What is a SaaS License Manager?

The Infrastructure of Software Protection

Building a great product is only half the battle. The other half is ensuring your software is used only by those who have paid for it. A SaaS License Manager (SLM) is a centralized platform that allows software vendors to issue, manage, and track licenses, acting as the "lock and key" for your business.

The Secure Policy Document

Think of an SLM as a digital mint. It generates an AES-GCM encrypted license file that acts as a Policy Document. This file contains the specific constraints of your customer's purchase, such as:

• Expiration Dates: Controlling the subscription lifecycle.
• Feature Flags: Defining which parts of the software are accessible.
• Usage Limits: Restricting the number of devices, domains, users, products (or features) and licenses.

The Enforcement Endpoint

Our License Manager software includes an Enforcement Endpoint—a logic gate that reads the encrypted license file. Because it utilizes AES-GCM (Advanced Encryption Standard), the file is tamper-proof. The endpoint verifies the file’s integrity and ensures your software is operating strictly within the allowed policy constraints. This enforcement is done irrespective of whether your software is deployed on:

• Cloud Servers,
• Your in-premise servers, or
• Your Customer's in-premise servers

You can obtain access to the Enforcement Client via Browser (https) or remote server access.

Deploy Anywhere: Cloud or On-Premise

Flexibility is critical in modern deployment. Whether your customer runs your software on a Public Cloud or behind a firewall on their On-Premise servers, the enforcement remains the same. The SLM provides a bridge between your business rules and the customer’s installation, protecting your revenue regardless of where the code lives.

How It Works:

1. License Generation: You must choose the amount of resources like Number of Users,Number of Licenses, Number of Products you want to guard, Number of Domains and Servers from the catalog in your account. The upper limit of these resources is defined by the credits purchased.
2. Encryption: The license file is encrypted using AES-GCM, ensuring it cannot be tampered with or forged.
3. Distribution: The encrypted license file is delivered to the customer, who installs it on the "enforcement client" alongside your software.
4. Enforcement: Each time your product or application software is accessed by user, it checks the license installed, above on the enforcement client to verify compliance with the defined policies.

Why Use a License Manager?

• Prevent Piracy: Stop unauthorized sharing and illegal copying.
• Automate Monetization: Manage renewals and upgrades without manual effort.
• Real-Time Control: Revoke or update access instantly via a dashboard.
• Focus on Code: Offload complex encryption and license-counting logic to a dedicated engine.