Microsoft SLP Services to Streamline Software Development and Sales for ISVs An interview with Thomas  Lindeman, Group Product Manager, Microsoft
Microsoft’s new suite of products called Software Licensing and Protection Services (SLP Services) will become available in the October timeframe. The products comprise a set of tools designed to help developers — from ISVs selling software to those working on internal line-of-business applications — protect their intellectual property (IP), easily and flexibly create and license product versions, track product and feature usage, and integrate into backend business processes.
Heading the group is Thomas Lindeman. Lindeman’s earlier work in the field of IP protection began with eBooks. He has worked on Rights Management Services for protection and usage control of documents and e-mail, as well as new Microsoft technologies used for product activation. The group he now leads is focused on providing similar kinds of technology and business models to external ISVs.
What is the technology you are recently announced?
Lindeman: In January we acquired a company called Secured Dimensions that had unique .NET protection technology along with a licensing server and hosted online service. Since the acquisition, we have worked to solidify the offerings and add additional features to increase the value the product will offer to the industry. The result is three core offerings to help third-party ISVs control and manage their intellectual property, as well as manage sales and licensing processes.
The first is the Code Protector SDK. This is a software development toolkit with an intuitive user interface, application programming interfaces (APIs) and code samples, which will be available at no charge from the Microsoft Download Center. A version of it will also be included in the next version of Visual Studio, code-named “Orcas.”
This toolkit is specifically designed to help protect and fully transform managed code or .NET code. Full code transformation for Win32, or native code, is on our product roadmap and will be coming soon, but licensing and activation of native code applications will be available with our first release. The Code Protector SDK also allows developers to easily mark features as “licensable entities” that can later be controlled through various kinds of digital licenses, as well as providing client-side protection of those licenses.
Next we have a server product, the Software Licensing and Protection Server, in standard and enterprise editions. These allow the ISV to host their own servers, create licenses for their products and offer them in very flexible scenarios, either directly or through partners. SLP Services enables simple creation of machine-based licenses, time-based licenses for subscription models and trials, user-based licenses for roaming, as well as feature-based licenses — supporting a wide range of business models.
The third major feature is the SLP Online Service. This option allows partners to do all of their license management without hosting their own servers. We have three different levels of service available on a yearly subscription basis. Starting in October, all MSDN Premium subscription members will get a free subscription to the SLP Online Service Basic edition.
How does the code protection feature work?
Lindeman: The product is using a concept called “transformation,” which is different from encryption or simple obfuscation. SPL Services creates what is called a “private permutation” for each company, which is then downloaded and used with the Code Protector SDK. The code to be protected is recompiled against this permutation algorithm, turning it into something called Secure Virtual Machine Language.
At this point a piece of code called a Secure Virtual Machine (SVM) now resides inside the application, and it translates between the “transformed” code and code that is readable and executable. So it’s a strong, one-way transformation. You’re turning it into a representation of the machine language, and then putting that secure virtual machine back inside the application. This enhances the protection of the code.
As far as licensing enforcement, sometimes we call it “positive control,” which means that what you intend your end users to do is all they can do, and the SVM handles this protection and management as well. So there is a client-side license enforcement process that makes it down to the end user, and then the licensing component of the code protection software looks at that license and controls the application in whatever way the license states. It basically enforces the license’s rules.
How does the product support licensing and sales processes?
Lindeman: Another main feature that Code Protector SDK with SVM performs is to allow the ISV to mark different functions and features as licensable and monitorable entities. That means when the ISV’s business or product-marketing group wants to create digital licenses for certain feature bundles, or SKUs, they can easily turn on and off those features that were marked as protected and deliver only the desired functionality to the end-user.
They can also gather the monitoring data, which can be used for things like billing, such as utility based billing at the end of the month, or to create statistics on what usage has happened within the application for future product planning. Application monitoring is an optional feature, and we expect the ISV to allow the end-user to opt in to such a process.
An important point here is that the code is separated from the digital licenses that control it, and they do not need to be created or finished at the same time in the product cycle. This enables what we call “SKU agility” — the ability to fine tune software offerings even after the product has been shipped.
