Flexera Adds Recurring Revenue Engine and Drives Subscriptions for SaaS, IoT and ISVs

Gartner's February 2017 Disruption in Software Business Models Creates New Opportunities for Monetization report states, "Technology strategic planners will find next-generation software monetization is not about protection, limited to IP licensing, but about growth from enabling new models with repeatable revenue streams."

SaaS, IoT and traditional ISVs need as much visibility and insight into software renewals as into new customer acquisition. Growing recurring revenue increases company valuations. And higher valuations increase shareholder value. Strong renewal rates play an important role in Mergers & Acquisitions, Initial Public Offerings, business growth predictions and strategic planning. Many producers don't have the right process and technology in place to effectively manage the renewal process. So, they have churn and lost revenue. Or, they miss opportunities to fix customer problems before the customer seeks out a new solution. Not to mention that without effective renewal management, producers will struggle to effectively predict their recurring revenue.

"Many producers are nowhere near the 85-95 percent industry standard renewal rate - and if they're not, it often can be attributed to an ad-hoc approach," said Maureen Polte, Vice President of Product Management at Flexera. "Flexera's new recurring revenue engine lets producers predict renewals, and give customers visibility for their budget planning. This is especially valuable for IoT and SaaS industries that are driven by subscriptions business models."

Turning Renewals into a Positive Customer Experience

Producers lack an easy way to show their customers a list of upcoming renewals. Rather than having customers look through every product or service contract to understand the renewal date - producers can provide an easy list - that shows what is coming due and when. FlexNet Operations provides a single version of the truth for producers and their enterprise customers, taking the burden off enterprises to manage this data themselves. For instance, a last-minute renewal notice can lead to an upset customer - who is presented with an unplanned, unbudgeted renewal request. Lack of awareness as to when a software contract expires also means enterprises risk service disruptions - or worse, a denial of service - when a subscription or maintenance contract runs out. And if the worst case scenario occurs - and a contract unexpectedly expires, customers risk being out of compliance with their contracts and could face costly renewal penalties after grace periods expire. FlexNet Operations makes it easy to avoid these problems.

Driving SaaS and IoT Economies

Successful SaaS businesses know how to handle subscriptions. So, SaaS producers need to know when their customers' contracts are expiring, and how to enable fast and easy renewals. Successful IoT businesses also rely on subscription models for devices, software and services. FlexNet Operations' new subscription and recurring revenue engine helps producers ensure they're prepared to win in SaaS and IoT economies.

How Software Producers and Device Makers Can Win in a SaaS World

ISVs are increasingly moving to subscription. Many don't know how to do this well, or have the right systems and processes in place to make the transition. Intelligent device manufacturers are starting to monetize devices on a subscription basis. The device industry is moving away from huge, upfront payment models that can delay and disrupt customer purchasing decisions. FlexNet Operations is critical to support the transition to modern subscription and recurring revenue models - bolstering their long-term valuations in the process.