Annual maintenance is…

[sidesh0wb0b]

Just got an invoice sent to me for our hyperdent software.

Annual maintenance for hyperdent alone = $6,750.00!!!!!!

This actually makes me feel sick. There’s maybe a possibility of 2 phone calls I might make. Not sure if I called last year or the year before. Granted I didn’t use the software and mill for the last 4 months of last year.
Add that to the ongoing tech support fee of $2600 i think it was that they want. I hope I don’t ever have to cough up nearly $10,000 if I need two phone calls worth of support.

holy hell!
how much is a NEW license for hyperdent? isnt it like $5600 or something? that seems terribly excessive

 

[Foggy_in_RI]

Any labs on the East Coast find a simple/easy way to share licenses with West Coast labs to share the costs?
We had a hack solution with a virtual machine that could be logged into by 3 locations so each could access the Dentmill software.

 

[CatamountRob]

I understand I can keep going with the current versions I’m on. It’s definitely a strangely priced invoice. Maybe there’s a couple typos

I’ll send you a new one with a slight discount and some different routing numbers.

 

[mightymouse]

Any labs on the East Coast find a simple/easy way to share licenses with West Coast labs to share the costs?
We had a hack solution with a virtual machine that could be logged into by 3 locations so each could access the Dentmill software.

Napster for dental anyone?

 

[bigj1972]

Napster for dental anyone?

Yeah Bit-Torrent one and see what happens.

 

[sndmn2]

Technology is slowly taking the profit from the smaller guys. Personally, I made more money ten years ago doing PFM . I'm out in another year and a half.

 

[rkm rdt]

Technology is slowly taking the profit from the smaller guys. Personally, I made more money ten years ago doing PFM . I'm out in another year and a half.

Out of money or just out of the profession?

 

[tehnik]

Millbox was 950.- euros per year last time I updated (a year ago). It is not mandatory and if you don't update over 3 years you will later pay still for 3 years.

 

[DigiSculpt Design Center]

I am actually fed up with the technology cost of cad/cam, software upgrades, new machines for a one man show

A lot cheaper to find an affordable remote design operation you can trust

 

[RileyS]

Millbox was 950.- euros per year last time I updated (a year ago). It is not mandatory and if you don't update over 3 years you will later pay still for 3 years.

I’m guessing this invoice is to cover the previous years too. But $950 sounds doable

 

[zero_zero]

There's no perpetual licenses anymore ?

 

[CoolHandLuke]

There's no perpetual licenses anymore ?

perpetual licenses mean different things to different companies.

in terms of exocad, perpetual means you can use the dongle to make the software run until the windows version is no longer supported and you only need to pay when you want new software (or libraries). exocad recently changed their policies in this renewal capacity too, to give incentive for people on old software to update. some amount of forgiveness is able to be given for long out of date dongles.

in terms of hyperdent you rent the software on a yearly basis, and depending how you feel at the end of that year you can opt to pay again (and get access to new software if something comes out) or not, but you have to actively make that choice every year and for every lapse in yearly payment, you accrue that. this is an older policy in that sense.

the days of one-time-payments for access to local software have been over since the invention of software-as-a-service, or cloud computing. and effectively, HD and exo are software-as-a-service.

 

[zero_zero]

in terms of hyperdent you rent the software on a yearly basis, and depending how you feel at the end of that year you can opt to pay again (and get access to new software if something comes out) or not, but you have to actively make that choice every year and for every lapse in yearly payment, you accrue that. this is an older policy in that sense.

Thank God thing I did not go with HD, although I was told the lic. is perpetual with no updates nor maintenance back in those days...

 

[Saluki]

I have heard that in some instances, that if you don’t update every year and then decide to update they bill you for the accumulated years and add them together. That’s fair?

 

[greeny]

Welp, this was such a warm welcome to becoming a forum sponsor again, that's for sure! But joking aside, I absolutely don't mind the opportunity to explain some of the misconceptions in this thread.

First of all, @RileyS, as Al mentioned, this amount is not correct. I'm sure you guys will be able to figure it out amongst yourselves!

