BVSTools is Now Offering Subscription Licensing

For years BVSTools has offered the same simple pricing method.  But, now it's time for a change... for the better!

In the coming weeks we will be updating our software to allow a subscription or Software as a Service (SaaS) "like" licensing structure. 

We say SaaS "like" because, of course, you will still download and install our software on your IBM hardware.  But, the licenses will now be based on the number of days that you purchase license keys for.

This means that if you need software for a short period, a project that may take a few months, High Availability or Disaster Recovery testing or implementation, or you simply need the software to be active all the time you now have that option.

You probably have some questions, so here are some that we've already received:

Why is BVSTools Making This Licensing Change?

We are making this change to provide better service to the IBM i community.  

We are often asked if license keys can be purchased for shorter periods for one-time projects or projects that will only last a short time.  Because previously our keys were permanent for the partition they were bought for, that means that we had to work out a specific deal for each specific case.

With this new licensing structure now you are in control of how long you will be running the software and receiving support for the product, and only paying for that specific time frame.  Those customers that replace their hardware every couple of years will be paying the same rate as those that replace or upgrade their hardware every 5, 8 or 10 years.

Finally, with the implementation of cloud based IBM i hardware offerings, licensing information such as partition id, serial number and model number can change at any time.  With this subscription service if you still have time left on your subscription and are moving to new hardware or a new partition (even with a cloud provider) the license key can follow you wherever you go as long as the old partition(s) will be decommissioned.

What Happens If I Already Have License Keys for My Existing Hardware?

Nothing.  Your current license keys are still valid.

If you do choose to upgrade software to a version that uses the new subscription based system, we will issue a new key for you at no charge for any partitions you already have licensed.  Because the new keys are based on dates, we simply make these keys good for over 200 years.  That should be long enough, right?

In other words, current licenses will still be honored as if nothing has changed.

What Happens When We Replace our IBM i Hardware or Want to Run the Software on a New Partition?

When the time comes for you to replace your hardware or add a new partition and you wish to continue running BVSTools software, we will ask that you download and install the latest versions from our website.

Upgrading versions to the latest will also allow us to provide better support and you will get to take advantage of all the features added to the newest versions.

Once the latest version is installed, we can put a quote or invoice together for the new subscription based license key using the start date and the duration of the license.  

We still will require the data from the Display Machine Information (DSPMCHINF) command to generate the license key(s).

Are Temporary License Keys Still Available?

Yes, we will still make temporary keys available on our website for software evaluation and emergencies, but the time length of these will be reduced to 10 days or less.  

If you require licenses for testing, development, etc, you can purchase license keys for the length of time required. 

Still Have Questions?

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask.  You can do so by simply replying to this email.

Bradley V. Stone
www.bvstools.com