Barry, Before you publish your future strategy, you should take a lot more time to consider the willingness of your customers to come along. I have never heard of a similar piece of software that expires in this way, and effectively forces a customer to renew their license. The only things that are remotely close are Microsoft products which are sold a different way for volume licensing, but they offer these subscriptions at a price that is just a fraction of the full product price, they are generally considered to be discounted by the companies purchasing them, and the choice is optional to choose the subscription or the standard purchase. That is clearly not the case here. Declude is not a service, it's a piece of software, and I expect to pay for software the way that software is paid for. I will never pay an annual license to use such a piece of software. Never. Especially when that piece of software requires me to pay for multiple other products in order to have acceptable protection, and work many long hours in developing plug-ins to enhance functionality that doesn't exist in the product itself. The strength of Declude is it's flexibility as a framework, but not as a solution in itself. There is a major disconnect between your perception of the market, and what I an others on this end see. While this model might seem appealing to you, it is grossly uncompetitive, and it comes at an incredibly inopportune time. We as a community have been mostly understanding of the disruption associated with the change of ownership, but up to this point there has been only small advancements in the product that benefit us. With the exception of one piece of added functionality, I could still be using the same release that I was using two years ago when you took over the company. Whether or not it is apparent to you, it is very apparent to the majority of your customers that I communicate with that the product is lagging, and not it is being priced uncompetitively on top of that. People who are one day faced with the prospect of renewing a service agreement and feeling angry over not having used a single release in the previous year are now being faced with a choice between a dead-end product (non-annually licensed software), and upgrading to an annual license at a greatly increased price. The issues with development and price on their own aren't my only concerns. Since I see this as grossly uncompetitive, I also worry about whether or not Declude can be a going concern under these conditions, and a large part of my own business has been built on top of the functionality that the product offers. I don't perceive the possibility of success in this model, and I likewise don't believe that I can rely on Declude going forward as long as this is the model that you choose. As a business person, I must protect my own interests and find a suitable solution for my needs. It's not yet too late to rethink your licensing and other plans going forward, but I fear that you won't get very far before the damage can't be undone. Matt Barry Simpson wrote: Each customer has a price on their host record which reflects their individual special price. This is confidential for each customer and I will not be posting details on a public forum.We are currently developing some documentation that should be published next week outlining changes and future strategy. As soon as this is available we will inform our customers. Barry -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] On Behalf Of Darin Cox Sent: Sunday, February 12, 2006 10:03 AM To: Declude.JunkMail@declude.com Subject: Re: [Declude.JunkMail] Declude 3.0 / 4.0 I misspoke... switch SA for upgrade. Also, please answer the implicit questions at the end of the email as well. Thanks, Darin. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Barry Simpson" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <Declude.JunkMail@declude.com> Sent: Sunday, February 12, 2006 9:54 AM Subject: RE: [Declude.JunkMail] Declude 3.0 / 4.0 Darin, The Service Agreement prices have not changed: JunkMail - $132.00 per year EVA - $132.00 per year HiJack - $45.00 per year Barry -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] On Behalf Of Darin Cox Sent: Sunday, February 12, 2006 9:36 AM To: Declude.JunkMail@declude.com Subject: Re: [Declude.JunkMail] Declude 3.0 / 4.0 Hi David, What I was trying to get was an actual price matrix. For example, 1. What is the price of an SA when the existing customer has JM Pro and EVA Pro? 2. What is the price of an SA when the existing customer has JM Pro and EVA Standard? 3. What is the price of an SA when the existing customer has JM Pro and EVA Lite? 4. What is the price of an SA when the existing customer has JM Standard and EVA Pro? 5. What is the price of an SA when the existing customer has JM Standard and EVA Standard? 6. What is the price of an SA when the existing customer has JM Standard and EVA Lite? 7. What is the price of an SA when the existing customer has JM Lite and EVA Pro? 8. What is the price of an SA when the existing customer has JM Lite and EVA Standard? 