WSCAD – Germany – Electrical engineering, control cabinets, process and fluid technology, building automation and electrical installation

A step-by-step stairway to business protection

The challenge

In 1992 the need was identified around the platform: a technology that would simultaneously manage stand-alone and networked users; a couple of years later the necessity shifted to the hardware aspect, a device family that should interact with parallel and emerging USB ports; over the decades, it was the software upgradability under radar.

The solution

WibuKey was adopted soon after it came to light; WSCAD electronic GmbH has been enjoying the possibility to purchase WibuBox dongles all along a time span of 20 years; the same software platform is still in use as well, constantly upgraded to withstand today’s security threats and allow WSCAD to develop and integrate their latest software features.

The success

20 years hand in hand fostering business expansion, job creation, sales revenues and product creativity. This is the recipe of a long-term commitment that has taken in due consideration partnership confidence as much as technology reliability. 

Georg Wenninger, 
Managing Director of Development WSCAD
“WSCAD is now ready to explore new market arenas beyond the European borders; even in those geographical areas that are known to express higher software piracy rates, we can remain confident that WibuKey will be on our side to ease our success growth.”

The customer

WSCAD is a leading provider of integrated E-CAD software solutions. The company develops and internationally distributes CAD Software and services for applications in electrical engineering and fluid power technology, cabinet planning, electrical installation and building automation. Users can receive training at the specialised WSCAD Academy to utilise the software correctly and efficiently. 

We have perfected WSCAD for over more than 20 years. The impressive result: High efficiency – fast and easy operation and enhanced profitability. Three advantages that reward every customer.

What do building construction and business positioning have in common? They both have a strategic vision and a careful design at their root foundation. WSCAD is the story of a successful idea that keeps bringing innovation to the CAD  scene. If we all look back, 20 years is a pretty considerable time lapse in this market niche. CAD requested Unix-based machines, the building industry was using different raw materials, project management was subject to fewer standards. Nowadays CAD has shifted to Windows-based E-CAD suites that can be accessed from a tablet PC, and the whole construction industry offers safer and more eco-sustainable infrastructures. 

But how could WSCAD be sure that their expansion plans would not be affected by external factors other than those of fair competition in their market field? All software companies have in fact one major advantage and one greater threat in common. Once the development of a new major release is complete, the cost hyperbole drops and the revenues multiply. What can really change the game is a weakness in the software itself, which makes it easy for some to hack, generate illegal copies of for the black market, or open a competitive brand at practically no cost. The higher the value of a single license, the greater the business risk if a back door is left open.

„Since WSCAD was founded, it was clear to the management that in order to run a profitable business and expand the activity beyond our borders we would need to protect our asset investments. The decision was soon taken: all software licenses sold would be associated with the strongest protection available. And another resolution was also adamant. The company would concentrate all its efforts on what we knew how to do best: E-CAD solutions for all types of fields, from electric installation to building automation, from cabinet engineering to fluid engineering. Spending additional precious internal resources to dig into security matters made little sense when there were other players active in this vertical. 

It was 20 years ago when WSCAD qualified WibuKey as the most performing and promising product on the scene. We wanted in fact the most robust measure in place and nothing is as strong as a hardware-based protection. But there were other factors guiding our resolution. At a time when the USB ports were becoming the new standard interface, the same device family was to protect our intellectual property when plugged to LPT and USB ports, as well as from stand-alone and networked PCs. Multiple needs under a single platform for hassle-free management.“

Wibu-Systems has also valued its very first customers and there is no better way to do so than to deliver technological project lifecycle support. While developing more comprehensive solutions in parallel, the security key factors of Wibu-Systems legacy products are still well regarded and constantly enhanced. WSCAD was never forced to replace the dongles in the field with a new generation of units, but rather their initial investment has been preserved. WibuBox dongles have kept tens of thousands licenses under the control of their vendor, new development tools have been created, security updates regularly released in the spirit of optimizing their software monetization strategies.

„To the end user there has been no discomfort either; each WSCAD customer receives a dongle when first purchasing one of our licenses; once plugged in, the protection layer is invisible to the user: the software is simply executed; the dongle does not cause any interference whatsoever with the other applications or devices; the end user can even forget about its presence and dive into the many functionalities of the E-CAD program itself. Upon placing new orders for updates and upgrades, the user has no other action to accomplish: the dongle is managed remotely by WSCAD and the same unit will keep providing a shield for the new release.”

Georg Wenninger, Managing Director of Development WSCAD