INDUSTRIAL AUTOMATION SOFTWARE UTILITY CREDITING

An industrial software management system uses utility crediting to license industrial software to customers. According to an example licensing structure, a software customer can purchase utility credits that grant the customer use of a software product, limited by a usage metric defined by the utility credits. Depending on the type of software product, the usage metric may be a function of processing usage by the product, an amount of storage consumed by the product, a number of processing cores used, product utilization time, a number of times a specific feature of the product is used, or other such metrics. Utility credits can be as granular and scalable as necessary, and different usage drawdown rates can be defined depending on the type of software application, customer agreements, or other factors.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The subject matter disclosed herein relates generally to industrial automation systems, and, more specifically, to techniques for licensing industrial software products.

BACKGROUND ART

The design, operation, and analysis of industrial systems require a diverse range of software products. These include, for example, control program development software for configuring and programming industrial controllers, human-machine interface (HMI) development software for developing HMI applications for execution on HMI terminals, various types of analytic software for collecting and analyzing operational data collected from controlled industrial processes, and other such software products. Typically, these software products must be purchased or leased by owners of the industrial assets from software vendors.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION

In one or more embodiments, a system is provided, comprising a credit tracking component configured to record an allocation of utility credits to an industrial customer in a customer record associated with the industrial customer, the utility credits granting usage of an industrial software product to the industrial customer; a usage monitoring component configured to monitor usage events indicative of the industrial customer's usage of the industrial software product, wherein the usage events are units of a usage metric having a defined cost of utility credits, wherein the credit tracking component is further configured to record a deduction of the utility credits in the customer record in response to detection of each of the usage events by the usage monitoring component; and a software enablement component configured to enable one or more features of the industrial software product in response to determining that a total number of the utility credits is equal to or greater than a defined number of credits, and to disable the one or more features in response to determining that the total number of the utility credits is less than the defined number.

Also, one or more embodiments provide a method, comprising allocating, by a system comprising a processor, utility credits to an industrial customer, wherein the utility credits grant usage of an industrial software product to the industrial customer; monitoring, by the system, usage events indicative of the industrial customer's usage of the industrial software product, wherein the usage events are measures of a usage metric having a defined cost of utility credits; and in response to detecting a usage event of the usage events: deducting, by the system, a number of the utility credits commensurate with the defined cost of utility credits; in response to determining that a remaining number of the utility credits is equal to or greater than a defined number of utility credits, enabling, by the system, one or more features of the industrial software product; and in response to determining that the remaining number of the utility credits is less than the defined number of utility credits, disabling, by the system, the one or more features.

Also, according to one or more embodiments, a non-transitory computer-readable medium is provided having stored thereon instructions that, in response to execution, cause a system to perform operations, the operations comprising allocating utility credits to an industrial customer, wherein the utility credits grant permission to use an industrial software product to the industrial customer; and monitoring usage events indicative of the industrial customer's usage of the industrial software product, wherein the usage events are measures of a usage metric having a defined cost of utility credits; in response to detecting a usage event of the usage events: subtracting a number of the utility credits equal to the defined cost of utility credits; in response to determining that a remaining number of the utility credits is equal to or greater than a defined number of utility credits, enabling one or more features of the industrial software product; and in response to determining that the remaining number of the utility credits is less than the defined number of utility credits, disabling the one or more features.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

As used in this application, the terms “component,” “system,” “platform,” “layer,” “controller,” “terminal,” “station,” “node,” “interface” are intended to refer to a computer-related entity or an entity related to, or that is part of, an operational apparatus with one or more specific functionalities, wherein such entities can be either hardware, a combination of hardware and software, software, or software in execution. For example, a component can be, but is not limited to being, a process running on a processor, a processor, a hard disk drive, multiple storage drives (of optical or magnetic storage medium) including affixed (e.g., screwed or bolted) or removable affixed solid-state storage drives; an object; an executable; a thread of execution; a computer-executable program, and/or a computer. By way of illustration, both an application running on a server and the server can be a component. One or more components can reside within a process and/or thread of execution, and a component can be localized on one computer and/or distributed between two or more computers. Also, components as described herein can execute from various computer readable storage media having various data structures stored thereon. The components may communicate via local and/or remote processes such as in accordance with a signal having one or more data packets (e.g., data from one component interacting with another component in a local system, distributed system, and/or across a network such as the Internet with other systems via the signal). As another example, a component can be an apparatus with specific functionality provided by mechanical parts operated by electric or electronic circuitry which is operated by a software or a firmware application executed by a processor, wherein the processor can be internal or external to the apparatus and executes at least a part of the software or firmware application. As yet another example, a component can be an apparatus that provides specific functionality through electronic components without mechanical parts, the electronic components can include a processor therein to execute software or firmware that provides at least in part the functionality of the electronic components. As further yet another example, interface(s) can include input/output (I/O) components as well as associated processor, application, or Application Programming Interface (API) components. While the foregoing examples are directed to aspects of a component, the exemplified aspects or features also apply to a system, platform, interface, layer, controller, terminal, and the like.

Furthermore, the term “set” as employed herein excludes the empty set; e.g., the set with no elements therein. Thus, a “set” in the subject disclosure includes one or more elements or entities. As an illustration, a set of controllers includes one or more controllers; a set of data resources includes one or more data resources; etc. Likewise, the term “group” as utilized herein refers to a collection of one or more entities; e.g., a group of nodes refers to one or more nodes.

Industrial controllers, their associated I/O devices, motor drives, and other such industrial devices are central to the operation of modern automation systems. Industrial controllers interact with field devices on the plant floor to control automated processes relating to such objectives as product manufacture, material handling, batch processing, supervisory control, and other such applications. Industrial controllers store and execute user-defined control programs to effect decision-making in connection with the controlled process. Such programs can include, but are not limited to, ladder logic, sequential function charts, function block diagrams, structured text, or other such platforms.