9. What is the price of an SA when the existing customer has JM Lite and EVA Lite? 10. What is the price of an SA when the existing customer has JM Pro only? 11. What is the price of an SA when the existing customer has JM Standard only? 12. What is the price of an SA when the existing customer has JM Lite only? 13. What is the price of an SA when the existing customer has EVA Pro only? 14. What is the price of an SA when the existing customer has EVA Standard only? 15. What is the price of an SA when the existing customer has EVA Lite only? This could be easily displayed as a 4x4 price matrix. Posting it here, or perhaps posting a link to where it's posted on your website, will save you a lot of phone calls and time. I think a lot of the confusion stems from calling the upcoming release version 4. If the functionality will always remain the same between 3 and 4, then calling it a bundled "service" that is licensed differently than the separately "purchased" products would be much more clear than calling it a separate version. If the functionality is going to change between 3 and 4, then we need to know when and what, and how it affects previous customers. I know you've stated there is no "major" difference now, but everyone is concerned not just about now, but about the future functionality, costs, and direction of the product. Darin. ----- Original Message ----- From: "David Barker" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <Declude.JunkMail@declude.com> Sent: Saturday, February 11, 2006 11:29 PM Subject: RE: [Declude.JunkMail] Declude 3.0 / 4.0 Darin, If you have JM Pro & EVA PRO & Hijack you can choose if you want to run version 3 or version 4 in either case the SA applies as in point 2. 2. Existing Customers prior to 8 Feb 06 CAN continue using the Service Agreement model. This mean you purchase a Annual Service agreement to ensure support and having access to new releases of Declude for that year. If your Service Agreement lapses you are still able to run Declude you will just not have access to support or new releases. If you do NOT have JM Pro & EVA PRO & Hijack and choose not to upgrade ... then you remain with version 3 as version 4 is licensed for JM Pro & EVA PRO & Hijack as I have explained in point 5. 5. With regards to Version 3.0 and 4.0 there is NO major difference in functionality except that 4.0 runs as a single product with Declude EVA PRO, Junkmail PRO and Hijack. Where as Version 3.0 still supports 3 individual products. If you need further clarification I would suggest calling us and we will be happy to answer all your questions. PS. You will have to wait till Monday 'cuase it's 11:30 on a Saturday evening and I am not taking calls at home :) David B www.declude.com -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] On Behalf Of Darin Cox Sent: Saturday, February 11, 2006 10:55 PM To: Declude.JunkMail@declude.com Subject: Re: [Declude.JunkMail] Declude 3.0 / 4.0 Ok, so what are the various prices? You're going to get asked this a lot. Why not post the answer on this forum and save everyone a lot of time? Also, does upgrade mean a previous customer is on SAs, but using v4? Or does that customer stay on v3? Darin. ----- Original Message ----- From: "David Barker" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <Declude.JunkMail@declude.com> Sent: Saturday, February 11, 2006 9:55 PM Subject: RE: [Declude.JunkMail] Declude 3.0 / 4.0 The price as based on a formula which is determined by what you currently have licensed and is therefore is not the same for everyone. ie. If you just have a license for JM lite you would pay more for an upgrade than someone who has JM PRO and EVA std. An upgrade means: Customers of Declude prior 8 Feb 06 can continue with Service Agreements see point 4. David B www.declude.com -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] On Behalf Of Darin Cox Sent: Saturday, February 11, 2006 3:24 PM To: Declude.JunkMail@declude.com Subject: Re: [Declude.JunkMail] Declude 3.0 / 4.0 HI David, Re: 6. What is the price for the upgrade? And does the upgrade mean we are on an annual subscription, or continue with service agreements? Darin. ----- Original Message ----- From: "David Barker" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <Declude.JunkMail@declude.com>; <Declude.Virus@declude.com> Sent: Saturday, February 11, 2006 10:47 AM Subject: [Declude.JunkMail] Declude 3.0 / 4.0 1. The definition of an Annual Subscription is a license to run Declude for a period of a year at which time the Annual Subscription has to be renewed to continue running Declude. Annual Subscription does NOT apply to customers of Declude prior 8 Feb 06. 2. Existing Customers prior to 8 Feb 06 CAN continue using the Service Agreement model. This mean you purchase a Annual Service agreement to ensure support and having access to new releases of Declude for that year. If your Service Agreement lapses you are still able to run Declude you will just not have access to support or new releases. 3. Annual Subscription is NOT the same Annual Service Agreement. 4. For Customers prior to 8 Feb 06 you CAN continue to use Declude as you always have with the ability to purche an Annual Service Agreement. 5. With regards to Version 3.0 and 4.0 there is NO major difference in functionality except that 4.0 runs as a single product with Declude EVA PRO, Junkmail PRO and Hijack. Where as Version 3.0 still supports 3 individual products. 6. Customers prior to 8 Feb 06 are NOT forced into upgrading to version 4.0 but have an option to do so at greatly reduced price. 