Why do you pay a software enhancement fee every year?

Companies that have purchased an ERP system can, in many cases, participate in a software enhancement plan. This requires you to pay an annual fee for software maintenance. But what exactly are the benefits of such a software enhancement plan?

Benefits of an active software license

Participation in the software enhancement plan ensures that your software licenses remain active. And that brings some important benefits:

  • You have the right to access the most recent version of the product without having to reinvest in software licenses;
  • An active software license can be expanded with additional users and objects (e.g. pages, code units, reports, xml ports);
  • You are entitled to updates according to the Product Lifecycle Policy of your ERP system;
  • You can expand your license with add-ons that are available on the market.

Important for support

For top quality support of your ERP system, an active software license is important or in many cases even mandatory. For example, to sign a support contract, to get access to a support portal, or to refer to a service level agreement. An up-to-date and well-maintained ERP system also ensures that you encounter fewer bugs and problems and it limits the amount of support questions raised by end users. And some problems that you experience with an inactive software license could have been prevented by participating in the software enhancement plan, while you now need to pay for solving these issues.

"You have the right to access the most recent version of the product without having to reinvest in software licenses."

Limit risks

Participation in the software enhancement plan also means that you avoid or reduce several risks.

  • In the first place, you will miss out on all the above benefits if you do not participate in the software enhancement plan.
  • You also run the risk of no longer being compliant with legislation and regulations in the short and/or long term due to changing circumstances and new rules. Think for instance about the SEPA payment transactions, changes in the VAT rate and recently the Brexit (the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union).
  • And you run a greater risk of security breaches when the product is no longer supported by the business partner based on the Product Lifecycle Policy.

Companies that frequently upgrade to new versions and that need an ERP system that contributes to top performance choose to participate in the software enhancement plan. Discuss the possibilities and conditions carefully with your ERP partner, so that you know exactly which agreement you sign for.

Teun Arts is Service Manager at Dysel and it is his job to ensure that customers make optimal use of the software, now and in the future.