FIG.1is a block diagram of an example industrial control environment100. In this example, a number of industrial controllers118are deployed throughout an industrial plant environment to monitor and control respective industrial systems or processes relating to product manufacture, machining, motion control, batch processing, material handling, or other such industrial functions. Industrial controllers118typically execute respective control programs to facilitate monitoring and control of industrial devices120making up the controlled industrial assets or systems (e.g., industrial machines). One or more industrial controllers118may also comprise a soft controller executed on a personal computer or other hardware platform, or on a cloud platform. Some hybrid devices may also combine controller functionality with other functions (e.g., visualization). The control programs executed by industrial controllers118can comprise any conceivable type of code used to process input signals read from the industrial devices120and to control output signals generated by the industrial controllers, including but not limited to ladder logic, sequential function charts, function block diagrams, or structured text.

Industrial devices120may include both input devices that provide data relating to the controlled industrial systems to the industrial controllers118, and output devices that respond to control signals generated by the industrial controllers118to control aspects of the industrial systems. Example input devices can include telemetry devices (e.g., temperature sensors, flow meters, level sensors, pressure sensors, etc.), manual operator control devices (e.g., push buttons, selector switches, etc.), safety monitoring devices (e.g., safety mats, safety pull cords, light curtains, etc.), and other such devices. Output devices may include motor drives, pneumatic actuators, signaling devices, robot control inputs, valves, and the like. Some industrial devices, such as industrial device120M, may operate autonomously on the plant network116without being controlled by an industrial controller118.

Industrial controllers118may communicatively interface with industrial devices120over hardwired or networked connections. For example, industrial controllers118can be equipped with native hardwired inputs and outputs that communicate with the industrial devices120to effect control of the devices. The native controller I/O can include digital I/O that transmits and receives discrete voltage signals to and from the field devices, or analog I/O that transmits and receives analog voltage or current signals to and from the devices. The controller I/O can communicate with a controller's processor over a backplane such that the digital and analog signals can be read into and controlled by the control programs. Industrial controllers118can also communicate with industrial devices120over the plant network116using, for example, a communication module or an integrated networking port. Exemplary networks can include the Internet, intranets, Ethernet, DeviceNet, ControlNet, Data Highway and Data Highway Plus (DH/DH+), Remote I/O, Fieldbus, Modbus, Profibus, wireless networks, serial protocols, and the like. The industrial controllers118can also store persisted data values that can be referenced by the control program and used for control decisions, including but not limited to measured or calculated values representing operational states of a controlled machine or process (e.g., tank levels, positions, alarms, etc.) or captured time series data that is collected during operation of the automation system (e.g., status information for multiple points in time, diagnostic occurrences, etc.). Similarly, some intelligent devices—including but not limited to motor drives, instruments, or condition monitoring modules—may store data values that are used for control and/or to visualize states of operation. Such devices may also capture time-series data or events on a log for later retrieval and viewing.

Industrial automation systems often include one or more human-machine interfaces (HMIs)114that allow plant personnel to view telemetry and status data associated with the automation systems, and to control some aspects of system operation. HMIs114may communicate with one or more of the industrial controllers118over a plant network116, and exchange data with the industrial controllers to facilitate visualization of information relating to the controlled industrial processes on one or more pre-developed operator interface screens. HMIs114can also be configured to allow operators to submit data to specified data tags or memory addresses of the industrial controllers118, thereby providing a means for operators to issue commands to the controlled systems (e.g., cycle start commands, device actuation commands, etc.), to modify setpoint values, etc. HMIs114can generate one or more display screens through which the operator interacts with the industrial controllers118, and thereby with the controlled processes and/or systems. Example display screens can visualize present states of industrial systems or their associated devices using graphical representations of the processes that display metered or calculated values, employ color or position animations based on state, render alarm notifications, or employ other such techniques for presenting relevant data to the operator. Data presented in this manner is read from industrial controllers118by HMIs114and presented on one or more of the display screens according to display formats chosen by the HMI developer. HMIs may comprise fixed location or mobile devices with either user-installed or pre-installed operating systems, and either user-installed or pre-installed graphical application software.

Some industrial environments may also include other systems or devices relating to specific aspects of the controlled industrial systems. These may include, for example, one or more data historians110that aggregate and store production information collected from the industrial controllers118and other industrial devices.

Industrial devices120, industrial controllers118, HMIs114, associated controlled industrial assets, and other plant-floor systems such as data historians110, vision systems, and other such systems operate on the operational technology (OT) level of the industrial environment. Higher level analytic and reporting systems may operate at the higher enterprise level of the industrial environment in the information technology (IT) domain; e.g., on an office network108or on a cloud platform122. Such higher level systems can include, for example, enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems104that integrate and collectively manage high-level business operations, such as finance, sales, order management, marketing, human resources, or other such business functions. Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES)102can monitor and manage control operations on the control level given higher-level business considerations. Reporting systems106can collect operational data from industrial devices on the plant floor and generate daily or shift reports that summarize operational statistics of the controlled industrial assets.

The design, operation, and analysis of industrial systems require a diverse range of software products. These include, for example, control program development software for configuring and programming industrial controllers118, HMI development software for developing HMI applications for execution on HMI terminals, various types of analytic software for collecting and analyzing operational data collected from controlled industrial processes (e.g., MES software, ERP software, reporting software, etc.), and other such software products. Typically, these software products must be purchased or leased by owners of the industrial assets from software vendors. Many software licensing agreements offered by industrial software vendors are complicated and inflexible, and as such can serve as a barrier to entry for potential new customers, or even discourage a vendor's current customers from purchasing other software products offered by the vendor. More flexible licensing agreements may not only incentivize existing users of a vendor's software products to expand into other more specialized software offerings, but also encourage new customers to purchase the vendor's software solutions.

To address these and other issues, one or more embodiments described herein provide a system for licensing industrial software using utility crediting. According to an example licensing structure, a software customer can purchase utility credits that grant the customer use of a software product, limited by a usage metric defined by the utility credits. Depending on the type of software product, the usage metric may be a function of processing usage by the product, an amount of storage consumed by the product, a number of processing cores used, product utilization time, a number of times a specific feature of the product is used, or other such metrics. Utility credits can be as granular and scalable as necessary, and different usage drawdown rates can be defined depending on the type of software application, customer agreements, or other factors.

