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Only a few years ago, most software companies sold seat licenses for their products, charging customers on the basis of head count. But today, software is typically provided using cloud-based software-as-a-service (SaaS) models that charge customers fees for consumption. Technology companies have spent billions on the innovation necessary to achieve this product shift. Now, they need to transform their sales organization and sales management practices accordingly, including an overhaul of the skills salespeople need, how they are trained and compensated, and how they interact with clients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the shift from conventional Material Requirements Planning (MRP) software to integrated systems by manufacturing companies. Topics noted includes the features and growing sales of MRP and MRP II systems, and the inadequacy of MRP systems in addressing profitability issues. Industry observers cite that a key problem with MRP and MRP II systems is its lack of integration with non-manufacturing functions like customer order status, and shipment tracking.

The article presents a question and answer related to the use of free software with details on the marketing aspects of free programs.

The article focuses on the Firefox's share slumped to 7.2 percent, down four-tenths of a percentage point. It mentions that Google Chrome, and to a lesser extent Edge, might have received usage boosts based on the same conceit; and also mentions that Edge has added nearly six-tenths of a percentage point to its total, which represented a growth rate of 8 percent.

The article focuses on the growth of the cloud computing market and its effects on the software industry in the U.S. Topics covered include the duties of a sales representative in the cloud, the approaches by big companies like SAP and Oracle to selling their software offerings for the cloud, and the trend among cloud companies towards maintaining their sales growth by reevaluating their sales models.

The article focuses on software company Microsoft's long-term plans to shift from selling boxed software to software-by-subscription. It states that Microsoft announced on its official Microsoft Office blog that the company considers subscription software-as-a-service to be the future of computer software and suggested the benefit of subscription software is that it would always be up to date. It mentions Microsoft's cloud-computing service SkyDrive and contemplates the possibility of Microsoft operating system subscriptions.

The article considers the marketing of exploits, computer software which allows computer hackers to access computers through design flaws in their operating systems. An increase in the illegal development and sale of exploits is considered. The computer software industry firm Netragard is used as an example of legal sales of exploits to business enterprises and government agencies. Use of exploits by intelligence services is examined.

The article focuses on the implications of the plan of Scientific Data Systems (SDS) to separate the price of the hardware from the price of the COBOL-65 software program in 1966 for the U.S. electronic data processing industry. The program enables Sigma 7 computers to handle time-sharing as well as business and scientific data processing. It discusses the risks associated with separating prices, such as losing some software revenues to independent specialists.

The article presents suggestions for improvements in the design of the iOS and Mac App online computer software retail stores by Apple as of April 2013. Topics include the ability of the programs' search functions, organization focused on improving accessibility, and the benefits of interactive media.

The article discusses the Russian computer software developer 1C, founded by the former statistician Boris Nuraliev, including the company's expansion and revenue increases. An overview of 1C's sales of computer software for accounting, including accountants' demand for the software, is provided.

The article offers the insights of Microsoft Inc.'s chief executive officer (CEO) Steve Ballmer on the possibility that the prices of Surface tablet computer and Office 2013 software application for cloud computing may be lesser. According to Ballmer, the tablet computer may be priced from $300 to $800 and the subscription for the Office 2013 may go for as low as $8.33 a month.

The article reports on the factors which might hinder the sales and rapid deployment of the Windows 8 operating system (OS) from multinational company Microsoft Corp. as of 2012. Some of the issues that might emerge include security problems, compatibility on tablets, and a sign of trouble if the launch of the software will be delayed. Also mentioned is the impact of the release of Apple Inc.'s Mountain Lion OS on the Windows 8.

The article discusses analyst firm Gartner's encouragement of chief information officers (CIO) in Great Britain to consider the higher price of dollar-based information technology (IT) products for 2015 and beyond in their budget plans. Topics covered include the Gartner report "Building IT Infrastructure on a Euro Budget--Why Your Servers, Software and Services Will Cost More," the impact of foreign exchange fluctuations on business revenue, and better value provided by cloud-based solutions.

The article discusses sales tax from software and nexus sales. Topics discussed include taxation of remote sales and Marketplace Fairness Act. Expansion of nexus and development of e-commerce industry is also mentioned. Comments by Carol Koskinis-Graves, senior state tax analyst from information services company Wolters Kluwer and Peter Stathopoulo, lead partner at certified-public account (CPA) firm Bennett Thrasher lead partner are presented.

In the article, the author discusses developments in the technology industry as of October 2015, particularly the issues that arose in the monitoring of software sales due to the introduction of broadband or the Internet. He claims that the sale of software through direct downloads is untrackable by market researchers. Also cited are the move by several firms to do rentals, subscriptions and membership for their software, as well as the issue of software theft.

The article reports that electronic commerce company Amazon has been selling the antivirus software Norton Security Deluxe from software company Symantec for an amount of $20. It mentions the difference between Security Deluxe and Norton Security Premium and the performance of system resource of Norton Security.

The article reports on a case for making of security system for Chinese government to track members of the Falun Gong religious minority has been built by network manufacturer Cisco Systems Inc. It states that case is being appealed by Falun Gong practitioners which highlights risks technology companies take by selling software and hardware. It mentions that practitioners sued under Alien Tort Statute, a law against activities in the U.S. that support human rights abuses in other countries.

