When you purchase CMMS software, you’ll need to buy a certain number of user licenses for the people who will use it. But there’s more than one type of software license. Deciding which CMMS digital licensing fits your business is crucial. Here’s what you need to know about CMMS software licensing. For the business case and the numbers leadership will ask for, see budget approval kit.
Per-Seat Licenses
Not so long ago, most organizations sold “per-seat” licenses. Each person—or seat—needed one license. Five people needed five licenses… ten people needed ten licenses… and so on. And you needed more licenses for casual users who only needed access on a sporadic basis.
It was a simple system, and it worked fine when software was installed on individual desktop computers with minimal connectivity.
But it’s not as effective for our modern world. Organizations now want the benefits of cloud technology and the ability to access software from multiple devices or locations. They don’t want the administrative hassle of buying licenses when an employee leaves or a device is added.
Concurrent Licensing
Concurrent user licensing is a newer approach with the potential to save you money. The number of concurrent licenses you need is based on the number of users accessing the software at the same time.
For example, if you have a maintenance team of 25 techs who all need CMMS software licenses, you’d have to buy 25 licenses under the per-seat licensing plan.
But concurrent user licensing offers more flexibility. Say seven of those techs worked the night shift, while the rest were on the day shift. You’d only need 18 licenses because the night shift won’t be using the system at the same time. If someone leaves and you hire someone new, you don’t need to buy new licenses because the number of users accessing the software at the same time hasn’t changed.
Concurrent software licensing offers some big benefits for busy maintenance departments, like…
- Flexibility for light or infrequent users to access the software without having to purchase more licenses
- Easy access the software from different devices and locations
- Improved historical documentation or archiving by retaining legacy user information
- Faster implementation for new users
- Improved cost effectiveness with fewer licenses
When purchasing concurrent licenses for CMMS software, you’ll need to calculate how many people will need concurrent access. If you buy too few, some employees won’t have access when they need it, slowing their productivity. If you buy too many, you’re paying too much for access you won’t need.
Maintenance departments tend to prefer concurrent user licensing because it’s far more cost effective and flexible, particularly for organizations who have employees on different shifts or in different time zones.
All digital licensing options are not equal, so it’s important to understand what you’re really buying—and how you can save some money and a lot of time. We are here to help you decide which CMMS digital licensing fits your business best. Contact us to learn more about how concurrent licensing can help your maintenance operations.