FIG.2is a block diagram of an example industrial software management system202according to one or more embodiments of this disclosure. Aspects of the systems, apparatuses, or processes explained in this disclosure can constitute machine-executable components embodied within machine(s), e.g., embodied in one or more computer-readable mediums (or media) associated with one or more machines. Such components, when executed by one or more machines, e.g., computer(s), computing device(s), automation device(s), virtual machine(s), etc., can cause the machine(s) to perform the operations described.

Industrial software management system202can include a user interface component204, a usage monitoring component206, a credit tracking component208, a software enablement component210, a recommendation component212, one or more processors218, and memory220. In various embodiments, one or more of the user interface component204, usage monitoring component206, credit tracking component208, software enablement component21, recommendation component212, the one or more processors218, and memory220can be electrically and/or communicatively coupled to one another to perform one or more of the functions of the software management system202. In some embodiments, components204,206,208,210, and212can comprise software instructions stored on memory220and executed by processor(s)218. Software management system202may also interact with other hardware and/or software components not depicted inFIG.2. For example, processor(s)218may interact with one or more external user interface devices, such as a keyboard, a mouse, a display monitor, a touchscreen, or other such interface devices.

User interface component204can be configured to exchange information between the system202and client devices having authorization to access the software management system202. In some embodiments, user interface component204can be configured to generate and deliver interface displays to the client device that allow the user to establish software licensing agreements, purchase utility credits, download software products, view utility credit summaries, or perform other interactions with the system202.

Usage monitoring component206can be configured to monitor usage metrics for respective software products being used by customers for the purposes of credit tracking. Credit tracking component208can be configured to update the customers' utility credit counts as a function of the monitored usage metrics. Software enablement component210can be configured to enable or disable customer-side software products based on the customers' current utility credit counts. Recommendation component212can be configured to assess a customer's expected execution scenarios for a software product, as well as the customer's available processing platforms, and generate recommendations for optimal utility credit agreements based on the assessment.

The one or more processors218can perform one or more of the functions described herein with reference to the systems and/or methods disclosed. Memory220can be a computer-readable storage medium storing computer-executable instructions and/or information for performing the functions described herein with reference to the systems and/or methods disclosed.

FIG.3is a diagram illustrating a general architecture of the industrial software management system202according to one or more embodiments. In this example architecture, the software management system202resides and executes on a cloud platform, or another web-based platform, and is accessible by multiple industrial customers. The system202hosts various industrial software products302, which are available for licensed use by the customers. These software products302can include, but are not limited to, development or design applications for creating portions of a customer's industrial control project; analysis applications for performing analysis on the customer's industrial automation systems or processes for the purposes of optimization, insights, or reporting; runtime applications that execute on control system hardware, or other such software products. Specific types of software products302that can be offered and licensed using utility credits306can include, but are not limited to, control program development applications used to create executable control programs and device settings for industrial controllers118(e.g., ladder logic development programs or other types of controller configuration software), HMI development applications used to create visualization applications for execution on HMI terminals, device configuration software (e.g., motor drive configuration applications), MES software, ERP software, reporting software, data historian applications, industrial simulation or emulation software, or other such industrial software products.

The system202allows industrial customers, including owners of industrial assets308that operate at different industrial facilities, to establish licensing agreements to use selected software products302offered by one or more industrial software vendors. Depending on the type of software product302, customers having a license to use a selected software product302can either download the product302from the system202for local execution, or may access and use a customer-specific instance of the product302that executes on the cloud platform on which the system202resides.

The system202supports a licensing structure that allows a customer to purchase utility credits306granting the customer use of a selected software product302, or a range of software products302, limited by a purchased amount of a specified usage metric. In general, utility credits306serve as a measure of permitted usage of a software product302, and are associated with a usage metric that can be tracked by the system202. Customers can select a software product302and purchase a selected number of utility credits306equating to a desired amount of product usage that the customer to be granted. Ownership of unused utility credits306permits a customer to use the software product302, limited by the total amount of usage represented by the remaining unused utility credits306. The system202tracks each customer's utility credits306, software product permissions, and product usage histories in a dedicated customer record304.

Once a customer has purchased a desired number of utility credits306for usage of a selected industrial software product302, the software management system202tracks the customer's usage of the product by monitoring usage events310, which are units of the usage metric associated with the utility credits306. The usage metric can be substantially any measure of the product's usage, including but not limited to an amount of accumulated time that users associated with the customer entity have used the product302, an amount of processing bandwidth consumed by the product302in connection with the customer's usage, an amount of storage space consumed by the product's usage, a number of processing cores or virtual machines used to execute the product302, a number of times a specific feature of the product302is used (e.g., exporting data, generating a report, performing a specified type of calculation, executing a database query, etc.) or other such metrics. The customer's utility credits306are deducted, or consumed, as a function of the triggered usage events310, and the system202issues activation controls312that either permit or prevent the customer's continued usage of the product302depending on whether the customer owns a sufficient number of unused utility credits306available for the product302.

FIG.4is a diagram illustrating tracking of customers' utility credits by the software management system202according to one or more embodiments. As noted above, the system202can maintain customer records304corresponding to respective customers or customer entities (e.g., Customer1, Customer2, etc.) who are registered to access and use industrial software made available by the system202. A customer entity may be, for example, an industrial enterprise comprising one or more industrial facilities, which makes use of industrial software for designing, programming, operating, and/or analyzing its industrial systems and processes.

