What is FlexLM?
FlexLM is Flexera’s core license management solution, which has been renamed to FlexNet Publisher, a name originally used during 2000-2009.
What is FlexNet Publisher?
FlexNet Publisher is the core product under the FlexNet Licensing® umbrella. It is the premier software application for license management, with nearly half the global market.
Software vendors can use it to manage perpetual, node-locked, and pay-per-use licenses.
Many of our customers are still familiar with the handle “FlexLM”.
Other Licensing products are:_
- FlexNet Embedded, with a small footprint for IoT devices
- The Cloud Monetization API that accesses FlexNet Embedded and other devices.
- A FlexNet ID Dongle for vendors who want a “belt and braces” approach to license management, combining software and hardware license management.
OpenLM provides the following functionality for monitoring FlexNet Licenses:-
- Denials Reporting Yes
- Report resolution By Second
- Borrowed License reporting Yes
- Expiration Date reporting Yes
- Multiple Server Redundancy Support Yes
- Token License Support Yes
FlexNet is only one of over 70 license managers that OpenLM can manage. Check the list.
Who is Flexera?
Flexera and its license management product, FlexLM Publisher, have a long history. The software was originally developed for UNIX environments in 1988 by GLOBEtrotter Software, and marketed by Highland Software, who held the rights until 1994, when they were bought by GLOBEtrotter. GLOBEtrotter was then purchased in 2000 by Macrovision Corp, who renamed the product from FlexLM to FlexNet Publisher. In its turn, in 2008 Macrovision sold its software division to Thomas Bravo, a private equity company, who renamed it to Acresso Software, but changed the name again in 2009 to Flexera Software, following a legal challenge by Agresso Software, and the product name to FlexNet Publisher. In 2011 Teachers’ Private Capital, the private investment department of the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan, had agreed to acquire a majority stake in Flexera Software (size of stake undisclosed).
Flexera has steadily been acquiring software companies to build its brand:-
- In 2010, it acquired ManageSoft, an Australian company, and its 250 enterprise customers using 3 million devices for its SAM capability.
- In 2018 it acquired RightScale for its cloud management capability
- In 2019 it acquired RISC Networks to complement its investment in Rightscale.
Flexera is a private Chicago-based company with over 1300 employees and over 50,000 customers managing 30 million devices. It is the world’s leading software license management provider and second only to Gemalto in license management because of Gemalto’s large base of hardware license management.