Thought for the Day

The secret of staying young is to live honestly, eat slowly, and lie about your age.

~ Lucille Ball (1911 - 1989), US Television Actress

March Special

Purchase a new Casper eRegister or Casper eCommerce license (with a Gold or Platinum annual subscription) this month and receive a $300 US discount.

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CrypKey 7: Do You Know What's New?

So, you've seen the ads and heard the news about CrypKey 7. You've probably also heard that this latest version is packed with many improved features and new functionality. But do you know about all of the latest innovations that this leading software copy protection solution offers? Read on as we reveal what's new inside CrypKey 7:

• Microsoft Vista 32 Compatibility —CrypKey SDK 7 and CrypKey Instant 7 are compatible with Microsoft's newest operating system. Vista 64 compatibility will be announced in the coming months.
• Enterprise Network Licensing —In the past, CrypKey protected software from unauthorized use by licensing the computer that application was installed on. Today, CrypKey can license an entire network. A software license can now be shared with any computer on a network without needing a shared drive. This means that a client can use an application anywhere on a network without needing to know where the license is stored.
• Enhanced License Transfer —This feature gives customers a library-type model of “check-in and check-out” license usage. A user can now temporarily check out a license when the software is needed and then return it to the pool when the application is no longer required. CrypKey also provides the only licensing system that allows a license to be migrated to a computer where no license existed before. License transfers can be initiated anywhere on the network.
• eTransfer —This feature allows licenses to be quickly and easily transferred from one computer to another via the Internet.
• True Encryption for .NET Applications —CrypKey's robust encryption-based foundation offers powerful and scalable copy protection against the modern, technically-evolved hacker. Obfuscation, the generally prevailing method used by other copy protection providers, confuses hackers by altering codes, but can easily be circumvented by determined opponents.
• Separate NGN Process —This feature permits users to debug a program “on the fly”, while simultaneously using CrypKey.
• CrypKey USBKey Support —This allows you to give your customers a hardware key (versus an electronic key) without requiring changes to your code.
• Flexible, User-Friendly Licensing Setup — An application can now act as either a license server or a license client with little or no programming.
• Automatic Server Restart —Servers automatically restart upon system reboot.
• Unlimited Redundant Servers —CrypKey now supports an unlimited number of redundant servers.
• Unprecedented License Server Control and Flexibility — In addition to specifying the number of network seats, CrypKey has added the ability to identify domains, computers, and users that can or cannot use a particular license.
• License Server Flexibility — The license client is no longer required to connect to a server's drive or know where the license resides on the network. CrypKey allows you to set a priority list of servers to check when searching for a license.
• Dynamic Server Redundancy, Smart Server Connection Logic, and Server Balancing —To reduce client-to-server connection wait times, we've added Smart Client/Server Communication Protocol. It figures out which server is available immediately for connection, quickly reconnects to the server if there is a server hiccup, and even quickly connects to another server if the current one crashes. We've also added Smart Server Connection Logic, which includes Server Balancing. This enables the client to be directed to the least busy server.

To learn more about CrypKey 7's new and improved features and functionality, contact us at sales@crypkey.com or call 1-403-258-6274.

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Does Copy Protection Makes Software More Expensive?

The notion that adding a software copy protection solution to your application is expensive and will negatively impact your company's bottom line is simply a myth. On the contrary, the price of software copy protection is negligible compared to the losses incurred by developers through software piracy. By protecting their software and thereby increasing revenues, developers can actually afford to supply better software at more competitive prices. True, not everyone who copies software today will buy a protected copy tomorrow. However, the vast majority of cases prove that the investment in copy protection pays off in increased software sales and profit.

But don't just take our word for it. The findings of the latest global PC software piracy study commissioned by the Business Software Alliance (BSA) and conducted commissioned by IDC, the information technology industry's leading global market research and forecasting firm, can be viewed at http://www.bsa.org/globalstudy.

So, how much money do you lose by not protecting your software application in Canada with a piracy rate of 33%? This following example illustrates the potential negative impact on revenue of distributing a single unprotected software application:

Here's a simplified “income statement” of a software developer before using CrypKey software copy protection:

And here's an example of the positive impact on profit that is achieved after CrypKey software copy protection is employed:

The bottom line: Your profit increases $53,340!

Note: Not all revenue lost due to piracy will be recovered after using CrypKey. This model is based on the estimation that 1% of pirated-software users will not buy your application after it is copy protected.

*Prices may vary based on your network licensing requirements.

CrypKey's straight-forward pricing enables you to sell unlimited copies of your software at no additional cost. You pay only once to apply CrypKey's proven, robust copy protection solution to your application—regardless of the number of software copies you sell. Once your initial investment in Crypkey is paid for, all additional revenue stays in your pocket.

Now imagine selling 2,000 copies of your software…

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Casper 2.0 Supports PayPal

CrypKey is pleased to announce the latest Casper 2.0 upgrade: Casper eCommerce now accepts PayPal payments (in addition to PC Charge and Payflow Pro payment gateways) for online purchase transactions. This new feature is included in Casper 2.0 build 229.