If it’s five or six months after the ISV shipped the product, and it turns out that the Brazilian market, for example, really wants a package that has certain features, they can generate new licenses for that new SKU on demand. They don’t have to go back to their development team and say we need a new SKU or new build — basically a new product. All they need to do is create a new digital license and make it available, and it will unlock and enforce those features. So with this, the ISV can flexibly distribute and license applications any way they want to, even after the product has been released, depending on their business model.
Additionally, it is possible using our API and documentation to tie SLP Services into an existing back-end billing system or customer relationship management system. In the future, we plan have tighter CRM integration, and allow ISV business partners to perform these functions as well, further streamlining end-to-end customer relationship scenarios.
What kind of business value can a system like this bring to ISVs?
Lindeman: The flexibility to create new products without having developers recompile and reship code is huge. With this product, you can take care of that at a licensing level, and it’s done in seconds. Your developers can focus on the next version. So it saves a lot of time and hassle, and we’ve heard from customers that they want to be able to do exactly that.
Another benefit is tied to that — being able to target customers in a direct way, where you’re giving them exactly what they need and only what they need. You can think of a utility-based model where they’re only using the features or functions or amount of time that they want, and you can bill them after the fact. Customers could pick and choose a certain number features that they want to use, get a use license, and only pay for those features.
As far as lowering costs on a back-end basis, if you have this tied into your CRM or billing system, you have to do less manual processing than you might normally. When an order comes in, you can set it up so that a license is automatically generated, or so that it comes out of a pool that’s already been pre-generated, and is then delivered to that partner or customer. It’s traditionally been difficult to integrate a licensing system into all of these back-end processes, so we’re trying to make that very easy.
In October 2006, Microsoft announced the Software Protection Platform. How is that technology platform different than what you recently announced?
Lindeman: The Software Protection Platform (SPP) is the set of anti-piracy technologies that Microsoft is using internally and it is built into Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008. Today these two platforms (SPP and SLPS) are separate technologies and we do not have current plans to make SPP an ISV offering.
What resources are you making available to help partners understand SLP Services?
Lindeman: We have a new web site for information called www.softwarepotential.com. The site provides information, training materials and other resources that partners can check out throughout the summer in preparation for our launch in early October. Interested parties can sign up for a newsletter and be notified when new training or education materials become available in the coming months. We also have a Technical Adoption Program that allows certain companies early access to SLP Services, and are putting together an evaluation so companies can try things out before October.
Over the course of the summer there will be various materials and seminars for partners, resellers and Microsoft sales personnel to learn about the technology and enable them to talk about SLP Services in a very clear way to their customers. SLP Online Service will be sold directly through partners that are specially trained and have an agreement with Microsoft, and the enterprise and standard SLP Server products will be on the Volume Licensing price list in October.
Contact www.softwarepotential.com
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Bluewolf Joins Google Enterprise Professional Program to Implement On-Demand Software for Enterprise Customers
Bluewolf, a leading on-demand software consulting firm, has joined the Google Enterprise Professional program to help organizations more efficiently and effectively implement and deploy Google Apps. Bluewolf has extensive experience with on-demand applications from implementing Software as a Service (SaaS) solutions for more than 1,000 Salesforce.com customers.
Called the Bluewolf Enterprise BluePrint for Google Apps, the Bluewolf solution provides businesses with planning, configuration, integration, migration and change management tools for Google Apps. Targeting innovative mid-size and enterprise organization, Bluewolf will leverage its expertise in SaaS, garnered from its work as a Salesforce.com implementation partner since 1999, to implement and deploy Google Apps.
"As organizations look to integrate SaaS into the way they do business, Google Apps enables them to take advantage of on-demand applications," said Eric Berridge, Co-founder and Principal, Bluewolf. "For those organizations looking to transition to Google Apps or use it to complement their existing messaging and collaboration infrastructure, we can ensure that it is implemented effectively through our unique approach to change management."
Google Apps brings simple, powerful communication and collaboration tools to organizations. With Google Apps, users can use tools such as Gmail webmail services, Google Calendar shared calendaring, and Google Docs & Spreadsheets™ on their own domain to work together more effectively. Best of all, it's all hosted by Google, so there's no hardware or software to download, install or maintain.
