Currently AVA software requires a dongle / key in order to run. Software eve keys (or dongles) require a code to work and these are supplied by AVA. This set up allows you to protect your software from unauthorised use.

Most AVA users already appreciate the value of ‘future proofing’ their AVA software through the AVA Development Plan - thus ensuring that their software will still be ‘raring to go’ (faster than ever) long after the computer (and probably the operating system) which it is currently running on have been forced into retirement and replacements have had to be purchased.

But what would happen if the unique USB dongle that controls your access to the software was stolen? At the moment (as we remind all AVA customers regularly), your only recourse would be to make a claim on your business assets insurance and purchase a new key. The reason for this is fairly obvious; the stolen key remains in circulation and, unfortunately, there is a potential black market for stolen software keys.

If AVA replaced stolen keys free of charge, we would sell a lot less software and prices for those customers who did purchase directly from us would need to rise in order to continue to fund the constant research and development upon which our business, and ultimately yours, depends. Making a claim on a business asset insurance policy should be straightforward - your software is a business asset of which you have proof of purchase like any other - but it is surprising how reluctant insurance companies sometimes are to reimburse customers for software losses and occasionally they even specifically exclude software from cover in the small print of their policies (check yours now!).

The good news is that, if you are among the majority of AVA users with access to the internet from your AVA workstation, we offer a solution to the above problem. By switching to an Internet enabled dongle (an iKey), you can reduce your risk in the event of loss of the key to a £100 replacement charge. The reason for this is that (in contrast to the situation with traditional dongles), AVA can, on receipt of written instructions from the owner of the missing dongle, disable it - thus rendering it effectively useless to anyone trying to use it illegally. It is important to note that, under the terms of our Software License Agreement, AVA would only be able to disable a key on receipt of specific instructions from the rightful owner for a key which was being used in breach of the License Agreement:

There are no costs involved in changing over to an iKey and this process can usually be accomplished in a few minutes over the phone. Once changed over, the new dongle refreshes itself by checking on the internet every few days to ensure that it is still ‘authorised’. If there is a problem with authorisation or lack of internet access the key will send you a message telling you what the problem is and how long you have to sort it out before the key stops functioning. This ‘safety period’ is generally several working days so, if there was ever a problem which couldn’t be fixed, we would have plenty of time to send you a replacement key before the other one stopped working.

This, however, is unlikely as we have a robust system of back up servers (in different locations, with different ISPs) in order to ensure that any interruptions to server access are far too short to affect key top ups. It will be apparent from the above that you do not need an ‘always on’ internet connection as long as you can connect to the internet when you want to.

If you would like to find out more about changing existing dongles to iKeys, please contact AVA Customer Services.

Another advantage of internet enabled keys is the option of leasing AVA software for a defined period of time. The leasing option can be used as a temporary solution when you only need an additional AVA workstation or module for a limited period of time. If you are interested or have any queries about this leasing option, please contact the Sales team on your usual free phone number.