Automatic Sales Agent

Sentinel LDK Functionality	Manages module usage
Software Distribution Method	>Physical package >Electronic distribution
Applicable Key Types	>All Sentinel HL keys except Sentinel HL Basic >Sentinel SL (including CL)
Protection Method	API-based automatic implementation

Description

When an end user purchases a subset of software modules, the sales staff is often requested to follow up the purchase and to interest the user in additional modules. With Sentinel LDK, your software can serve as its own automatic sales agent, providing the end user with the ability to work with additional modules and encouraging purchase of any modules that are identified as being of interest to the end user. This model consists of a number of phases:

>Phase 1: The end user purchases a subset of software modules. You supply a license that includes the option to install additional bonus modules so that the user can experiment with them.

>Phase 2: The end user uses your software, including the bonus modules. Behind the scenes, your software monitors and evaluates usage of the bonus modules.

>Phase 3: Once the usage threshold of a monitored module has been reached, the module is considered “of value” and Sentinel LDK progressively restricts usage of that module. Concurrently, the Automatic Sales Agent comes into effect, issuing pop-up messages encouraging the end user to purchase the module.

>Phase 4: When an end user purchases a license for an additional module, the license is seamlessly upgraded at the end-user site, and the relevant bonus modules are changed to fully-licensed modules.

Implementation

1.Determine which Feature ID you will use for global protection of your software.

2.Select the modules that you want to license separately, and determine by which Feature ID each of the modules will be identified.

3.In your code, insert Sentinel Licensing API Login calls to all Feature IDs.

4.In Sentinel EMS, create a Product that includes only the global software Feature ID and define the license terms.

5.Determine the parameters for gauging module usage, and define them in your code, for example:

•The number of times a monitored module has been activated during a time period

•The accumulated usage time of a monitored module

•The number of clicks on an item in the user interface

6.In Sentinel EMS, in the Protection Key memory, define the usage threshold.

7.Envelope your software for additional security (optional).

8.Distribute your software with the appropriate Sentinel protection key programmed with the license for the initial purchase, not including licenses for the bonus modules.

9.Using the Sentinel Licensing API:

a.Calculate the accumulated usage of the gauging parameters.

b.Write the result to the Protection Key memory.

c.Compare the accumulated usage with the defined threshold.

When usage of a bonus module passes the threshold, begin to implement the restrictions, for example:

•Progressively slow down the speed of the module as the time passes or as usage increases

•Progressively increase the number of Automatic Sales Agent pop-up messages as the time passes or as usage increases

•Prevent the module from saving a snapshot of work that has been done

10.In Sentinel EMS, create a Product that includes both the global software Feature ID and the Feature ID for the module identified as being sellable, and define the license terms.

11.When the end user decides to purchase a license for a bonus module, update the license on the Sentinel protection key to include the purchased module.