“We empower business users through our Total User Adoption training, focused on change management -- not on technology -- to facilitate the use of Google Apps throughout an organization," said Glen Stoffel, VP Business Development, Bluewolf. "And, because we can guarantee customer success based on our years of experience with SaaS implementations, we feel we are an ideal partner for Google Enterprise.”
"We selected Bluewolf as a Google Enterprise Professional partner because of its extensive experience with implementing on-demand applications," said Scott McMullan, Google Apps Partner Lead, Google Enterprise. "We're looking forward to Bluewolf extending and integrating Google Apps by providing deployment and development expertise."
Contact www.google.com/enterprise/gep
Contact www.bluewolf.com
Cincom Systems Wins 2007 ReBrand 100 Award
Cincom Systems, worldwide software and IT solutions provider, was named one of the world's best rebrands in the third annual ReBrand 100 Global Awards, which recognizes the world's most effective brand transformations. Cincom's rebrand, receiving a notable distinction, encompassed all aspects of its corporate identity, communications and product offerings.
The ReBrand 100 Global Awards, judged by an esteemed panel of international business leaders, is the highest recognition for brand rebuilding and redesign in the business arena.
This year's judges include Helen Stringer, design director, Procter & Gamble; Chris Campbell, executive creative director, Interbrand; and Richard Wergan, director, Worldwide Brand at Xerox Corporation. Past judges include Steve Frykholm, VP and Creative Director, Herman Miller; Bill Hill, chairman and founder, MetaDesign; and Lorrie Copeland, general manager, Hasbro Playskool Brands. SwissLife, Unilever, and Virgin Atlantic are former winners.
The panel reviewed the "before" and "after" scenarios of each brand transformation. Eligible projects include rebranded products, services, companies, non-profit organizations, individuals, cities, buildings, and interior environments launched anywhere in the world between January 2004 and September 2006. Winning rebrands range from a single brand component such as a website or packaging, to enterprise-wide initiatives.
Cincom delivers and supports innovative software and solutions to simplify complex business processes.
Contact www.cincom.com
Ontario Systems Partners with BlueLock Platform to Deliver Products in Software-as-a-Service Model
Ontario Systems, a developer of debt collection software solutions, is offering products via a software-as-a-service model through its new partnership with BlueLock, which delivers hosted computing environments through an Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) model. This partnership will allow Ontario Systems to offer its telephony products to more than 500 client offices with the option to utilize BlueLock’s SAS 70 certified data center and hosted platform.
“The receivables management industry faces increased competition, ever-shrinking margins and must maintain high-productivity with nearly constant up-time to be profitable,” said Jason Harrington, director of product development at Ontario Systems. “By partnering with BlueLock, we can offer our clients a fiscally sound, secure and constantly available solution. We will focus on providing strategic receivables management solutions and have partnered with a world-class organization in BlueLock who focuses on what they do well – infrastructure.”
By partnering with BlueLock, Ontario Systems can offer an alternative deployment option for clients using the same industry leading telephony products. Clients will no longer have to maintain hardware on site. Maintenance and complex infrastructure issues such as scale, security and support will be handled by the experts at BlueLock. However, clients can still take full advantage of the integrated solution that they are accustomed to having from Ontario Systems.
Clients will have the ability to access Ontario Systems’ proprietary predictive dialer system, through a single, secure hosted platform. BlueLock provides the necessary scale, security and support to ensure Ontario Systems’ clients that their telephony products run efficiently 24/7/365.
Contact www.bluelock.com
Contact www.ontariosystems.com
The TAS Group Launches Dealmaker QuickStart for Oracle's Siebel CRM
The TAS Grouphas released Dealmaker QuickStart for Siebel CRM (QSS), a software toolkit to accelerate the integration of Dealmaker with Oracle's Siebel CRM.
Dealmaker is an intelligent sales effectiveness software application that enables full integration of the The TAS Group's sales methodology with the world's leading CRM systems.
QSS is a software toolkit to accelerate the integration of Dealmaker with Siebel CRM. Using the prepackaged integration utilities, organizations that use Siebel CRM can now easily set up Dealmaker and quickly configure the technical conversation between Dealmaker and Siebel to deploy a sales effectiveness application that is both fast and secure.
