Why do I need a maintenance contract ?
The Scada-LTS is a FreeSoftware, so provided under the GPL, and at no cost.
This kind of software must be available and maintained over the long term. A lifespan of 20 to 30 years is a reasonable time-frame for serious or large-scale industrial deployments (dams, harbours, electrical grids, water distribution networks, …). That is why it is essential to ensure the long-term sustainability of the maintenance and development processes of the Scada-LTS. That is, in fact, the very reason for its name !
We do support strongly the spirit and philosophy of the Free Software Foundation, and do believe that the user of a software should never fall in a Vendor Lock-in trap, that is why we provide the software in source-code format.
However, despite all our efforts, for years we have faced considerable difficulties in persuading the many users – including industrial and professional users – to contribute in any way to the work required to maintain, document, extend, correct, translate, etc. this very powerful, industrial-grade software.
Our business model is based exclusively on services related to Scada-LTS, which include, amongst others (but are not limited to):
- Trainings
- Customisations
- Assistance
- Translations
- Help-desk
- Maintenance
- Special developments
- Translations
- Advice
- …
So we think it is fair to ask you to contact us, if you plan to use this software in its full scale and power, for industrial/production/professional uses.
If you believe that a FreeSoftware or OpenSource Software should be available free of charge, this means you are considering relying on a resource that is impossible to maintain or that may soon cease to be maintained… This is not a serious approach for critical industrial-grade software such as a SCADA system, which must manage vital infrastructure over the long term whilst adapting to new technologies, interfaces, protocols, media, etc.
To ensure that this software remains of the highest quality and at the cutting edge of technology, we need to fund the development team, the servers, electricity, internet access, and so on. We would therefore like to thank you for your contribution. This may take the form of a contribution in kind (helping with development, documentation, etc.) or a more traditional (financial) contribution.
That is why we invite you to contact our sales department to arrange access. The terms and conditions depend on your circumstances (industrial evaluation, international organisation, student, university, member of a software development community, etc.); so please be prepared to explain your current situation, your proposals and your objectives.
I hope you understand…