Frequent questions
Q: What are the licensing options with SIMetrix?
A: We support the use of portable licenses via USB key, LAN and WAN. LAN and WAN licenses use the Flexera license manager (FlexLM) – the license is usually locked to your server's Ethernet address.
Q: Do you support site licenses?
A: Yes. Anyone within 248 miles of your site with access to your server can use our LAN licenses.
Q: Can I add SIMPLIS or VX features to my existing license?
A: Yes, provided that you have a current maintenance agreement. Please contact us for a quote.
Q: What do you charge for maintenance?
A: We charge 15% of the current list price.
Q: My maintenance agreement has run out. Can I upgrade to the latest product version?
A: You are only entitled to free upgrades with a current maintenance agreement. If your contract has run out, we will reinstate your maintenance agreement but you have to pay the maintenance for the period you were out of contract. Unlike other vendors, we do not charge any penalty fees or impose time limits on this. Also unlike other vendors, you are entitled to bug-fix updates even if you are not currently on maintenance.
Q: I did not ask for any support while I was out of contract for maintenance – why do I have to pay the back maintenance in order to get the product upgrade?
A: We charge maintenance to cover support and upgrades. By paying the back maintenance, you will contribute your fair share to the cost of our on-going development work. You will then be entitled to receive the very latest product updates.
Q: Are your licenses permanent, or just for a year's use?
A: When you buy our products you get permanent (or perpetual) licenses. You can read our license agreement here.
Q: I'm in the middle of a project and you've released a software upgrade. Should I install it?
A: When you install a product upgrade it will never overwrite the previous version, so if you need to you can easily revert to your current version of the product. We run extensive regression tests for new versions of software. We treat any bug reports concerning new releases as a priority.
Q: You offer a lot of product options. Why don't you bundle all the features into one product to make my choice easier?
A: We do, but because keeping the features separate helps us to achieve one of our primary aims, which is to ensure our products are easy to use, we offer a whole range of options. If you need help choosing the right product, refer to our interactive 'help me choose' guide, or simply contact us and we'll be happy to help.
Q: Do you publish any competitive benchmarks?
A: No. There are so many variables to control that comparing like-with-like can be difficult. We believe that you should take vendors' benchmark claims with a pinch of salt.