Each customer record304can record the identities of software products302that the corresponding customer has purchased rights to access and use. For each product, the customer record304can also specify the usage metric to be used to track the customer's usage of the product302for the purposes of credit tracking. The usage metric may be, for example, an amount of time spent using the product302(which can be a cumulative time across multiple users associated with the customer entity, measured in units of seconds, minutes, hours, or days), an amount of processing power consumed by the product302(which may be a function of how the customer uses the product302), an amount of storage space consumed by the product302, a number of processing cores or virtual machines used by the product302, or other such metrics. In some cases, customers can select a usage metric for a given product302based on their intended use of the product302. In other cases, the usage metric associated with a software product302may be a fixed function of the product's type.

According to various example scenarios, a usage metric associated with a data collection or historian application may be an amount of storage space consumed by data collected and stored by the application, or an amount of time that the application is in use. In the case of an analytic software product that performs analysis on a customer's industrial data for the purposes of reporting, visualization, optimization, or supervisory control, the usage metric may be an amount of processing power or bandwidth consumed by the product302, a number of discrete calculations performed by the product302, a number of reports generated by the product302, a number of processing cores on which the product302executes, or other such metrics of usage.

Each customer record304can also specify, for each product302that the customer is registered to use, a number of remaining usage credits306that have been purchased by the customer for use of the product302. For a given product302and associated usage metric, the number of remaining (or unused) utility credits306represents an amount of the usage metric remaining to the customer for usage of the product302. Once a customer has established an agreement to use a software product302, specified a usage metric to be used as the basis for usage rights to the product302, and purchased a number of utility credits306for the product302, the system's usage monitoring component206tracks the customer's usage of the product302by monitoring usage events310corresponding to the usage metric selected for the product302. As the customer uses the product302, the credit tracking component208deducts from the customer's remaining utility credits306in response to detection of a usage event310by the usage monitoring component206.

For example, if the usage metric for an industrial analytic software product is a number of discrete calculations performed by the product302, the usage monitoring component206can monitor the customer's instance of the product302for calculations performed by the product302, identifying each calculation as a usage event310. In response to detection of this usage event310, the credit tracking component208can decrement the customer's remaining utility credits306for the product by a number of utility credits306corresponding to the credit cost of a calculation (e.g., one utility credit306per calculation). If the usage metric is an amount of processing bandwidth or memory consumed by the product302during its execution, the usage monitoring component206can monitor the product's consumption of processing power (e.g., in terms of a peak amount of processing power consumed during execution, or in terms of cumulative processing bandwidth over time) or memory consumption as usage events310, which trigger deductions or draw-downs of the number of available utility credits306by the credit tracking component208. If the usage metric is set to be time of use, the usage monitoring component206can track, as usage events310, each minute that a user associated with the customer is using the product302, and these events310will trigger a commensurate deduction or draw-down of the available utility credits306by the credit tracking component208.

As noted above, customers permitted to use a given software product302can either download an instance of the product302for local execution, or may remotely access and use a cloud-based or centralized instance of the product302. In either case, the usage monitoring component206will monitor usage events310triggered by usage the product302on a customer-specific basis, and the credit tracking component208updates the number of remaining utility credits306recorded in each customer file304based on the corresponding customer-specific usage events. The system202can monitor the usage events310from local instances of the products302(e.g., instances executing on local assets308, as illustrated inFIG.3) and issue activation controls312to the local instances via any intervening network infrastructures and devices, including but not limited to the internet, an office network or plant network at the industrial facility, gateway devices, or other such network entities.

In general, the cost of a usage event310, in terms of the number of utility credits306consumed by the event310, can be defined at any level of granularity (e.g., one utility credit per event310, three utility credits per event310, etc.). Also, some embodiments can allow different utility credit costs, or credit draw-down rates, to be defined for respective different types of usage events310associated with the product302. In the case of an analytic software products, a customer may agree to an arrangement whereby different types of calculations or events executed by the product302have different utility credit costs. For example, using the product302to generate and output a report may cost a first number of utility credits306, while using the product302to send recipe data to a control system for execution may cost a second number of utility credits306. Other types of discrete usage events310that can be associated with a utility credit cost in this manner can include, but are not limited to, executing a database query, performing a calculation that will require an unknown amount of processing time, converting a control project (e.g., converting control code from a first platform to a second platform), exporting a control project or control code, or other such events310.

In this way, software-specific discrete events310are used as the method of charging for the use of the software products302on a transactional basis. Deducting from a customer's remaining number of available utility credits306in response to detection of monitored discrete usage events310, where the amount by which the utility credits306are deducted is determined based on the defined utility credit cost of the event310, effectively allows the customer's usage of the software product302to be metered. Customers can purchase any number of additional utility credits306at any time from the vendor of the software product302. Once purchased, the credit tracking component208will add the new credits306to the current total of utility credits that are available to the customer for usage of the product302.

FIG.5is a diagram illustrating deployment of software activation controls312by the system202. As a customer entity is using a software product302for which utility credits306have been purchased, the usage monitoring component206and credit tracking component208monitor the product's usage events310and deduct from the customer's available utility credits306for the product302accordingly, as described above. The software enablement component210monitors the customer's remaining unused utility credits306as recorded in the customer's record304, and issues software activation controls312that either enable or disable use of the product302based on a determination of whether a sufficient number of remaining credits are available to use the product302. That is, if the number of remaining utility credits306falls below a minimum number required to use one of the product's features, the software enablement component210issues an activation control312that disables that feature of the software product302. Otherwise, if a sufficient number of utility credits306are available to use the feature, the software enablement component210issues an activation control312that permits usage of the product's feature. In order to re-enable the feature, or to prevent disablement of the feature before the number of remaining credits306falls below the minimum required, the customer can purchase additional utility credits from the vendor of the software product302, which will be added to the number of available credits306recorded in the customer record304.

Although the examples described above assume that the customer purchases a separate set of utility credits306for each individual product302to be licensed, such that the customer record304tracks separate numbers of available credits306for each product302, in some embodiments the system202can allow the user to purchase utility credits306that are shared among all products302used by the customer. In such embodiments, the credit tracking component208manages a single pool of available utility credits306owned by the customer, and deducts from this pool of available credits306in response to usage events310generated by any product302used by the customer. The number of credits306decremented from the available credits306for a given event310can depend on the utility cost of the event310, which itself may be a function of the particular product302that generated the event310and the type of the event310.

