Basic to Complex Licensing with a flexible, easy implementation solution
software_DNA is a very powerful and extensive licensing solution, yet, in its simplest form, can be fully implemented and integrated into your App in days.Our Tech Support team maintains step-by-step Implementation Guides and 35 working / annotated Code Samples for a multitude of IDE / Languages that you can use to facilitate this work.
A “basic” implementation requires only that your App captures a License Activation Code and License Password from the User and activates the License with the DNA Servers. The License is node-locked to the device or the browser (for SAAS Apps), and fully protected.
Our “Feature-Data” option allows you to define and manage additional customized licensing requirements on a per License basis, and fully integrated with your Store-Front offerings.
For example:
- Offer Option “Sets” on your Storefront that your App uses to configure itself for that specific license and buyer.
- Offer Yearly Support/Maintenance Plans or Yearly Upgrade Plans for your Products.
One License across all platforms
The same software_DNA License can be activated on all platforms using the software_DNA licensing solution, including computers, tablets, mobiles, VM’s and browsers (SAAS Apps).
A Multi-Device or Multi-User License can be activated on a multiple number of these devices simultaneously within the limits of the License settings that you configure.
With direct support for Windows, MAC, Linux, Android, Raspberry Pi, web browsers, etc.…, you can stretch your App’s reach further.
For example:
- The same 2-device License could be used for:activating your main App on a Windows computer accessing a Web-based SAAS App that provides your User with more capabilities, features, or privileged access to Tech Support experts.
- The License Activation Code and License Password are used as universal credentials to access your Apps and services.
Integrations
Licensing is one component of a complete business process chain which includes your Sales teams, your Storefront, Customer Service, Tech Support and back-office systems.
software_DNA offers integrations tools that will help you achieve an automated, efficient and customer-friendly end-to-end process. This includes:
- Automated License Fulfillment and License Upgrades on Order Confirmation by connecting your Storefront to our DNA eCommerce Connectors.
- From your Sales, Customer Service and Tech Support systems, pull in all relevant License information for a given customer using our RESTful API, and make necessary changes back to software_DNA.
We already offer multiple off-the-shelf Connectors, a flexible DIRECT Connector and a RESTful API to handle most integrations. If you have additional requirements, our Dev Team is there to help.
For more information, see the following Support Articles:
- eCommerce Integration
- software_DNA RESTful API
Tech Support – implementation and integration
Over the past 20 years, our Tech Support and Dev Team have developed extensive knowledge of software licensing, and, in working with other software developers, have also developed expertise in the other elements that are required to successfully launch new software products.
The Tech Support’s team primary objective is to help you implement a licensing strategy and implementation that supports your Sales and Marketing goal. Included in our comprehensive support:
- Recommendations on best licensing strategies for your products, and help in their configuration in the software_DNA Control Panel.
- Help at every step in implementation of software_DNA in your App.
- Detailed step-by-step implementation guides for the different licensing methods.
- Annotated, working Code Samples for multiple IDE’s and languages, such as Visual Studio, Visual Studio Code, Eclipse, Lazarus, Android Studio, for C#, C++, VB, FPC, Java, etc.…
- Pre-launch testing by our Dev Team of your App’s implementation of software_DNA, providing feedback based on our extensive field experience.
The Tech Team is also responsible for defining and testing the integration of software_DNA with other systems like eCommerce systems. They can provide valuable insights in how to get all this done.
Online Activation, Offline Activation, and internet connectivity
In today’s world, internet connectivity is essentially assumed, but that’s not always the case, and software_DNA was designed from the get-go to deal with disruptions in internet service.
software_DNA assumes that internet connectivity is not 100%, and uses a locally stored, encrypted License file, so that your App can run, whether there is internet connectivity or not. You determine when and how the App needs to connect to the DNA Servers and re-validate the License. Of course, internet connectivity is required for Activation of the License.
For air-gapped computers, i.e., offline computers, and computers never connected to the internet because of organizational policies, software_DNA offers two different solutions:
- Offline Activation – based on the exchange of two (2) small, encrypted files between the offline computer and software_DNA, using, for example a USB disk.
- OffNet Activation – based on the exchange of two (2) alpha-numeric keys between the offline computer and software_DNA, which can be transmitted via email, text, or even verbally.
The above applies to device-based Apps. For SAAS Apps, internet just has to be there.
Switching to software_DNA
If you have an existing base of users, moving them to the new licensing paradigm can be a simple or a very complex task.
Our Tech Support team is there to help and can provide guidance and recommendations on how best to achieve this while minimizing impacts on your user base, the most important objective here.
If required, our Dev Team can be brought in to discuss, plan and design an automated process to upload existing license credentials to software_DNA, in sync with your transition to software_DNA.
In some situations, the best course of action may be to keep both licensing solutions running for a period of time. We’ll always be up-front and transparent with you, as the last thing we want, is to create chaos with your user base.