Embracing the “Death-Spiral”

We often find software customers in a ever increasing “death-spiral” relative to protecting their intellectual property.  To afraid to make change, and ever more complacent with continuous loss of revenue.

This is especially true when talking about your software license security model that has been in place for years, and an entire process of customer support and service centered around that legacy security model.  This is understandable, but not a valid reason to do nothing.

However, as time moves forward, technology changes occur, methods and techniques improve, and continuing to provide a “n+1” style of product development and customer service further tightens and accelerates your “death-spiral” over time.  This is why you need to have control over your products, customers and technology.

Avoiding the “Death-Spiral”

Sometimes you just have to do something completely different.  This is of course much easier said than done, but it is inevitable.  Being stuck in an “n+1” generational improvement model limits creativity and your ability to implement new technology and ways of conducting business. Asa result, it is getting harder and harder to satisfy customer requirements for license flexibility when you are constrained by your license approach.

The trick is to leap-frog your customer requirements (make it so easy you set a new standard), and your competition, while reducing your support and development costs and improving margin.  It starts with the first thing they interact with – your licensing interface.

“A good piece of technology dreams of the day when it will be replaced by a newer piece of technology.  This is one definition of progress.”
- Douglas Coupland