To assist customers in selecting a suitable utility credit agreement for use of a software product302, some embodiments of the software management system202can generate recommendations for optimal utility credit agreements based on the customer's expected execution scenarios and available processing platforms.FIG.6is a diagram illustrating delivery of agreement recommendations602by the industrial software management system202. In an example scenario, a customer in the process of selecting a utility credit agreement can submit information to the system202indicating the product302of interest as well as the customer's expected usage scenarios for the product302. The submitted usage scenario information can depend on the type of software product302being considered. For example, in the case of an analytic software product302, the usage scenario information can specify such information as the types of analytic tasks to be performed, a scope of the analytic tasks (e.g., number of machines or devices to be included in the analysis), a frequency at which analytic outputs are required, or other such information. In the case of development software products302, the usage scenario information may specify an expected number of developers who will be using the product at the same time, a maximum size of control or visualization projects expected to be generated using the product302, or other such usage scenarios. Additionally, in the case of software products302that will be executed locally at the customer facility, the customer may also submit information about processing platforms that are available to the customer for execution of the product302, including the number available compute platforms and the respective processing capabilities of those platforms.

Based on the information submitted by the customer, the system's recommendation component212can generate one or more recommendations602for utility credit agreements that are suitable for the customer's expected usage scenarios and processing platforms, and the user interface component204can render these recommendations602on the customer's client device (e.g., via a web browser). In an example scenario, the recommendation component212may estimate the amount of time the software product302of interest will require to perform a specified computing task on each of the customer's available computer platforms (which may have respective different processing capabilities), as well as the utility credit costs associated with each of these estimates. In another example in which processing bandwidth is the usage metric measured by the utility credits306, the recommendations602may comprise alternative tiered agreement proposals indicating the expected performance efficiency of the product302(e.g., in terms of the speed at which the product302can generate desired results) as a function of the number of utility credits306purchased. The recommendation component212can generate these estimates and proposals based on the available utility credit plans offered by the vendor of the software product302, as well as performance specification information for the product302(e.g., the product's processing requirements, computing platforms on which the product302can be executed, etc.). The recommendations602may convey trade-offs between processing efficiency and the cost of different utility credit agreements, which can assist the customer in selecting a suitable agreement for use of the product302.

The software management system202can also allow customers with active utility credit agreements to access information about their utility credit allocations, deductions, balances, and usage history.FIG.7is a diagram illustrating generation and delivery of a customer-specific utility credit dashboard702to a client device associated with a corresponding customer. An authorized user associated with a customer can access the credit dashboard702via a web browser or another type of client application. The user interface component204renders, via the dashboard702, such information as the customer's current utility credit balance, a history of allocations to and deductions from the customer's utility credits306, a history of usage events310generated by each software product302used by the customer, details regarding the customer's current utility credit agreement, or other such information. The user interface component204can obtain at least some of the information presented on the dashboard702from the customer record304associated with the customer.

The credit-based approach for licensing industrial software products302described herein allows for simplified and flexible licensing agreements that can reduce the number of contracts the customer must maintain in order to operate multiple software products, since a common pool of utility credits306can be used to grant usage rights to multiple software products306. This flexible licensing strategy, based on allotment and consumption of utility credits, can also encourage existing customers to try other products306offered by a vendor whose products the customer is already using, since the same pool of utility credits306can be used to unlock features of a range of different available products302.

The licensing standard described above, in which utility credits306are used to enable features of industrial software products as a function of specified usage metrics, can be particularly useful for products302that operate on a substantially continuous basis, such as analytic applications that collect and analyze data from industrial operations for the purpose of generating reports, performing supervisory control, delivering notifications, optimizing plant operations, or other functions. While this licensing standard is also applicable to other types of software products306, including design software or simulation software, that is used intermittently on an as-need basis, these types of software products306may also benefit from other types of licensing standards.

For example, according to another industrial software licensing standard described herein, subscription tokens can be allotted to customers and used to check out and use software products302. These subscription tokens can determine how many instances of a software product302can be checked out and used by the customer at a given time.

FIG.8is a diagram of an example industrial software management system802according to one or more embodiments of this disclosure. Aspects of the systems, apparatuses, or processes explained in this disclosure can constitute machine-executable components embodied within machine(s), e.g., embodied in one or more computer-readable mediums (or media) associated with one or more machines. Such components, when executed by one or more machines, e.g., computer(s), computing device(s), automation device(s), virtual machine(s), etc., can cause the machine(s) to perform the operations described.

Industrial software management system802can include a user interface component804, a token tracking component806, a software deployment component808, a feature control component810, one or more processors818, and memory820. In various embodiments, one or more of the user interface component804, token tracking component806, software deployment component808, feature control component810, the one or more processors818, and memory820can be electrically and/or communicatively coupled to one another to perform one or more of the functions of the software management system802. In some embodiments, components804,806,808, and810can comprise software instructions stored on memory820and executed by processor(s)818. Software management system802may also interact with other hardware and/or software components not depicted inFIG.8. For example, processor(s)818may interact with one or more external user interface devices, such as a keyboard, a mouse, a display monitor, a touchscreen, or other such interface devices.

User interface component804can be configured to exchange information between the software management system802and client devices having authorization to access the system802. In some embodiments, user interface component804can be configured to generate and deliver interface displays to the client device that allow the user to establish software licensing agreements, check out or check in software products, or perform other interactions with the system802.

Token tracking component806can be configured to track and manage the number of unused or free subscription tokens that a customer currently has available, based on the number of instances of one or more software products302that are currently being checked out and used. Software deployment component808can be configured to deploy or activate instances of an industrial software product302on a client device associated with the customer entity, contingent on availability of an unused subscription token. Feature control component810can be configured to regulate user access to specific features of an industrial software product302based on availability of unused subscription tokens.