With Dealmaker quickly integrated with Siebel, sale organizations can expect sales revenue to increase through built-in sales methodologies from The TAS Group. That's because Dealmaker's quick response time and easy-to-use interface encourages sales people to employ the system, thus increasing the CRM adoption rate.
According to the TAS Index Global Sales Effectiveness Benchmark Study - a study that compiled the experiences of over 1250 participants from around the world -- companies that implement a sales methodology with a defined sales process and integrate both into their CRM system see an 89% increase in sales quota achievement and an improvement in CRM adoption of 42%.
QSS is available immediately beginning at $25,000.
Contact www.thetasgroup.com
Talend Secures $3.5 Million in Second-Round Funding
Talend, a provider of open source data integration software, today announced it has secured $3.5 million in Series B financing. The funding round, contributed by AGF Private Equity and Galileo Partners, Talend’s historical financial partners, will help Talend expand its technical and market lead in the open source data integration market by continuing to fuel additional product development, aggressive sales and marketing programs, and a global expansion of operations.
“We have been impressed by the massive deployment of Talend, and the leading position it has achieved so quickly in the U.S. market,” said Jean-François Galloüin, partner with AGF Private Equity. “As a result, we are happy to renew our trust in the team and expand our support. Open source offerings are clearly proving to be a genuine alternative in the software industry, and Talend is in a leading position for continued growth.”
During the first half of 2007, Talend experienced remarkable growth as evidenced by key financial and operational highlights, including:
- Secured a total of $7 million in financial backing
- Launched U.S. operations; established a U.S. headquarters in Palo Alto, Calif.
- Met forecast number of 100,000 downloads by the end of second quarter
- Bolstered leadership team with the appointment of seasoned executives to the positions of vice president of worldwide marketing, general manager U.S., general manager EMEA and chief financial officer
- Aggressively expanded partnership portfolio through strategic agreements with leading technology companies that include Dataupia, JasperSoft, MicroStrategy, MySQL, SpagoBI or Vertica; and system integrators that include Bull, Cap Gemini, ClearViews, IDB Consulting or Unisys
- Met increased demand for solution support by signing on new distribution and training partners in the U.S., Europe and Latin America including ASPE Tech and Etica Software
- Became the first among competitive offerings to deliver its solution through the software-as-a-service (SaaS) model
- Added new global customers including the Spanish power company, ENDESA, Sony, HSBC, University of Toulouse and the French Railway company SNCF
- Co-founded the Open Solutions Alliance (OSA) to promote the adoption of open source technologies
- Opened a second development office in Shenzhen, China
Contact www.talend.com
Lingoport Releases Enhanced Globalyzer for Faster Globalization of Software
Lingoport, Inc., has released Globalyzer 2.4 to help companies more quickly and accurately make their software world-ready for international markets.
Lingoport developed a new detection engine for Globalyzer 2.4 that helps find embedded HTML strings with greater accuracy and speed. This is significant because embedded strings will inhibit localization or translation of software. Globalyzer 2.4 reduces false positives (irrelevant issues), works through large amounts of source code faster, and eases testing burdens. The new HTML detection engine works on all forms of HTML, including JSP, ASP and ASPX. Its pseudo-localization function, PseudoJudo™, allows for testing without waiting for translation. Testers do not need to speak the target language.
“At Lingoport, considerable attention goes into regularly adjusting Globalyzer’s balance on detection and filtering of internationalization issues,” said Adam Asnes, Lingoport’s CEO. “Globalyzer 2.4 is the outcome of an ongoing cycle of feedback involving development on millions of lines of code over geographically dispersed teams between our development labs and our clients. Lingoport has adapted an entirely new approach to parsing HTML that results in higher project accuracy, faster scanning and less clean up needed in testing. Our goal is to help companies increase revenues by internationalizing their software quickly for sale and implementation in the world market.”
