Flexera Gives Convey Computer Ease of Licensing, Protects IP

By Michelle Amodio, TMCnet Contributor

Often in technology, the term IP refers to Internet protocol. However, when you dig a little deeper into the software licensing area of technology, IP means something different entirely.

For software developers, IP means intellectual property, the bread and butter of its organization and the very thing that needs the most protection. Aside from protecting the core of any business, protecting IP is also a way of protecting a customer by being able to provide the best software solution for their needs without the worry of lack of security.

Convey Computer, a hybrid-core computing provider, realized that its IP was the hub for it as a company and for its customers. According to a recent customer case study, Convey’s solution offers the ability to run its core processes hundreds of times faster without the need of commodity servers, a solution that is based on hybrid-core servers that combine commodity x86 processors with field- programmable gate arrays (FPGAs).

What happens with the FPGAs is first configuration. This point is what Convey refers to as “personality,” meaning the part the customer pays for and can only use if it’s paid for.

By limiting the duration of such a license, Convey can safely enable a trial period in lieu of a whole license while safeguarding its IP. Flexera Software’s FlexNet Publisher licensing technology gave Convey the ability to ship a single, complete version of its hybrid-core system and associated SDK to all customers selectively enabling/disabling features for both the initial trial and any new requirements.

“We deliver a complete solution that essentially empowers developers to create application-specific processors in their servers which will run their applications at unprecedented levels of performance,” said Bob Masson, Convey’s marketing director. “It’s an incredibly powerful model that revolves entirely around our differentiated IP.”

The legal aspects of selling software are, for the most part, pretty vague for most developers. The purpose of a license is to protect intellectual property (IP) and copyright. While the intent may be to allow a client to modify the source code provided to fit their needs, it does not necessarily mean they can sell it or include it in their solutions.

Flexera Software helped Convey Computer not only help their customer base by ensuring proper compensation, but it eliminated the red tape and opaque processes that come with licensing mechanisms.

“There is absolutely no reason to build your own licensing mechanisms when Flexera Software offers everything you need to protect your IP and fulfill your customer’s needs in today’s complex, relentlessly evolving technology markets,” said Masson.

The bonus was that many of Convey’s customers were already familiar with Flexera Software.

“Because Flexera Software’s licensing mechanisms are very transparent to our customers, we don’t have to ask our customers to learn or do something new,” Masson noted.

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