The one or more processors818can perform one or more of the functions described herein with reference to the systems and/or methods disclosed. Memory820can be a computer-readable storage medium storing computer-executable instructions and/or information for performing the functions described herein with reference to the systems and/or methods disclosed.

FIG.9is a diagram illustrating a general architecture of the industrial software management system802according to one or more embodiments. As with the industrial software management system202described above, software management system802can host a variety of industrial software products302for local or remote use by industrial customers. According to the licensing standard supported by system802, an industrial customer can purchase any number of subscription tokens902for use by employees associated with the customer. The number of tokens902purchased by the customer correlates to the number of software products302, or client instances of software products302, that are permitted to be used by employees within the customer's organization at the same time. When a user associated with the customer submits a request to use a software product302, the system802will permit the user to access and use the product302only if a sufficient number of unused, or free, subscription tokens902are available. If a sufficient number of unused tokens902are available, the system802allows the user to open and use the product302. The system802also reduces the number of available subscription tokens902by an amount equal to a token cost associated with the selected product302while the user is using the product302.

Multiple users may check out and use instances of the software products302—which may include multiple instances of the same software product302or instances of different products302—concurrently, provided the total token cost of the product instances that are concurrently in use does not exceed the total number of subscription tokens902that were purchased by the customer. Instances of software products302currently being used are considered checked-out by the user in exchange for a number of the customer's available, or free, subscription tokens902. When a user relinquishes use of a checked-out product302, the system802returns the subscription tokens902that had been deducted for use of the product302back to the customer's allotment of available subscription tokens902.

FIG.10is a diagram illustrating the process of checking out a software product302for use by a user associated with a customer entity according to one or more embodiments. In this example, software management system802maintains a record1008of the number of total subscription tokens902that each of multiple registered industrial customers (Customer1, Customer2, etc.) have purchased, or have otherwise been allotted. A customer's total allotment of subscription tokens902correlates to a total number of instances of software products302that can be checked out and used by employees within the customer's organization at the same time. The record1008also maintains, for each customer, an indication of the number of currently unused, or free, subscription tokens902that are available to the customer.

In the illustrated example, a user at client device1002has checked out an instance302aof a software product302hosted by the software management system802. In some cases, an instance302aof a software product302may be a local copy of the product302that is executed and/or used on a compute platform associated with the customer (e.g., a client device1002, a server, etc.). In other cases, the instance302amay execute on the cloud platform, using the cloud-platforms computing resources, and the system802can serve a thin client to the customer's client device1002that allows the user to access and utilize the instance302aof the product302.

To invoke an instance302aof a software product302, a user associated with the customer can submit, to the software management system802, a request for access to the selected product302. In response to receipt of such a request, the token tracking component806can determine whether the customer has a sufficient number of free subscription tokens902to allow the user to access and use the selected product302, depending on the token cost of the selected software product302. In some embodiments, different software products302may be associated with different token costs. For example, control program development software may have a cost of two subscription tokens902, while industrial emulation software may have a higher cost of five subscription tokens902. When a user submits a request for a selected product302, the token tracking component806will query the token tracking record1008, and the software deployment component808will only permit the user to access and use the product302if the token tracking component806verifies that the customer's total number of free subscription tokens902is equal to or greater than the token cost of the requested product302. Alternatively, if the token tracking component806determines that the customer's number of free subscription tokens902is less than the token cost of the product302, the software deployment component808will disable or otherwise deny access to the product302by the user.

When a request to use a selected software product302is granted, the software deployment component808allows the user to open and use an instance302aof the selected product302. Additionally, the token tracking component806will decrement the customer's number of free subscription tokens902by an amount equal to the token cost of the product302. The number of free subscription tokens902at any given time will be equal to or less than the total number of subscription tokens902that have been purchased by, or otherwise allotted to, the customer. The manner in which the instance302ais activated can depend on whether the instance302ais to be hosted locally on the user's client device1002or on the cloud platform by the software management system802itself. For example, the software deployment component808may send an activation signal or code to an instance302ahosted on the client device1002, or may initiate access to a cloud-hosted version of the product302via a thin client on the client device1002.

FIG.11is a diagram illustrating the process of relinquishing the instance302aof the software product302according to one or more embodiments. When the user no longer wishes to use the software product302, the user can submit, to the system802, a request to relinquish use of the product302. In response to this request, the software deployment component808disables the instance302aof the product302on the user's client device1002, and the token tracking component806increments the total number of free subscription tokens902available to the customer by a number equal to the subscription token cost of the product302, thereby returning the used subscription tokens902to the pool of tokens available to other users within the customer's organization.

A customer's allotted subscription tokens can be shared across the customer's organization rather than being specific to a single employee. In this way, multiple users associated with the customer may check out instances302aof the same software product302or other software products302using the approach described above. The number of free subscription tokens902available to the customer's organization at a given time will be the total number of subscription tokens902allotted to the customer minus the total token costs of all instances302aof software products302that are currently active within the customer's organization. If the number of free subscription tokens902falls below the number required to activate another instance302aof a product302due to the number and types of software product instances302acurrently in use, the software deployment component808prevents further product instances302afrom being enabled by users within the customer's organization until users relinquish a sufficient number of software instances302ato increase the number of free subscription tokens902to a number sufficient to open a desired product instance302a.

While a customer's allotment of subscription tokens are shared across the users within the customer's organization, some embodiments of the software management system802can support definition of granular customer rules1004that further regulate the degree of access to specific software products302based on user role. These customer rules1004can be customized for each registered customer and can define, for each of multiple user roles, a subset of the available software products302that can be checked out and used by users assigned to that role (or may explicitly define software products302that are prohibited to users assigned to the role). For example, a customer rule1004may specify that mechanical engineers are only to be permitted access to products302pertaining to mechanical engineering, but are prohibited from accessing program development products302or electrical engineering products306. The software deployment component808can reference these rules1004in connection with determining whether to permit access to a requested product302by a user having a specific role, such that access to the product302is only permitted if a sufficient number of free subscription tokens902are available and the customer rules1004do not prohibit access to the requested instance302aby users having the role. The software deployment component808can use any suitable technique to determine the role of the requesting user, including cross-referencing the identity of the user with an organizational chart submitted to the system802. Example user roles for which customer rules1004can be defined include, but are not limited to, engineers of various disciplines, plant managers, accounting personnel, machine operators, sales personnel, or other such roles.

