Desktop vs. Floating Licenses

We offer both types of software licenses: floating licenses which are also referred to as concurrent licenses, and desktop licenses, also known as workstation or standalone licenses.

We often get asked about the difference between floating and desktop licenses. From our experience, it seems that many customers don’t quite know how to assess the most effective licensing model to fit their operation.

Desktop Licenses

Desktop licensing allows users to install and run OfficeReports on a single workstation. This license is tied to the workstation’s hardware and cannot shared with other users, and can only be moved to another machine after contacting us. This license is most suitable for mobile computers or single user/workstation setup.

Here are some of the benefits and limitation of standalone licenses:

Pros

  • Suitable when you need the software on a single workstation
  • Less expensive than a comparable network license

Cons

  • When hard drive fails, an admin fee must be paid to request a replacement license
  • Less cost effective when many users need to access the software
  • License can only be moved after contacting us

Visit the OfficeReports pricing section for more information.

Floating Licenses

Software can be installed on any number of workstations. The OfficeReports license server keeps track of how many licenses are in use at one time. When an application using network licensing starts, it first checks to see if a network license is available to use. If so, a license is then checked out from the pool of licenses. When a user exits the application, or the license is idle for a period of time, the license gets checked back into the pool making it available to other users.

Here are some of the benefits and limitations of network licenses:

Pros

  • Licenses are available to all workstations maximizing software asset utilization
  • License idle time is minimized by sharing
  • Cost effective: less licenses are required when a company has many users

Cons

  • Not suitable for single user installations
  • More expensive than standalone licenses

For pricing info, please contact us.