Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Easier Maintenance Renewal Is Possible!

By Laura Bamberg – Global Sales Administrator

Steelray Software

When the time for maintenance renewal on your project management software crops up, do you ever wonder if you've made the right decision by sticking with the version you already have? If not, have you experienced the confusion of checking out website for product maintenance information and pricing?

If you are nearing your software renewal deadline, don’t look at products whose benefits aren’t immediately clear, and don’t consider companies that aren’t up front about cost. It is a given that quality plays a critical role in project management software, but how can you trust a company that isn’t transparent about pricing? What does that say about quality?

So what sets our Microsoft Project viewer license apart? Project management software has some commonality. But how well do they work on a consistent basis? Can they support the number of users you have to supply? Are the account managers honest, trustworthy, and knowledgeable? Can you rely on the company's technical support staff? If you have experienced situations with your software vendors that lead you to answer “no” to even one of these questions, I advise you to take a look at Steelray Software.

Tom Barnes, a sales representative here at Steelray, draws a connection between cost and value. “When assessing software maintenance costs, you want transparency in pricing and stability in your ongoing costs. A quick search will show a wide array of pricing modes - free, licenses plus maintenance, annual subscriptions, monthly subscriptions, and then some. It can be hard to pick which one. I know what you are saying - you said free - I’ll take that one.”

But Barnes throws out a word of caution because he knows that with respect to quality, free software is like a free lunch – it does not exist. “What does free really get you? Support? No. New releases? Yes, but you are at the mercy of the development community.”

Barnes said that when he first came to Steelray, he wondered why the company charged for annual maintenance and support, but quickly learned why. “We have exceptional support,” he said. “You can contact us by e-mail, through our website and yes, you can even call. I was also surprised to learn how frequently we have new releases (at least once a quarter).”

He went on to say that he was even more surprised to learn that these releases contain new features, compatibility with new file formats and the occasional bug fix. “For $6.29 USD each a year, that is a lot of value. And by the way, that pricing hasn’t changed in years.”

For those who are already loyal customers of Steelray Software, Barnes reminded them to consider co-termination of their licenses. “It can make your renewal period more consistent. And if you discover that you need either more or less licenses than you currently have, our EasyLicense program is a favorite of many. “

But if you haven’t tried us out yet, and it’s time to renew your maintenance on project management software, you should download our free, 10-day trial key. When you do, you will see how incredibly inexpensive it is, while at the same time, providing the kind of features you really want to use – ones that promote ease of use and integrate into a program that takes virtually no training to use.

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