In some embodiments, subscription tokens902can be used to regulate access to specific features of a given software product302, rather than permitting or denying access to all features of the product302. For example, rather than, or in addition to, associating a token cost to each software product302, different features of a product302may be assigned a token cost. When a user within the customer's organization begins using a feature having an associated token cost, the token tracking component806will deduct the number of free subscription tokens from the customer's total commensurate with the subscription token cost of the feature. If a user attempts to use a feature that is regulated using subscription tokens902, the software deployment component808will only unlock the feature for use via the user's instance302aif the customer's number of free subscription tokens902is equal to or greater than the token cost of the feature.

The subscription token use cases described above have considered scenarios in which subscription tokens902are used to regulate a customer's access to subscription software products302, such as control system design products (e.g., controller programming applications, HMI development applications), that typically execute on general purpose computing platforms such as client devices1002or cloud platform computing resources. However, a variation of the subscription token approach can also be used to regulate a customer's use of runtime features within an industrial environment.FIG.12is a diagram illustrating an embodiment of the software management system802that uses feature tokens to license runtime features of industrial devices and systems. In general, feature tokens can act as a license to activate and use features of runtime industrial devices or systems, which operate substantially continuously in connection with performing industrial processes. Example runtime devices whose features can be licensed using feature tokens can include, but are not limited to, industrial controllers118, HMI terminals114, motor drives, industrial robots, or other such runtime systems.

Similar to subscription tokens902, feature tokens can be purchased and allotted to a customer, and the system802can record the customer's purchased feature tokens in a record1008. Feature tokens differ from subscription tokens902in that they unlock features of industrial devices that operate substantially perpetually in connection with monitoring and controller industrial systems, rather than being used to unlock software intended to be used more intermittently, such as industrial design software. Feature tokens may also be associated with specific runtime device features, such that the feature tokens allotted to a given customer correspond to respective features for which the customer has purchase a license. Example features that can be licensed in this manner can include, for example, specialized control features (e.g., the ability of an industrial controller to control axes of motion in motion systems), networking features (e.g., transmission control protocol (TCP) connection capability), access to expanded memory or processing capability, expanded I/O capacity, additional visualization features, access to specialized device configuration parameters, or other such features.

In an example scenario, a customer may purchase an industrial controller118having various features that can be selectively enabled according to license agreements. The customer may also purchase feature tokens that permit enablement of selected features of the controller118(e.g., motion control capability, expanded I/O, additional memory, automated notification capabilities, etc.). Upon power up, the controller118can send a request to the software management system802(e.g., via a gateway device or any other intervening networks and associated infrastructure devices) requesting activations for any features for which the customer has purchased feature tokens. The software management system's feature control component810can determine which features of the controller118the user has purchased a license to use based on the identities of the feature tokens that have been allocated to the customer, and can send feature activation data1202to the controller118that enables any features of the controller118for which the customer has purchased a feature token. These licensed features remain activated while the controller118is in use, thereby mitigating potential safety concerns that may arise due to disablement of a licensed feature while the controller118is actively performing control of an industrial machine or process. Although the example described in connection withFIG.12depicts an example in which feature tokens are used to unlock runtime features of an industrial controller118, feature tokens can also be used to enable features of other types of runtime devices or systems.

The manner in which feature tokens are applied can depend on the customer's licensing agreement with the vendor of the runtime devices. For example, if a customer owns multiple units of a given runtime device and wishes to unlock a given feature on all such devices, a licensing agreement may require the customer to purchase a feature token corresponding to the feature for each device on which the feature is to be unlocked. Alternatively, the customer may enter into a licensing agreement in which a global feature token is purchased for a given feature, which permits the user to activate the corresponding feature on any number of devices owned by the customer.

In various embodiments, subscription tokens and feature tokens can be defined that correspond to various categories of software. These categories can include, but are not limited to, on-premises software, design software, operations software, maintenance software, or other industrial software types.

FIG.13illustrates an example methodology1300for managing licensed use of industrial software products using utility credits. Initially, at1302, utility credits are allocated to an industrial customer. The utility credits can be purchased by the customer under a licensing agreement with a software product vendor, and grant the customer permission to use one or more industrial software products on a transactional basis.

At1304, usage events indicative of the customer's usage of the one or more industrial software products are monitored. The usage events represent units of a defined usage metric for which the utility credits were purchased. The usage metric can be substantially any measure of the product's usage, including but not limited to an amount of accumulated time that users within the customer's organization have used the product, an amount of processing bandwidth consumed by the product in connection with the customer's usage, an amount of storage space consumed by the product's usage, a number of processing cores or virtual machines used to execute the product, a number of times a specific feature of the product is used (e.g., exporting data, generating a report, performing a specified type of calculation, executing a database query, etc.) or other such metrics.

At1306, a determination is made as to whether a usage event associated with the customer's use of the one or more software products is detected. If no usage event is detected (NO at step1306), the methodology returns to step1304and monitoring of usage events continues. Alternatively, if a usage event is detected (YES at step1306), the methodology proceeds to step1308, where a number of the utility credits commensurate with a utility credit cost of the usage event is deducted.

At1310, a determination is made as to whether the remaining number of utility credits (after the deduction made at step1308) is equal to or greater than a defined number of utility credits that permits continued use of the one or more software products. If the remaining number of utility credits is equal to or greater than the defined number (YES at step1310), the methodology returns to step1304and monitoring of the usage events continues. Alternatively, if the remaining number of utility credits is less than the defined number (NO at step1310), the methodology proceeds to step1312, where use of the one or more industrial software products (or a feature set thereof) is disabled.

