7 BIG reasons to choose License Activation Center

As we’ve already informed you on our blog, License Activation Center (LAC) can help you accelerate the growth of your company by streamlining software license creation, distribution, and activation . And today we’d like to present 7 big reasons why LAC is the best choice for ISVs that want efficiency and flexibility with their software license management. Read on…

1. No upfront investment.

LAC eliminates installation, administration, and maintenance requirements freeing up the large IT spend that normally goes with running self-hosted solutions. Instead, software vendors can focus on what they do best (develop software) and apply resources where they can improve their company’s bottom line most. And since there is no software or hardware to install, deployment time is reduced to a matter of minutes instead of several weeks or even months. Software vendors can start benefiting from on-demand license management almost immediately.

2. License management and activation anytime and anywhere.

Because LAC is delivered as SaaS and there is no software or hardware to install, deployment time is reduced to a matter of minutes instead of several weeks or even months. This allows vendors to start benefiting from license management almost immediately and at a minimal cost. And if vendors are not happy after several months of usage, they simply do not renew their subscription (that is to say if they’re not using the free version). As a cloud-based solution run from a web interface, LAC can be accessed 24/7 from any location where there is an internet connection and a web browser. As an example, see our video on activating a license using email.

3. Fits your needs today and tomorrow.

LAC’s flexibility allows software vendors to scale up or down and use more of the software as their needs evolve without adding infrastructure. Vendors can easily introduce more effective product and pricing models with a few simple clicks that also better suit the needs of their customers. LAC gives ISVs a clear idea of what their costs will be, allowing for more precise budget forecast than in case of on-premise software.

4. Simple to use.

LAC was developed to be straightforward for both software vendors and end users. Defining products, creating license orders, overall software license management, and product activation have been stripped down to a few, easy-to-follow steps anyone can understand, even without a manual.

5. Always up-to-date and upgrade free.

Software upgrades happen dynamically and transparently with no impact on IT resources. Vendors and end users are always using the most up-to-date version of the software with access to the latest innovations and features, without the headaches of manual upgrading.

6. Measure results.

LAC provides reporting capabilities that present information on exactly how many licenses were activated, for which products, and by which users. Vendors can use this information to later improve their product portfolio and open up new customer engagement opportunities.

7. Get the complete software license management solution.

Protect intellectual property and implement diverse licensing models with LM-X License Manager , create and manage license orders and activations with License Activation Center , and allow end users to monitor their license usage with License Statistics . Try LAC today and see how it can help you fully implement full automation from license order creation, to activation, to software delivery.

New License Activation Center End user Portal has just been released!

The new License Activation Center End User Portal has just been released! You can now fully enjoy its revamped interface, which will help you get where you want to go, faster!

Check out the portal’s responsive design, more intuitive way of providing your HostID information, and much more.

We’d love to hear your suggestions on what could make the End User Portal an ideal solution for online license activation.

What are we doing well? What can we do better? Help us provide the best possible service to you by.

Update: the refreshed look of License Activation Center End User Portal

We’ve been super busy in the last few weeks making the interface of License Activation Center (LAC) better to help you get where you want to go, faster. And today we’re excited to show you a glimpse of what we’ve been up to.

Responsive user interface

We have revamped the interface of the LAC End User Portal, and now it looks significantly different to what you have used so far. We hope that you will agree that it’s much more intuitive and can greatly increase your experience with LAC.

With the new, responsive design,web pagelayout adjusts itself to the size of the specific device fitting the available space (for example, a laptop computer, tablet, or smartphone).

More intuitive way of providing your HostID information

The new, improved End User Portal lets you type in the required HostID information in a more intuitive way, because you no longer have to — but still can if you decide to keep using the old portal— follow certain rules when entering the data, i.e. TYPE1=value1, TYPE2=value2 format (for example, Username=JohnSmith, Hostname=HostC). Furthermore, we’ve made it possible for you to obtain your license directly using the URL by typing in the shared link in a web browser. You can access the LAC End User Portal for a given license order directly from the vendor side of LAC.

Please note that although the new End User Portal has already been released, it will replace the existing one on August 05, 2014. Until then, the End User Portal will remain fully accessible to everyone who is in the possession of a proper link or has access to the vendor side of License Activation Center.

We are continuously improving the service, and we’ll keep you posted about any changes we introduce. Thanks for being so patient!

To find out how LAC can improve your company’s licensing strategy or to discuss LAC pricing options please.

Unleash the power of license activation with License Activation Center

Automated license activation is paramount to accelerate the growth of your company, keep up with new technologies, trends and, most importantly of all, meet your customers’ expectations. An efficient license activation solution will let you quickly and easily generate licenses and activation keys for your end users.

In this article, we’re going to take a closer look at License Activation Center (LAC) and some its features that will help you automate the entire license activation process, making license activation an extremely efficient, user-friendly, and positive experience. Read on…

How you can benefit

Designed to streamline software license creation, distribution, and activation, LAC gives end users a means to activate their own licenses without your intervention. LAC combines key success factors of license activation that you will greatly appreciate:

  1. No installation hassles or maintenance worries
  2. No need to create multiple license jobs to handle license activations and control license deployment
  3. Smart interface that can be accessed by end users 24/7 from a web browser
  4. Higher customer satisfaction
  5. Ease of use
  6. Reliability

How LAC works

LAC provides a web-based SOAP API that can be used across many programming languages and streamlines communication between LAC and other applications. The SOAP APIs are separated into the Vendor API and End-user API . The former is used for the administration of licenses, including managing customers or license orders, whereas the latter is used to enable end users to activate licenses by means of an activation key and, if relevant, HostID parameters. It’s enough to use the End-user API to activate a license.

