An example of a well thought out licensing model

Wow, what a week it’s been.

So, lots of chat about ways to sort out the malaise.

Well here’s one that’s been mentioned elsewhere – sort out the licensing model.  No one understands PVUs, academic institutions need improved terms (if not outright free licensing), hosted SaaS needs to be easier to buy and understand, and startups need a way to, um, start…

Let’s look at a vendor that gets it, shall we?  Atlassian (Collaboration Matters is an Atlassian partner and resell Atlassian licenses to our customers).

Here’s their pricing for their Confluence wiki product – in many ways a competitor to the Lotus Connections and Quickr products.

First, Commercial:

Next, Academic:

Lastly, Not for Profit:

So… Simple, straightforward banded licensing for commercial organisations.  50% discount for academia and free licensing for charities, all with a free 30 day trial direct from the website.  Startups get to start with a 10 user license for $10.  Hosted SaaS offerings shown on the same pricing charts, again with simple to understand options.

Refreshing, huh?

So why does it need to be so hard?