Casper eCommerce now allows web-based automated processing of software license purchases via credit card using a PayPal account. This solution works by first processing the customer's payment information, verifying that the transaction was successful, and then immediately sending the customer a code to unlock the application over the Internet. Casper eCommerce works 24/7/365, without human intervention.

The main features of Casper eCommerce are:

• software license authorization via an automated credit card purchasing process
• web and email communication are supported
• customers can purchase a software license from within the application itself
• CasperWeb user interface for streamlined product and customer information management
• eTransfer allows licenses to be moved from one computer to another via the Internet

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New Pricing in Effect for CrypKey 7

Is your annual subscription up to date? The best way to ensure that you are first in line to receive the “latest and greatest” from CrypKey is to maintain a valid annual subscription for all CrypKey licenses.

With the release of CrypKey 7, please note that new product pricing is in effect for customers that use network licensing features. Any customer that has a valid annual subscription for a CrypKey license will be grandfathered and will receive an automatic upgrade to the CrypKey Enterprise license package.

The new pricing affects new CrypKey Enterprise licenses only. CrypKey SDK and CrypKey Instant Regular are still available for purchase at pre-CrypKey 7 prices. And for an added cost, CrypKey Instant and CrypKey SDK Enterprise can be purchased with additional features, such as increased number of network seats, and more accessories, including the distributor authorizing license. In addition, Enterprise customers will receive priority e-mail, phone, and remote access support.

For more pricing information, please visit our website at www.crypKey.com or call your customer service representative at 1-403-258-6274.

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Industry News: How Much Does a Windows Vista Upgrade Really Cost?

A February 2007 story by Preston Gralla from PC World (US) online revealed the potentially high cost of upgrading to Vista if your PC's current hardware does not meet the new operating system's requirements. Microsoft users must realize that cost of moving to Vista may mean more than simply paying for the operating system upgrade. According to Gralla, here's snapshot of the hardware requirements of Vista that you need to consider before purchasing the upgrade:

• RAM —Microsoft claims that Windows Vista requires 512MB of RAM, but sources indicate that the operating system does not perform well with anything less than 1GB of RAM. Some claim that 2GB is optimum.
  Cost of additional RAM: 1GB for US$100+; 2GB RAM for $180+
• Graphics Card —Windows Vista's breakthrough design and easy-to-use organizational tools promise to make it simpler to get things done. But features like the spectacular Windows Aero environment and Windows Flip 3D are graphics-hungry elements. To fully utilize all of Vista 's innovations, you need a graphics card that is Vista Premium Ready. This means a PC needs a graphics card with support for DirectX 9 graphics with a WDDM driver, a minimum of 128MB of graphics memory, and what's called Pixel Shader 2.0 and 32 bits per pixel.
  Cost of a new graphics card: $60 for a card that meets minimum Vista Premium Ready requirements; $100 to $150 for a better-performing card
• DVD Drive — Vista installs only via DVD drive.
  Cost for a DVD drive: DVD drives are relatively inexpensive today — you can get reasonable one for as low as $40.
• Hard Disk — At a minimum, you need a hard drive with at least a 40GB capacity and 15GB of free disk space. But with your files, media, and other applications, you'll need a much bigger drive than that.
• Cost for a new hard drive: Like DVD drives, hard drives are also inexpensive — you can purchase one with a 250GB capacity for as low at $70.

The other factor to consider in upgrading to Windows Vista, says Gralla, is your time. How much is your time worth? “If you need to upgrade your hardware, count in the time it takes to do the upgrade.”

To read the full-text story by Preston Gralla from PC World (US) online, go to:
http://www.crypkey.com/article/countingthecost.pdf.

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Sunset on Casper eRegister and Casper eCommerce 1X and CrypKey 5.7

Casper eRegister and Casper eCommerce

What version are you using? The current version for Casper is 2.0; build 228 encompasses all the latest technology and upgrades available. Effective November 30, 2006, CrypKey no longer supports Casper 1X. If you are still using Casper 1X, please contact our technical support team to determine a transition plan for upgrading your software.

With the release of CrypKey 7, we no longer support version 5.7. To ensure a smooth transition of your protected application(s), please contact technical support to discuss an implementation strategy that's best for you. We also advise customers to download the new CrypKey 7 instead of attempting to upgrade version 5.7, due to the vast changes in the technologies between versions.

Did You Know? CrypKey no longer supports Windows 3.1, 95, and 98.

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Share Your Ideas

Let us know which topics you'd like to see in upcoming issues of CrypKey Customer News. If you'd like to learn more about specific technical aspects of CrypKey products, tell us. Send your requests and suggestions to sales@crypkey.com.

We want to help. If you have questions about product subscription(s) or renewals, call us at 1-403-258-6274 or email sales@crypkey.com.

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Privacy

We respect your right to privacy and never make our mailing lists public. In our efforts to better serve you, we want to be certain that you would like to continue hearing from us. To unsubscribe from future CrypKey product bulletins and marketing updates, please send an e-mail to optout@crypkey.com with "Remove Me" in the subject heading.

We appreciate your business and continued support. Thank you for reading and have a great day!

Sincerely,
Team CrypKey