FlexNet Manager and FlexNet Publisher deliver granular usage data facilitating flexible software monetization models

Schaumburg, IL & Maidenhead, UK - March 13, 2012 - Flexera Software, the leading provider of strategic solutions for Application Usage Management for application producers and enterprises, today announced that a leading solution provider in virtual prototyping for manufacturing industries, ESI Group, has purchased FlexNet Manager for Engineering Applications. Implementing the solution will enable ESI to offer flexible, usage-based licensing models to customers that are using ESI’s “FlexEnabled” applications (i.e. applications utilizing FlexNet Publisher licensing).

Most frequently purchased by enterprises as an Enterprise License Optimization solution, FlexNet Manager for Engineering Applications (“FlexNet Manager”), enables enterprises to produce detailed usage reports of FlexEnabled applications for license optimization and compliance purposes.  ESI, like the 3000+ software vendors who produce FlexEnabled applications, can also leverage FlexNet Manager’s detailed reports to offer pay-for-use licensing models.

Manufacturers across the automotive, aerospace, heavy industry, energy, electronics, defense and consumer goods industries, use ESI’s applications to simulate product development lifecycles – from design to manufacture through to testing the limits of product performance – eliminating the need for physical testing, accelerating innovation and automating best practice. For instance, a number of car and aeroplane manufacturers today use ESI software for crash simulation as well as component safety, compliance and behavioral testing.

Often manufacturers selectively use features within ESI’s application to test products at different stages in the overall engineering and manufacturing process. FlexNet Manager allows ESI to offer new monetization models enabling payment for customer usage of these individual application features. ESI uses both pre-paid and post-paid payment methods for the use of these key features within the application. In doing so, it meets customers’ need for flexible licensing and pricing while creating new revenue streams for its application. 

ESI’s applications embed FlexNet Publisher licensing technology, which automatically tracks usage data for specific features.  FlexNet Manager then collects this data and provides detailed reporting on actual usage. This information is used by ESI to generate invoices for use of specific features by the customer at the end of an agreed fixed period.

ESI chose FlexNet Manager based on its proven track record, functionality that is designed to manage usage data of FlexEnabled applications and a well charted product development roadmap.

Hervé Charlier, Technical Director, ESI Group, elaborates, “To remain competitive, it is important that we follow the market trend of offering flexible and customized software package and pricing options to our customers. Integrating a third party solution from market-leader, Flexera Software, will allow us to do this without distracting us from our core activity of developing cutting-edge applications for our markets. Flexera Software’s focus on license management and continual enhancements help ensure that we remain at the cutting edge of licensing and that our investment is future-proof.”

Vincent Smyth, General Manager, Flexera Software EMEA, adds, “The massive changes in the software industry as customers demand different pricing and monetization models, such as pay for use, underscore the growing complexity of software licensing.  Software vendors increasingly are looking to Flexera Software for turnkey licensing and entitlement solutions that allow them to keep up with industry demands without diverting focus from their core competencies.”