6 years ago
Embedded Software vs. Embedded System: Let’s Be Specific
Although embedded systems and embedded software are not new kids on the block, rapid growth in the Internet of Things has recently brought them into the spotlight. If your business has set its products on the path to IoT monetization, these are two terms well worth knowing.
6 years ago
If “Every Business Will be a Software Business”, What Does that Mean to Me?
Every business will be a software business. That’s what Microsoft CEO, Satya Nadella famously said in 2015, but he wasn’t the first. In fact it’s an idea and phrase that has now become so pervasive among the “technorati” that actually digging into it and fully understanding its meaning for the average business may sometimes become overlooked.
6 years ago
Monetizing Innovation: How Smart Companies Design the Product Around the Price
LicensingLive, the only event dedicated to software monetization strategies for ISVs and hardware manufacturers, is right around the corner. The theme of this year’s event is next-generation monetization strategies for embracing the NOW economy. One presentation I’m particularly looking forward to is by leading pricing and monetization expert Madhavan Ramanujam of Simon-Kucher & Partners.
7 years ago
Scanning for Profit: A Shift in the Medical Equipment Market
In my role as Strategic Analysis Manager of the Software Monetization division at Gemalto, I lead in-depth strategic market analysis, evaluate worldwide technology trends, and understand the competitive market to support new strategic leads and business opportunities. Recently, I had the pleasure of talking with Kathleen Goolsby, Managing Editor at SandHill.com, about the mind shift that’s taking place in the medical equipment sector.
7 years ago
Value Creation & IoT Monetization (Part 2)
My previous article on monetizing IoT spoke about some of the key drivers of that space, the 10 main IoT areas, the importance of ecosystems, and other major considerations. In this follow-up article, I’ll focus on the 4 Values Framework that we’ve used to help several of our clients – both large, established companies and emerging startups – define their IoT strategies.
7 years ago
Get Connected to Profit: Embracing Software Propels Growth in IoT Era
I recently published a whitepaper about software as a key enabler of improved business processes and increased customer satisfaction.
Software is not a new concept in embedded and hardware products. For years, devices have become increasingly intelligent, more programmable and more connected. What has changed today is that the trickle of product evolution has become a deluge of business revolution. Market-leading hardware manufacturers who have transformed into software businesses are finding the most success for themselves, while also driving success for their customers. As examples, General Electric has pivoted its business to the Industrial Internet, while Rockwell Automation has firmly positioned itself as the Connected Enterprise company. Cisco Systems’ Cisco ONE software program marks a decisive shift in how its portfolio is packaged and monetized.
7 years ago
Transforming from a Medical Device Manufacturer to a SaaS Provider
Trends in the healthcare market are placing unprecedented value on the software that lies at the heart of today’s intelligent medical devices. This puts manufacturers under enormous pressure to innovate not only the types of products they build, but also how they go to market. At LicensingLive! 2015, I spoke at length about the licensing issues facing one of the world’s leading medical technology companies, Stryker Corporation, and how it has risen to the challenge.
8 years ago
Getting On-Board with the IoT
Twenty years ago, the idea of intelligent machines that could communicate with one another wirelessly might’ve seemed like something out of a dystopian sci-fi novel. I suppose all disruptive technologies do before their time. But there’s nothing far-fetched about the Internet of Things (IoT) and its web of interconnected, software-driven devices. Chances are it’s already a part of your everyday life.
8 years ago
The Internet of Things – Don’t Forget About the Basics
I recently joined SafeNet to lead the Product Marketing for the Software Monetization business unit. Many years prior to joining the SM unit, at the beginning of my career in hi tech, I worked on a product called the iPhone – yes, the iPhone. It wasn’t the iPhone of today but it was branded the iPhone and it was just as cool as Apple’s iPhone. I guess you can even say it was a pre-cursor to the iPhone of today; the InfoGear iPhone was a regular desktop telephone jazzed up with a touch screen, keyboard and happened to connect to the internet with the touch of a button. Pretty novel in those days.
8 years ago
Who’s The Winner – Simple or Flexible License Models?
Simple were the days when only perpetual licenses were sold, and each ISV decided on one locking criteria to build their price model around – like CPUs, cores or dongles. Add floating/concurrent licenses, and a volume discount plan, and you had a price list that was pretty straightforward. It was straightforward for customers, sales reps, customer services, configuration management, etc. Those days are long gone it seems; ISVs need to offer an ever-growing variety of software licensing models to keep up with customer demands and competitive pressure. Subscriptions, pre-and post-paid, usage-based licensing, capacity licensing, machine- or user-centric licensing (license follows the user) – the list goes on. Each license model makes a lot of sense for someone, so where should you stop?