Contact www.lingoport.com
Xandros Acquires Scalix
Xandros, a provider of intuitive end-to-end Linux solutions and cross platform management tools, has acquired Scalix, a maker of Linux e-mail, calendaring and messaging company. The acquisition represents another step in the fulfillment of Xandros' strategic vision for developing a complete Linux stack, including desktop, SMB and advanced enterprise servers, cross-platform management tools, and mission-critical IT infrastructure applications, such as e-mail, in order to provide organizations and enterprises of all sizes with single vendor support of their diverse and growing IT infrastructures.
Scalix will continue to operate independently, as a wholly owned subsidiary of Xandros. As part of the larger Xandros company, Scalix will be able to leverage Xandros’ resources, and technologies beyond the e-mail server level, which have proven interoperability, cross-platform management, and advanced deployment capabilities that do not require Linux skills within the enterprise. Scalix can also capitalize on OS-level know-how and technologies as part of Xandros, in a way that an email-only company cannot do, in order to extend its e-mail product capabilities and deliver unique feature/function advantages. As a result, Scalix will provide scalable mission critical e-mail and collaboration solutions with global 24/7 support that can be easily deployed and administered on Red Hat, Novell, Xandros, and other Linux platforms by Windows network administrators with no prior Linux experience.
Contact www.xandros.com
Contact www.scalix.com
Esker Extends SaaS Offering with New Mail Services for SAP Applications
Esker has released the Esker Mail Services for SAP applications, a new SaaS (Software as a Service) solution for the enterprise. The SAP-certified service allows any organization to send business critical documents such as invoices, purchase orders and confirmation statements via postal mail directly from its SAP system using the Esker on Demand mail facility. As with all SaaS offerings, Mail Services for SAP applications requires no additional investment in software, hardware or mailroom equipment. With seamless integration into SAP systems and no minimum volume requirement, it represents a real solution for sending postal mail in real time, allowing faster communication with customers and suppliers.
Mail Services for SAP applications is part of the growing family of Esker on Demand document automations services. Three million documents per month are processed in Esker on Demand production facilities worldwide for more than 1,000 organizations. The Esker on Demand network is scalable, robust and built on more than 15 years of Esker experience in document process automation.
The service is available as a pay-as-you-go model without minimum volume requirements. And with a starting price at $250 per month, Mail Services for SAP applications offers customers a predictable and affordable approach to sending mail.
Contact www.esker.com
CDC Software acquires Leading Australian Business Intelligence Services Company
CDC Software, a wholly owned subsidiary of CDC Corporation and a provider of industry-specific enterprise software applications and business services, has aquired PlanTec Limited, a leading provider of business intelligence services and information technology consulting services.
The acquisition provides a strategic fit into Praxa Australia, CDC Software's consulting services company in Australia, and significantly strengthens CDC Software’s position in the Business Intelligence and Services market in the region.
PlanTec brings strong synergies in vendor skill sets and customers to Praxa. PlanTec has market-leading clients that include current projects with Ergon/Energex, Transpacific Industries, UNiTAB, and Sydney Water, which will bolster Praxa’s enterprise, state and federal government installed base nationally.
Founded in 2003, PlanTec is a rapidly growing company in Queensland that specializes in providing Business Intelligence solutions to Health, Retail, Commercial, Telecommunications, Waste and Utilities, and also State and Federal Governments. With more than 30 employees in Brisbane and Sydney, PlanTec has strong partnerships with a wide range of major vendors, including an exclusive partnership with Mincom in Queensland. PlanTec specializes in developing Business Intelligence (BI), Enterprise Document and Content Management solutions (ECM) and integrating mobility solutions systems.
Contact www.cdcsoftware.com
Micro Focus Launches SOA Express
Micro Focus, a provider of enterprise application management and modernization solutions, has unveiled the latest in its mainframe modernization solutions with the launch of Micro Focus SOA Express. The new solution provides customers with a high-performing business tool for mainframe-based applications and offers a seamless and open approach to Service Oriented Architecture.
SOA Express enables customers to rapidly build and deploy new 'services' by modernizing core business applications using proven methodology and standards-based technology. Enterprise systems need to evolve at increasing pace to meet business demands, such as regulatory compliance, aligning IT and business after M&A activity, or improving time to market of new products and services. With Micro Focus SOA Express, customers are able to respond to market conditions and opportunities more efficiently, without the need to overhaul existing IT infrastructure or retrain existing staff.
