 Passive Activation
.. or How to make Human Nature work for you instead of against you
Everyone knows about software activation. Any licensing system that does not activate the software using a remote server can be defeated relatively easy – which is why activation has become common. The most common activation scenario you see is explicit – the user enters a license key and is prompted to activate their software, in some cases after a trial period.
This kind of activation system is very secure, but is in its way inflexible. Licensing without an Internet connection is tricky, and if there is a connectivity or server problem, your customers can get frustrated due to their inability to activate the software.
While the Desaware Licensing system supports both no-activation, and explicit activation scenarios, our default model is a passive activation scenario. The idea is quite simple – the customer enters their license key and is given a provisional license. Every time the software runs, it tries to activate the license in the background.
From a security perspective, there are obvious flaws to this approach: customers can avoid activation by disconnecting from the network, or they can extend demo periods by setting their system clock back.
But from a human nature perspective, passive activation is very effective. That’s because disconnecting from the network and setting system clocks back is annoying – more annoying than any nag screen. Sooner or later chances are good that the customer will slip up and the license gets activated – at which point you can decide what you would like to do if their license is invalid.
While the actual results will depend greatly on the type of software you are selling and target audience, in many cases any lost sales due to avoiding activation will very likely be offset by the positive experience – you won’t see any negative feedback (say, on forums) related to licensing errors or failures to activate your software.
Regardless of your choice of activation scenario, the Desaware Licensing system can implement it to suit your exact needs.
Buy the Desaware Licensing System for $1495 (includes one client and one server license) |