With LAC, you can automate license activation for end users thanks to two smart solutions that can be built in the vendor’s application. One such tool, License Activator , enables license activation on Windows, letting your end users:

  1. Activate a license over the internet by entering the activation key obtained from you
  2. Browse for and use an existing license file that has already been activated
  3. Optionally (if provided by you), run the software as a trial without requiring license activation. In this case, you will see a “Run as 30-day Trial” option when you start License Activator

License Activator will also let your end users export the current computer’s HostIDs to a file.

Apart from License Activator, LAC includes a command line utility, lacutil ,thatlets you activate a license from a command line on a number of OS. You can retrieve HostIDs and send them as a part of the activation request, as well as specify proxy information.

As an ISV, you’re probably juggling many tasks, including license activation. Try LAC and get one thing off your plate. Be the true architect of your licensing strategy and unleash the power of license activation.

To find out how LAC can improve your company’s licensing strategy or to discuss LAC pricing options please .

Struggling with license activation? Do not hesitate to let X-Formation know about your experiences and hassles that prevent you from meeting your customer’s needs.

Rocket your license management to the next level with bulk licensing

Our primary mission at X-Formation is to provide our customers with the ultimate software experience, and today we’re excited to announce a new License Activation Center (LAC) feature that delivers just that: bulk licensing .

How does bulk licensing work?

If you have end users that want to install your software on multiple machines, LAC’s new bulk licensing feature is for you. Managing multiple activation keys can be a hassle for these users, but with LAC’s new bulk licensing, you can make their lives a little easier. With bulk licensing, you specify the number of activations that will be allowed for the license order using a single activation key. Your users will be happy to find that they can reuseone activation keyto activate and download their licenses ontomultiple machines.

Don’t you just love to see your users smile, sitback, and relax?

Mission accomplished: customer satisfaction

We’ve introduced bulk licensing in direct response to your own mission to expand upon the self-service features you offer your customers. Our development team is always at the helm, ready to launch new missions and explore the outer reaches of improving our products to help you reach your goals.

Pleaseshare your thoughtswith us, and join us in our mission to improve our products and support services. See LAC in action by going to our online LAC demo , and take your license management to the next level!

Keep an eye on license reactivation patterns and override ISV

Things happen. One day the operating system of your customer’s computer may change or his boss may announce that he is just about to reward his employee’s hard work with the all-new, fab laptop. While many people would probably be over the moon about getting a new, state-of-the art computer, some of them could start worrying. And these would probably be Independent Software Vendors (ISVs). Know why?

Contacting the software vendor and asking him to reactivate a license consumes the vendor’s time! And time means money, or to be more precise, wasted time means money loss. License reactivation becomes an issue when it comes to hundreds of rehosts every single month – doing it is just an arduous task for ISVs .

Is there any way out to save both the ISVs and the customer’s time and effort during license reactivation?

If the first thought that crossed your mind was “No”, you were in the wrong! The vendor can save lots of time thanks to the End User API that enables the end user’s application to connect LAC directly, without the need to involve the vendor in the meantime. End users can reactivate the license on their own if the vendor allows for this. Furthermore, thanks to LAC the software vendor gets more transparency of how often single customers ask for license reactivation. No matter what host id ISVs require end users to lock their licenses to, they can collect information about the values of particular host ids used by a customer.

Not having to contact the vendor in order to reactivate the license means keeping a firm grip on time and money. And, perhaps first of all, it means more customer satisfaction.

Get a sneak peek at the license reactivation process and download the online License Activation Center demo !

Protecting your software against piracy

Software piracy has expanded during last decade and has become a serious issue for Independent Software Vendors (ISVs). New storage techniques combined with high speed peer-to-peer networks has made illegal copying and distribution easier and more accessible than ever before.

Unauthorized software copying causes significant lost revenue for ISVs and results in higher prices for end users. According to the Business Software Alliance (BSA), “Piracy continues to rise on a global basis: the worldwide piracy rate increased from 41% in 2009 to 43% in 2010; largely a result of exponential growth in the PC and software markets in higher piracy, fast growing markets such as Brazil, India and China.”

X-Formation meets current global threats and helps you to protect your copyrighted software from being illegally duplicated and installed on unauthorized computers. X-Formation provides products that effectively protect you from illegal or unintentional license overuse:

1. LM-X License Manager . LM-X is a full-feature, easy to use license manager that’s easy to integrate with your products. LM-X secures your software, allowing you to employ various licensing methods: from standard licensing scenarios such as node-locked (stand-alone), floating (network), trial, time-limited, and perpetual licenses; to more complex solutions, such as feature-based, token-based, pay-per-use, and more.

2. License Activation Center (LAC) . LAC is an advanced, web-based license creation and distribution system that provides a centralized interface for ISVs and their customers. Software vendors enter their product and license generation details into LAC, and generate activation keys for individual licenses.

Licenses can be activated only by using a valid activation key along with hostid information as required by the vendor. The license activation process ensures the software can be accessed only for the intended user/machine, preventing applications from being installed and run on unauthorized computers. The entire activation process can be fully automated by the ISV or done by the end user online or using email.

While it may seem that software piracy is impossible to eliminate entirely, ISVs shouldn’t be passive about their response. ISVs must be proactive to protect their intellectual property and avoid falling victim to software piracy, an illegal and criminal activity. Contact us to evaluate our solutions, and see how easy and effective it is to use X-Formation products to protect your intellectual property from today’s piracy threats.