Firms weary about software licensing models, report says

Firms continue to find the software licensing models of their suppliers a source of headaches, according to a report published by analyst Forrester.

Forrester interviewed 25 clients of leading enterprise applications providers and surveyed 215 business process and applications professionals about their software licensing and pricing experiences to produce the report.

According to these users, software licensing and pricing continues to be marred by complexity, soaring maintenance costs and a lack of flexibility and alignment with business goals, said Forrester.

"While suppliers work to find the balance that works for them and their clients, a number have made progress by simplifying the process, offering customer-focused management, and empowering clients," says Forrester.

Forrester says future application innovation trends such as service-oriented architecture and software as a service will be the impetus behind a shift in how firms view apps licensing and pricing, and what they demand from apps providers.

In the meantime, business process and applications professionals "must arm their firms to mitigate licensing pain points", said the analyst.