Automation
No license management software is complete without a system to maintain control. Our central license server, SOLO Server Automation, allows you to monitor usage of your software, automates the license distribution and activation process, and allows you to easily manage your customers and licenses.
Maintaining Control
Continually monitoring licenses is required to maximize the control over your software, and SoftwareKey Automation provides you that power.
Validation with the server allows you to securely enforce license deactivations and transfers, including remote deactivations. This can be fully automated, and your customers can use self-service features to transfer their own licenses.
License updates can be made on the server, such as a renewed subscription or upgraded license entitlements, and your software can "refresh" the license from the server to get this updated data.
If the end-user tries to block connection to the license server, your software can require a successful server validation before it is allowed to run, ensuring that you maintain the control over your software.
Learn More About License Deactivation and Validation
License Activations
Licenses can be generated and distributed in a variety of ways.
Once a license is obtained, customers can activate your software at any time, while you set the parameters around activation using the Electronic License Activation (ELA) options.
- Set rules for activation, re-activation, and license transfer
- Custom license parameters with near-limitless extensibility
- Extend an evaluation or subscription-based license for an additional period of time
- Permit access to selected modules of a modular application
- Facilitates conversion of upgrades (e.g. immediately move up to the Platinum Edition from the Gold Edition upon receipt of payment)
Whether your customers' computers are directly connected to the Internet or in very remote or disconnected environments, you can allow customers to activate software licenses however you prefer:
- Direct online activation
- Indirect activation through a nearby computer with Internet access for disconnected devices
- Offline activation through an exchange of codes for very remote/disconnected computers
- Volume license activation for mass distributing software without fingerprinting
Learn More About our Activation Solutions
Software Delivery
Distribute your software to customers online and reap the benefits that countless others have come to know. Electronic Software Delivery (ESD) is a must if your software is going to compete in the global marketplace where buyers and sellers are active 24/7/365.
ESD is available for your customers wherever they are in world, whenever they want your software.
- Limit download access to only licensed users, and log which software version is being downloaded.
- In addition to tracking End User License Agreement acceptance before allowing file downloads, limit software download access to a software maintenance subscription so that only paying customers enjoy continued access to new software versions.
- Expired maintenance customers can instantly purchase renewals to once again gain immediate access to the software updates.
Sell Online With eCommerce (Optional)
Whether you choose our integrated eCommerce solution or a third party option such as our featured partner, FastSpring, integration of our license management software is seamless. Full automation is available for license delivery of single purchases or subscription renewals with automatic billing. An on-demand (SaaS) account can be set up in minutes!
The integrated eCommerce process handles the whole process from the buy now button to order completion. It includes popular shopping cart features such as:
- Applying promotional discount codes
- Customizable look and feel
- Advertising cross-sells & up-sells
- Credit card processing
- Sending transaction receipt via email
- Customer eligibility identifier for upgrades and renewals
Learn More About our eCommerce Solutions
Subscription Management
SOLO Server Automation allows you to fully automate and manage license subscriptions for your software, including automatically recurring subscriptions.
You design the parameters of how your subscription service will function, including the length of the subscription, the terms of subscription renewals and cancellations, as well as the assignment of optional grace periods. The license server can also send automated renewal notification emails to the end-user before their subscription expires.
When a subscription expires, the end user will no longer be allowed to access your software. Alternatively, an expired subscription could simply not allow the end-user to access newer versions of your software.
Customer License Portal
The Customer License Portal reduces support requests by providing your customers with easy ways view and manage their software licenses.
Customers can log into the portal to retrieve license keys, manage their licenses, see their order history, download software updates, purchase upgrades, renew support contracts, update their contact information, and more.
The design and branding can also be customized to match your website.
Deployment and Hosting Options
Choose from either a shared or dedicated managed and hosted service, or a turnkey server that you host on your own IT infrastructure.
We hold a 99.9% uptime record since inception. The SoftwareKey System has processed millions of license activations and validations, a few per day for some customers and thousands per day for others.
Learn about SoftwareKey Managed Hosting Services
Customer Data Management and Reporting
Collect data from your potential customers before they have access to the trial version of your software. Use your existing CRM, or stay alerted and in contact using our optional trial tracking service.
Capture a valuable database of information on your customers, licenses, and sales. Accessing information about your customers becomes easier when you’re using eCommerce systems. Apply the insights gained about your most precious resource, your customers, when setting business goals.
Lots of activity is happening in the central licensing server. Real-time reports show what is going on with the server and customer licenses. Export customer and license data in PDF, Comma Separated Value (csv), and XML formats.
Additional Benefits
- Integrate with Web Services: Integrate your own eCommerce, CRM or other system with the SoftwareKey System by using the various web service interfaces available.
- Many security features to stop those attempting to guess a license key and an administrator login.