation of entitlements, and improving customer satisfaction by providing a consistent experience and a 24/7 self-service web portal for your end users.

• New Revenue Models — enables new revenue models for virtualized and region-based software licensing. Supports FlexNet Publisher’s ability to detect; Microsoft Hyper-V and VMware virtualization and time zones. Delivers new revenue opportunities via new licensing models for cloud computing, the ability to prevent revenue leakage in virtualized environments, and the ability to grow revenues by pricing differently based on geography.

• Channel Partner Self-Service — new make-to-stock channel management allows tracking of software entitlements through a multi-tier channel. This enables channel partner self-service management of software entitlements while ensuring data privacy. The results are lower operational costs, the ability to track partner performance and enhanced partner relations.

• Superior Automation — allows internet and offline activation to run faster and more efficiently, reducing support calls and lowering network bandwidth costs. Devices are automatically tracked as they move within an enterprise, providing better visibility into the installed base. Efficient bulk operations notify upgraded, up-sold or renewed customers via email and fulfills their software licenses automatically, enabling revenue growth through subscription licensing and lower operational costs.