The article discusses customer relationship management vendor Salesforce's volume discounts for customers renewing or purchasing its full software suite early on. Topics covered include the company's Sales Cloud, Marketing Cloud and consulting services, the forthcoming five percent increase in its software-as-a-service (SaaS) contracts, and the insights of chief executive Mark Benioff about the company's pursuit to reach 10 billion dollars in annual revenue.

The article discusses the necessity for information technology (IT) firms to cope up with the challenges concerning software upgrades. Topics discussed include the projected increase in software upgradation spending, the S/4 Hana upgraded software of software company SAP and sales and cost considerations for the software where companies should consider buying the software if only it provides value to their business.

The article offers information on the addition of several components at the software-defined data center of computer software firm VMware. It mentions that company has updated its virtualization software including vCloud, OpenStack, and NSX. It states that the company's approach aims to obtain $21.78 billion of sales in 2015 and to add a total of $77.18 billion by 2020.

The article reports on the potential of the Perpetual User License Agreement (PULA) of technology firm Oracle Corp. to offer flat-rate pricing for unlimited use of its namesake database in perpetuity. Craig Guarente, co-founder of license management provider Palisade Compliance, stated that the development is not a rumor and the company intends to offer it to customers. The ability that PULA could give to customers to transform expenditures on Oracle enterprise software is mentioned.

The article announces that software company Microsoft will raise prices by 15 percent to 30 percent for its software products and devices in Russia from February 1, 2015.

The article presents the feedback of readers about the 163-foot Christensen Casino Royale and on price reduction of yacht-management software.

The article reports on the launch of an annual subscription program by cloud computing services provider Amazon Web Services Inc. (AWS) for its software products on its Marketplace in 2014. Under the scheme, customers can buy products on an annual subscription basis, which would allow them to have unlimited use of software for 12 months. The AWS Marketplace offers various product categories, including business applications, infrastructure, and developer systems.

The article reports on the revenues posted by computer firm SAP in the third quarter of 2013. Topics covered include the increase in its revenues, decline in income from software sales and profits from its cloud businesses. Also mentioned are efforts of the firm to market its HANA software, the run-rate reached by the firm and support revenues it has generated.

A correction is presented for the article "SAP Dials It Up to Warp Speed," in the March 3, 2013 issue regarding the company's sale of Hana database software.

In this article, the author comments on increase in licensing complexity regarding software purchases in today's cloud-based software services and virtual environments and steps to be implemented by software companies to deal with frequent audits. Topics discussed include need to build licence management by businesses, involvement of senior management in building licence management and early start of contract negotiation with software vendors.

The article reports on the ruling of the European Court of Justice (ECJ) regarding the legality of the resale of software licenses. According to the ECJ, the exclusive right of distribution of a copy of a computer program covered by a license is terminated on its first sale, wherein it applies to software that are downloaded and bought on compact disc (CD) or digital video disc (DVD). It cites the case between Oracle and UsedSoft.

The article discusses the performance of the enterprise software business of the computer and software company Oracle Corp. as of February 2013, focusing on a report from the analysis and information technology firm Forrester Research Inc. Topics include potential price increases, the Oracle Fusion enterprise application, and Oracle software licensing rules.

The article discusses the information technology (IT) industry as of December 11, 2012, with a focus on computer software firm Microsoft's decision to increase prices on product licensing. Topics include Microsoft's transition from device Client Access Licenses (CALs) into user CALs, Enterprise Agreements (EA), and the opinions of analyst Duncan Jones of research firm Forrester. INSET: USERS HAVE MANY DEVICES BUT STILL ONLY ONE BRAIN.

The article offers the author's insights regarding the domination of SharePoint as the fastest growing business application of Microsoft Corp. The author states that the underpinning technology offered by Microsoft is one of the reasons behind the success of SharePoint. He says that the price point has also contributed to the spread of SharePoint. He relates that SharePoint is a well-designed and cohesive combination of tools which work together and bring value beyond different challenges.

The comic strip "Dilbert," by Scott Adams is presented.

The article reports on the decline in the sales of printed circuit board (PCB) and muti-chip module (MCM) design software in the fourth quarter (Q4) of 2015, according to electric utility company Electronic Design Automation Consortium (EDAC).

The article reports on the increase in cloud software sales of technology firm Oracle in the first quarter of 2016 but its licensing and hardware sales were down. As a result, Oracle reported lower revenue for the period as cloud business failed to compensate for the slowdown in the hardware and data center software businesses. Sales from its cloud software and platform rose by 77%. But sales of its new on-premise software licenses fell by 11% while hardware sales in the U.S. plummeted by 19%.

The article offers news briefs on the printed circuit market as of September 2014. Seven transactions in the electronic manufacturing services (EMS) industry were completed Chicago, Illinois in second quarter 2014. There was a 4.6% 1st quarter 2014 increase to 1.76 billion dollars in electronic design software sales and services. A compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 44.3% between 2014 and 2020 is projected for the flexible electronics market.

A graph is presented that shows software spending in the information technology (IT) industry by sector.

The author focuses on the selection of software vendor by home medical equipment (HME) providers. He offers suggestions to HME providers on how to select an HME software vendor. He suggests selection of three or more vendors who have established themselves as leaders in the market. He states that initial dialogue between HME provider and software vendor should be about HME provider. He emphasizes that the information on software should include standard and optional features and components.

The editor discusses the information technology business strategy of the software company Oracle as of February 2013, arguing that customers are increasingly displeased with its sales techniques and potential attempts to increase licensing prices.

The article reports on the sales of Windows 8 software from Microsoft in both the aftermarket and the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) of personal computer (PC) market.