To help clarify some of the other topics/questions:

• @Car 54, I'd send you our books to review, but something's up with the Wi-Fi on my private jet. I'll have one of my assistants look into this when we land in Dubai, my penthouse has a dedicated fiber connection.
• From Axsys, hyperDENT upgrades and support (aka maintenance) is not mandatory - you can continue using your software after maintenance expires. However, you'd be in the minority. Most Axsys customers find significant value in continuing to receive the newest CAM updates, along with the development and improvements that go with it.
• That being said ^^^ we understand that maintenance is not for everyone. If your needs haven't changed, and you don't suspect they will, then staying on your current version of hyperDENT without upgrades and support is absolutely OK.
• It's impossible to support older versions of our software. After new features and toolpaths have been integrated, the resulting databases are not backwards compatible. This is not by design (despite what the conspiracy theorists might think).
• Software maintenance is not a new concept. In fact, optional maintenance is relatively new. Traditionally, software maintenance in the CNC/industrial world has been required.
• @zero_zero & @CoolHandLuke, hyperDENT software will run perpetually, in no way are you renting it. However, to protect lab owners, we don't create unlimited licenses. You'd be surprised how many dongles have grown legs and walk out of the lab. Lots of dongles seem to get lost in a move or renovation, too. By limiting our software annually, there's a path to replacement that's WAY more affordable than the alternative - which is a whole new license. The only inconvenience for this added insurance is a simple email reply saying "no thanks" once a year - I think it's a pretty sweet benefit!

My suggestion for anyone who's behind on maintenance that wants to upgrade to a newer version: talk to your dealer and explain your situation! They'll probably contact us to figure out a way to keep everyone satisfied. I can relate. Back in 2006, I snuck my way into the dental industry by starting a 2-man milling center, so trust me when I say that I know exactly where you're coming from. In fact, when OPEN MIND (the company that preceded FOLLOW-ME!) walked into my office and tried to sell me a $25k hyperDENT CAM package to run my KaVo Everest machine, which was already serving my needs perfectly, I quickly showed them the door. However, lots of labs saw good value in their offerings, and we're still supporting them to this day.

 

[Car 54]

@greeny nice sarcasm from a new sponsor, way to go, way to impress me

And once the idea of it maybe being a issue of not keeping up with the updates did make sense. My first thought was it had to be wrong, that initial number $$ posted, but instead went into hyper knee jerk reaction mode.

 

[bigj1972]

Nahhh.... I can live without it.

 

[greeny]

@greeny nice sarcasm from a new sponsor, way to go, way to impress me

And once the idea of it maybe being a issue of not keeping up with the updates did make sense. My first thought was it had to be wrong, that initial number $$ posted, but instead went into hyper knee jerk reaction mode.

I've been here before, I know my rights! LOL

And without getting into the OP's personal situation on a public forum, that posted amount is incorrect... even taking into account the status of his updates/maintenance. Not sure if it was misquoted or the costs were misunderstood, but either way, it doesn't matter and we'll get it taken care of!

 

[Car 54]

I've been here before, I know my rights! LOL

And without getting into the OP's personal situation on a public forum, that posted amount is incorrect... even taking into account the status of his updates/maintenance. Not sure if it was misquoted or the costs were misunderstood, but either way, it doesn't matter and we'll get it taken care of!

Yep, I knew you've been a member here, so good for you then, that you can take it and give it, no problem there. Thank you for your post in general, as it was informative. And thank you for your Sponsorship on this forum, we all appreciate your part in keeping this forum up and running, and hopefully, it pays off for you, too

A couple of days ago, I did see your banner and was going to ask if maybe I had just missed that you, Follow-Me!, were a new sponsor, and even took a screenshot to possibly ask in a post. But now I know

 

[bigj1972]

Yep, I knew you've been a member here, so good for you then, that you can take it and give it, no problem there. Thank you for your post in general, as it was informative. And thank you for your Sponsorship on this forum, we all appreciate your part in keeping this forum up and running, and hopefully, it pays off for you, too

A couple of days ago, I did see your banner and was going to ask if maybe I had just missed that you, Follow-Me!, were a new sponsor, and even took a screenshot to possibly ask in a post. But now I know

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And we'll need to get a discount...... We don't want to pay too much for CAM insurance.