Feeling Right at Home: Uniform Processes for Online and Offline Licenses

The world of software and digital content licensing has been evolving rapidly in the recent past. In the early days of the Internet, computers and other devices rarely went online. Today, permanent and direct Internet connections have long become the norm and are expected for many applications in the modern world. If no such connection is available, there are usually workarounds possible, like other computers and gateways bridging the gap for a temporary connection. It is very rare for the physical transfer of files to be the only way into the Internet, and completely fenced-off, offline systems are a thing of the past, with very few high-security cases in the military world being the exception to the rule.

CodeMeter has always been on the forefront of these developments. Originally launched in 2003 as a purely dongle-based solution, the technology has evolved over the years to bring software-based activation with CmActLicenses and a complete one-stop-shop for managing licenses over the Internet in the form of CodeMeter License Central. From the very beginning, the processes for online and offline licenses have been designed to be uniform and fully aligned, enabling us to cover all use cases from Internet-connected PCs in the home or the office to offline devices running in factories.

CodeMeter Cloud continues this story in early 2020 by introducing a completely online solution: All licenses are kept on a server in the cloud and only assigned to their users. This enables the users on the ground to access their licenses wherever and however they need them: mobile, from different devices, or at different workplaces – without having to manually transfer a license file or carrying a dongle around. Another classic use case for CodeMeter Cloud licenses would be software running in the cloud itself, where it would not make sense for a license to be bound to one physical computer or a specific environment.

This masterclass will show how seamlessly the processes for creating, delivering, changing, and managing licenses in CodeMeter Cloud fit in with the long-established workflows for CmDongles and CmActLicenses, without giving up the unique advantages of CodeMeter Cloud like permanent availability for licenses. With all processes designed to work perfectly with each other, software developers have the ability to mix and match dongles, software licenses bound to single devices, and licenses up in the cloud to perfectly suit their requirements and serve their target groups’ needs.

During this webinar, we will delve into:

• An introduction to CodeMeter Cloud
• The licensing process at a glance
• Use cases
  • Assigning a new user to a new license
  • Accessing an existing license on a new device
  • Changing an existing license
• Implementation in Software Activation Wizard
• Features of the license portal
• The differences between dongle, software, and cloud-based license

The CodeMeter workflows are not just easy to use, but designed to work in the same way for online and offline licenses. Users who are already familiar with CodeMeter do not have to learn anything new to feel at home with CodeMeter Cloud, as any technical differences are hidden away. With CodeMeter, software developers can even allow their users to choose whether they want their licenses offline on a computer, mobile on a dongle, or online in the cloud. License portals and software activation wizards help the users change these settings whenever they need, without any involvement or support from the software vendor – that is what Wibu-Systems means by flexibility and a positive user experience.