7. I am pulling together some additional release notes on a comparison between version version 3.0 and 4.0 which I hope to have available next week. David B www.declude.com ________________________________ From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] On Behalf Of Robert E. Spivack Sent: Saturday, February 11, 2006 2:06 AM To: Declude.JunkMail@declude.com Subject: RE: [Declude.JunkMail] declude 4 changes ... worried... How many user mailboxes do you have? The pricing of some outsourced solutions which have a per mailbox fee might actually be lower now that Declude is also an annual required payment. ________________________________ From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] On Behalf Of Darin Cox Sent: Friday, February 10, 2006 8:49 AM To: Declude.JunkMail@declude.com Subject: Re: [Declude.JunkMail] declude 4 changes ... worried... Yep. at that price it's time to move to something else or build our own system. Declude, come back with something reasonable or you'll lose customers like IMail did. Darin. ----- Original Message ----- From: Scott Fisher <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: Declude.JunkMail@declude.com Sent: Friday, February 10, 2006 10:43 AM Subject: [Declude.JunkMail] declude 4 changes ... worried... So I thought I'd go web browsing on the Declude site and see what is up with Declude 4. I'm a Virus Pro and Junkmail Pro licensee on Imail. Going forward Declude 4 is the entire suite (Virus Pro, Junkmail Pro and Hijaak). Kevin's post mentions that Declude 3 will be supported. Although long term how long will they support two different code sets? I'd say my long-term gut feeling isn't good. Next I look through the purchase page. Declude 4 for Imail is now only available for a $1450 Annual Subscription. Ouch. The last time I paid maintenance for Declude it was $265. That's a bump. (Essentially having only one domain here), That is mighty pricey especially compared to the Declude for Smartmail 1 domain price of $199. Don't get me wrong, I really like the Declude prodcut. It's so flexible that you can do many different things... I just can't see how smaller entities like me are going to positively affected by these changes. ----------------------------------------------------- Scott Fisher Director of IT Farm Progress Companies 191 S Gary Ave Carol Stream, IL 60188 630-462-2323 This email message, including any attachments, is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential and privileged information. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure or distribution is prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply email and destroy all copies of the original message. Although Farm Progress Companies has taken reasonable precautions to ensure no viruses are present in this email, the company cannot accept responsibility for any loss or damage arising from the use of this email or attachments. --- [This E-mail was scanned for viruses by Declude EVA www.declude.com] --- This E-mail came from the Declude.JunkMail mailing list. To unsubscribe, just send an E-mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED], and type "unsubscribe Declude.JunkMail". The archives can be found at http://www.mail-archive.com. --- [This E-mail was scanned for viruses by Declude EVA www.declude.com] --- This E-mail came from the Declude.JunkMail mailing list. To unsubscribe, just send an E-mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED], and type "unsubscribe Declude.JunkMail". The archives can be found at http://www.mail-archive.com. --- [This E-mail was scanned for viruses by Declude EVA www.declude.com] --- This E-mail came from the Declude.JunkMail mailing list. To unsubscribe, just send an E-mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED], and type "unsubscribe Declude.JunkMail". The archives can be found at http://www.mail-archive.com. --- [This E-mail was scanned for viruses by Declude EVA www.declude.com] --- This E-mail came from the Declude.JunkMail mailing list. To unsubscribe, just send an E-mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED], and type "unsubscribe Declude.JunkMail". The archives can be found at http://www.mail-archive.com. --- [This E-mail was scanned for viruses by Declude EVA www.declude.com] --- This E-mail came from the Declude.JunkMail mailing list. To unsubscribe, just send an E-mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED], and type "unsubscribe Declude.JunkMail". The archives can be found at http://www.mail-archive.com. --- [This E-mail was scanned for viruses by Declude EVA www.declude.com] --- [This E-mail was scanned for viruses by Declude EVA www.declude.com] --- This E-mail came from the Declude.JunkMail mailing list. To unsubscribe, just send an E-mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED], and type "unsubscribe Declude.JunkMail". The archives can be found at http://www.mail-archive.com. --- [This E-mail was scanned for viruses by Declude EVA www.declude.com] --- This E-mail came from the Declude.JunkMail mailing list. To unsubscribe, just send an E-mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED], and type "unsubscribe Declude.JunkMail". The archives can be found at http://www.mail-archive.com. --- [This E-mail was scanned for viruses by Declude EVA www.declude.com] --- This E-mail came from the Declude.JunkMail mailing list. To unsubscribe, just send an E-mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED], and type "unsubscribe Declude.JunkMail". The archives can be found at http://www.mail-archive.com. |
- Re: [Declude.JunkMail] Declude 3.0 / 4.0 Matt
- Re: [Declude.JunkMail] Declude 3.0 / 4.0 Darin Cox
- RE: [Declude.JunkMail] Declude 3.0 / 4.0 Erik
- RE: [Declude.JunkMail] Declude 3.0 / 4.0 Harry Vanderzand
- RE: [Declude.JunkMail] Declude 3.0 / 4.0 Chris Anton
- RE: [Declude.JunkMail] Declude 3.0 / 4.0 John Shacklett