Flexible Licensing

digital asset management pricing options

 

NetXposure is a single application, licensed in 3 basic ways:

  1. You buy it and host it.
  2. You buy it and we host it.
  3. You pay a monthly fee and we handle the rest.

 

As a leading software developer DAM since 2001, we have developed flexible licensing to  meet the needs of our enterprise clientele.

NetXposure’s Enterprise Digital Asset Management solution is for organizations of all sizes that require a full- featured DAM solution with technology that is flexible, extensible, scalable and customizable. Enterprise DAM licenses are for unlimited users and can be hosted by you, or in NetXposure’s full service data center. Alternatively, you can simply sign up for the DAM as a hosted service.

Many DAM vendors limit you by selling the DAM on a per-user-seat basis. At NetXposure, we think that undermines the value of the DAM: the more your users use the DAM, the more valuable it is. Therefore, we approach licensing differently than our competitors: we offer SaaS, as well as per-asset and per-CPU pricing.

Pricing Philosophy

There is no better indicator of the value of a DAM solution that its ability to efficiently handle large volumes of files — specifically, in terms of number of files and the data associated with those files. Though difficult to quantify with specificity, there is a monetary value associated with each asset that is managed in a DAM. This value is attributed to the preservation of the assets themselves, and the time saved in file management activities such as search and retrieval, verification, organization, repurposing, versioning, distribution, back-up and security. In addition, the technology required to manage large repositories is considerably more complex that of smaller repositories, which is why many low-end DAM solutions will have performance issues with large volumes of files. Therefore, a DAM that is engineered to handle large volumes of assets has considerably more value to an organization that one geared toward smaller repositories.

NetXposure’s DAM is engineered to seamlessly scale for large repositories, and the Asset Limit Based Pricing module is designed to provide maximum value for the dollar. First, all enterprise solutions are sold with an unlimited user license. As opposed to a “per seat” basis, an unlimited user license encourages organization-wide adoption of the solution. Second, the price for the core license is based on asset limit (number of files) with different price breaks at different levels (10,000, 100,000, one million, etc.). Asset Limit based pricing allows an organization to start small at a relatively low financial commitment, and then work into a larger financial commitment as the repository grows. This keeps the amount paid for the DAM consistent with the value it is providing the organization.

Asset Defined

An “asset” is defined as a single indexed record in the Digital Asset Management application, which is comprised of either an associated file, associated metadata, or both. An “asset” may have no files associated with it, or it may have multiple associated files. In some cases, an asset will begin its lifecycle as purely metadata. In other cases, an asset record may have various versions (a historical recording of the file over time), and/or may have various “view” files (typically different variations of the main “master” asset file. In both of these extremes however, there remains a single database and index record for that “asset”.

Scaled Pricing

The technology required to manage large repositories of files is considerably more complex than that of smaller repositories, which is why many low-end DAM solutions will have performance issues with large volumes of files. Typically these issues will be related to the system slowing down considerably or generating system errors with otherwise basic system functions. In addition, for every file that is ingested into the DAM, two proxy files are generated (thumbnail and medium resolution), embedded metadata is read and/or extracted, and all custom metadata attributes are indexed for keyword search and retrieval. As the volume of files scales past the 10,000’s to the 100,000’s or millions of files, the need for support resources to cover minor system fixes naturally scales as well. This need for additional support resources is compounded when there is a high number of simultaneous users accessing the system.

Therefore, a DAM that is engineered to handle large volumes of assets, with many simultaneous users has considerably more value to an organization than one geared toward smaller scale repositories. NetXposure has put a considerable amount of development work over the last six versions of our DAM solution to ensure that it is engineered to scale for large repositories. In addition, Asset Limit Licensing is designed to provide maximum value for the dollar, allowing an organization to start small at a relatively low financial commitment, and then work into a larger financial commitment as the repository grows. This keeps the amount paid for the DAM consistent with the value it is providing the organization. Finally, enterprise solutions are sold with an unlimited user license, which encourages organization-wide adoption of the solution for no additional “per seat” fee.

That being said, we understand there are situations for some organizations where Asset Limit Licensing simply does not work. In these cases, NetXposure will be flexible to the point of offering alternative pricing options, including CPU-based pricing, or other variations on pricing proposed by the customer. However, these options must still encompass the spirit of being compensated for the value of delivering a solution that meets the requirements of a large scale solution — both in terms of managing large volumes of files, and managing large numbers of simultaneous users.

CPU Licensing Option


In the past, NetXposure offered pricing on a CPU-based model, and we still can upon customer request. The CPU Model theoretically allows for unlimited users and unlimited assets per CPU, however the performance of a CPU can be “maxed out” due to a variety of factors including a high number of files, large average file size, frequent processor intensive functions (e.g. image and video repurposing), and a high number of concurrent users accessing the system. When a CPU is maxed out, users will experience the system slowing down considerably. Typically this occurs when a single CPU reaches around 250,000 assets, although this varies on a case-by-case basis due to factors described above, and can occur at either lower or higher asset counts.

As a general rule, each additional CPU should be able to handle an additional 250,000 assets, but this again is subject to variation. Additional CPUs of the solution can be added to boost system speed and performance back to acceptable levels. When a new CPU is added to the original installation, all additional modules and imaging engines in the original solution need to be added along with the new CPU.

CPU Defined

Multi-core processors are now ubiquitous — from companies such as Advanced Micro Devices, Apple, IBM, Intel Corp, Oracle, and others. A physical CPU or processor is a single chip that houses a collection of one or more cores. A core is a collection of one or more processor threads and a set of shared execution resources. A processor thread is the architectural state within a processor that tracks execution of a software program thread/task. A processor containing multiple cores, leveraging its ability to execute multiple tasks, will offer a higher level of computing power and functionality than the current generation single-core processor.

NetXposure server software that is currently licensed on a CPU Model will continue to be licensed on a per-processor, and not on a per-core, model. This policy will allow customers to recognize more performance and power from our software on a multi-core processor system without incurring additional software licensing fees.