Software Maintenance Agreements

The graph shows Improvision's active development policy for Openlab and Volocity.

At Improvision, we take improving and maintaining our software products very seriously. A glance at our past release history will show you that revisions and updates are made throughout the year in order to ensure that our customers are provided with the best possible imaging software.

New licenses of our dongle protected products are supplied with a 12 month Software Maintenance Agreement or SMA. This means that during the period of validity, all new versions of the product that we release can be downloaded and installed for that specific dongle number.

When the SMA has expired, you can continue to use the currently installed software, but you will not be able to upgrade to the next version that we release until you purchase a new 12 month SMA. You don’t have to buy your next SMA concurrently, but if we make a major release during the period when the product license does not have a valid SMA, you will need to buy an upgrade to the new version at a higher charge.

Having a valid SMA for your product means that you can take advantage of new features and improvements to your software straight away. An SMA provides better value for money than buying upgrades to new versions and because you know when your SMA expires, you can plan your budget or submit funding applications with confidence.

If you are an existing user of our software and don’t have an SMA but wish to upgrade to the latest version of your product, contact us for pricing. All enquiries about SMAs from new or existing users of our products should be sent to sma@improvision.com. Take a look at the SMA FAQ below for the answers to general questions about SMAs.

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SMA FAQ
What is an SMA?
An SMA is a "Software Maintenance Agreement". If you have a valid SMA, you will be able to download and use updates to Improvision products. Updates released after your SMA has expired will not run - you will need to extend your SMA to use them.

How is an SMA enforced?
Every Improvision dongle or key has an SMA expiry date programmed into it. Each version of our software has a build date programmed into it. When the software starts, these two dates are compared to ensure that the SMA is valid for the build date.

What do I get in return for purchasing an SMA?
You will receive an unlock code which extends the SMA expiry date programmed into your dongle or key. This will allow software updates released before the SMA expiry date to run.

I've just purchased an Improvision product - do I get an SMA?
All Improvision software products come with a free one year SMA.

I've just purchased an Improvision product, but the software says my SMA will expire in less than one year?
This can happen if you purchased your system through an Improvision dealer. In this case we will extend your SMA to one year from the date that the software was delivered to you. To arrange this, please contact sma@improvision.com. You will need to provide your system serial number (dongle number) and a delivery note or similar proof of purchase.

Can I access technical support if I do not have an SMA?
The SMA does not directly limit access to technical support, however the help desk can only offer support by email and telephone for the latest versions of Improvision products.

My SMA is about to expire - does this mean that I won't be able to use my system?
You will be able to use your system as normal after the SMA expires. You will however not be able to use software updates released after the SMA expiry date.

I would like to extend my SMA - how do I do this?
Please contact sma@improvision.com to obtain a quote. You will need to provide your contact details and your system serial number (dongle number).

Can I purchase an SMA before the expiry date?
Yes, the new SMA will start the day after the old one ends. It is also possible to purchase several SMAs in advance - this may be useful to customers that need to ensure a fixed cost of ownership for a system over several years.