Support and Maintenance: No Longer the Software Industry's "Best Kept Secret"?
P.J. Jakovljevic - March 30, 2007

For the longest time, the traditional pricing strategies of software vendors have included a reliance on support and maintenance (S&M) contracts, which is where most vendors could be assured of meeting, if not surpassing, their margins. The sizable profit made from S&M contracts (with customers paying more over time) has been one of the software industry's best kept secrets. Furthermore, enterprise users have not had the option to turn down maintenance contracts—that is, not until recently...