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CPU Tech: Extending the Product Life Cycle with Embedded Licensing

Differentiating Its Security Hardware with Role– and Feature–Based Software Licensing and Entitlement Management

With the recent surge in cyber security threats, it's no surprise that solutions like CPU Tech's "System-On-Chip" Acalis® family of secure processors and anti-tamper devices are getting a lot of attention. Especially in the military and government sectors, where it is critical to protect software and systems from reverse engineering.

CPU Tech was founded in 1989 with a vision of making compatible "System-On-Chip" technology economically practical. As time passed, the company faced pressure from customers to offer more flexible software licensing and pricing models. In addition, because the Acalis products were offered for the desktop as well as embedded software, CPU Tech needed an easy and efficient way to provide different levels of functionality, operations, and security.

Unique Military/Defense Requirements Drives Needs for Flexible Licensing, Pricing and Entitlement Management

In the military/defense technology community, one of CPU Tech's main segments, programs have extensive and complex government reviews and milestones. Therefore it is common for defense products and solutions to have a five to ten year (sometimes longer) lifecycle. During that time not all product capabilities are required during all phases. For example not everyone working in integration, test, or manufacturing needs to, nor should they be allowed to, understand sensitive design details. At other times in a product lifecycle some security settings are "locked down" for the remainder of the program. And lastly some programs are "compartmentalized", where engineers and users have different access rights. Because of these unique requirements, CPU Tech had a number of challenges they were looking to address, including:

  • Feature-based and role-based licensing and pricing models
  • Embedded-node-locked and floating licensing capability
  • Both offline (for machines operating in a classified area) and web-based activation
  • Simplify complex product lifecycle management
  • Automate the activation process

Read the rest of the story at: Extending the Product Life Cycle with Embedded Licensing

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Ryan Kenny, a product manager from CPU Tech, maker the Acalis® family of secure processors, talks about the unique security needs of his company's defense contractor customers, and how software licensing and entitlement managment enables those users to access secure devices with confidence and in full compliance of security regulations

 
"Flexera Software's embedded software licensing and entitlement management solution enables CPU Tech to protect our intellectual property and allow the customer to operate in a classified / secure area without internet access...With Flexera Software we can now easily upgrade and downgrade our customers without deploying additional hardware as well as offer them licensing and pricing models based on roles and features."
Ryan Kenny
CPU Tech