Stuart McGill, Chief Technology Officer, Micro Focus, said: "SOA Express truly enables CIOs and IT directors to fully exploit their existing enterprise architecture, providing a platform for delivery of competitive advantage by exploiting the benefits of SOA. Everything is delivered in a predictable and repeatable fashion with a fast and low-risk option to extend legacy business applications from the mainframe to Web Services."
SOA Express dramatically reduces the risks associated with moving to SOA, by ensuring that new services do not impact the existing architecture or applications, retaining historical investments and intellectual property. In addition, the new solution allows existing application experts to focus on business priorities rather than building IT infrastructure, so the associated costs are also dramatically reduced.
Hal Peters, President, Pinebrook Consulting Inc. said: "For our large financial clients, adapting their core mission-critical mainframe systems to new business requirements is a crucial challenge for IT. With SOA Express we can leave what's already running unchanged and exploit legacy interfaces to build services from existing systems to meet new business requests faster and more effectively."
Contact www.microfocus.com
Cloud9 Analytics Closes $5 Million in Funding
Cloud9 Analytics, provider of on-demand analytic applications for Salesforce.com customers, has closed a $5 million round of Series A funding. InterWest Partners led the round, with participation from Leapfrog Ventures.
The financing will enable the company to bring to market a family of on-demand applications in the burgeoning Sales Performance Management (SPM) category. With Cloud9, sales teams learn from the past and predict the future to accelerate sales cycles, uncover new revenue opportunities, promote team selling, and improve revenue predictability – all without IT involvement.
Contact www.cloud9analytics.com
DreamFactory Announces Free Tools for Next-Generation SaaS Platforms
DreamFactory, a pioneer in providing the next generation of advanced Internet applications and development tools, today announced the new DreamFactory Developer Portal. Leading Software as a Service (SaaS) platforms like Salesforce AppExchange, WebEx Connect, Amazon S3 and Oracle On-Demand are exploding in the market place. Developers and partners building sophisticated business Web applications that support these leading platforms require a new set of advanced development tools and standards that go beyond traditional programming methods such as AJAX.
DreamFactory is a first mover in tools and software titles for next-generation platforms. This new initiative has the potential to fuel explosive growth in the SaaS title publication arena by enabling both small and large development teams to rapidly introduce robust products to market that are native to leading next-generation platforms. The DreamFactory Developer Portal is a free integrated development space allowing developers to quickly build and deploy end-to-end Web applications while fully extending and containing the native on-demand ecosystems for Salesforce AppExchange, WebEx Connect and Amazon S3.
"We see the Developer Portal as a collective community which will enhance the customer value chain as well as provide a way for developers and partners to build monetizable business applications," said Ken Neff, Vice President of Products and Services. "Our developer tools and resources will help developers publish great applications faster and in less time."
DreamFactory provides virtual "workspace", tools, training, resources and community that developers need to build, test, share, publish and enhance the next generation of SaaS titles without ever leaving the browser. DreamFactory is also part of the WebEx Connect Developer Network and the Salesforce Developer Community.
Contact www.dreamfactory.org
Electric Cloud Offers Build and Release Solution
Electric Cloud, a leading provider of software production management solutions, is offering analytics for software build and release management. Software development teams -- whether enterprise IT or those creating commercial software -- can now use Electric Cloud's technology to gain real-time summary and detailed information about the critical back-end phase of the application development lifecycle.
The software build and release process is the first time the various components of an application are integrated into working software. Because it is such a vital step in the application lifecycle, it can represent the "heartbeat" of software development. When the builds are healthy, the project is healthy. Intelligence and visibility into these processes enable teams to uncover problems early, keep the project on time, on budget, and meeting increasingly stringent quality requirements.
"The best indicator of software development success is working code," said Mike Maciag, Electric Cloud CEO. "The build-and-release process is where all the pieces come together -- or not -- and thus it becomes the definitive measure of a project's overall health. Electric Cloud's new analytics provide unprecedented visibility into build-and-release activity, giving managers the confidence to commit to delivery dates, make informed decisions, and ultimately create better software."
Contact www.electric-cloud.com |