FIG.14aillustrates a first part of an example methodology1400afor managing licensed use of industrial software products using subscription tokens. Initially, at1402, subscription tokens are allocated to an industrial customer. The subscription tokens can be purchased by the customer under a licensing agreement with a software product vendor, and grant the customer permission to use one or more industrial software products in a manner that limits simultaneous access to the software products by users within the customer's organization.

At1404, a request to use an industrial software product is received from a user within the customer's organization. In some embodiments, the request may be sent to a software management system in response to the user's attempt to open and use the software product. If the request to use the software product is received (YES at step1404), the methodology proceeds to step1406, where a determination is made as to whether a sufficient number of free, or unused, subscription tokens are available from the original allotment of subscription tokens to use the software product. The number of free subscription tokens required to use the product may depend on the type of the software product to which access is being requested. That is, different types of industrial software products may be associated with different token costs, which define the minimum number of free subscription tokens required to access and use that type of software product.

If a sufficient number free subscription tokens are not available (NO at step1406), the methodology returns to step1404without permitting the user to access and use the software product. Alternatively, if a sufficient number of free subscription tokens are available to use the software product (YES at step1406), the methodology proceeds to step1408, where the software product is enabled for use by the user. Additionally, at step1410, the number of free subscription tokens is decremented by an amount commensurate with the token cost of the industrial software product. The methodology returns to step1404, and steps1404-1410are repeated to process additional requests to use the industrial software product or other industrial software products.

In parallel, the methodology proceeds to the second part1400billustrated inFIG.14b. At1412, a determination is made as to whether the user who was granted use of the software product at step1408has relinquished use of the product. If the user has relinquished use of the software product (YES at step1412), the methodology proceeds to step1414, where use of the software product by the user is disabled. Additionally, at step1416, the number of free subscription tokens is incremented by an amount commensurate with the token cost of the industrial software product.

Embodiments, systems, and components described herein, as well as control systems and automation environments in which various aspects set forth in the subject specification can be carried out, can include computer or network components such as servers, clients, programmable logic controllers (PLCs), automation controllers, communications modules, mobile computers, on-board computers for mobile vehicles, wireless components, control components and so forth which are capable of interacting across a network. Computers and servers include one or more processors—electronic integrated circuits that perform logic operations employing electric signals—configured to execute instructions stored in media such as random access memory (RAM), read only memory (ROM), a hard drives, as well as removable memory devices, which can include memory sticks, memory cards, flash drives, external hard drives, and so on.

Similarly, the term PLC or automation controller as used herein can include functionality that can be shared across multiple components, systems, and/or networks. As an example, one or more PLCs or automation controllers can communicate and cooperate with various network devices across the network. This can include substantially any type of control, communications module, computer, Input/Output (I/O) device, sensor, actuator, and human machine interface (HMI) that communicate via the network, which includes control, automation, and/or public networks. The PLC or automation controller can also communicate to and control various other devices such as standard or safety-rated I/O modules including analog, digital, programmed/intelligent I/O modules, other programmable controllers, communications modules, sensors, actuators, output devices, and the like.

The network can include public networks such as the internet, intranets, and automation networks such as control and information protocol (CIP) networks including DeviceNet, ControlNet, safety networks, and Ethernet/IP. Other networks include Ethernet, DH/DH+, Remote I/O, Fieldbus, Modbus, Profibus, CAN, wireless networks, serial protocols, Open Platform Communications Unified Architecture (OPC-UA), and so forth. In addition, the network devices can include various possibilities (hardware and/or software components). These include components such as switches with virtual local area network (VLAN) capability, LANs, WANs, proxies, gateways, routers, firewalls, virtual private network (VPN) devices, servers, clients, computers, configuration tools, monitoring tools, and/or other devices.

In order to provide a context for the various aspects of the disclosed subject matter,FIGS.15and16as well as the following discussion are intended to provide a brief, general description of a suitable environment in which the various aspects of the disclosed subject matter may be implemented. While the embodiments have been described above in the general context of computer-executable instructions that can run on one or more computers, those skilled in the art will recognize that the embodiments can be also implemented in combination with other program modules and/or as a combination of hardware and software.

With reference again toFIG.15, the example environment1500for implementing various embodiments of the aspects described herein includes a computer1502, the computer1502including a processing unit1504, a system memory1506and a system bus1508. The system bus1508couples system components including, but not limited to, the system memory1506to the processing unit1504. The processing unit1504can be any of various commercially available processors. Dual microprocessors and other multi-processor architectures can also be employed as the processing unit1504.

The system bus1508can be any of several types of bus structure that can further interconnect to a memory bus (with or without a memory controller), a peripheral bus, and a local bus using any of a variety of commercially available bus architectures. The system memory1506includes ROM1510and RAM1512. A basic input/output system (BIOS) can be stored in a non-volatile memory such as ROM, erasable programmable read only memory (EPROM), EEPROM, which BIOS contains the basic routines that help to transfer information between elements within the computer1502, such as during startup. The RAM1512can also include a high-speed RAM such as static RAM for caching data.

The computer1502further includes an internal hard disk drive (HDD)1514(e.g., EIDE, SATA), one or more external storage devices1516(e.g., a magnetic floppy disk drive (FDD)1516, a memory stick or flash drive reader, a memory card reader, etc.) and an optical disk drive1520(e.g., which can read or write from a CD-ROM disc, a DVD, a BD, etc.). While the internal HDD1514is illustrated as located within the computer1502, the internal HDD1514can also be configured for external use in a suitable chassis (not shown). Additionally, while not shown in environment1500, a solid state drive (SSD) could be used in addition to, or in place of, an HDD1514. The HDD1514, external storage device(s)1516and optical disk drive1520can be connected to the system bus1508by an HDD interface1524, an external storage interface1526and an optical drive interface1528, respectively. The interface1524for external drive implementations can include at least one or both of Universal Serial Bus (USB) and Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 1394 interface technologies. Other external drive connection technologies are within contemplation of the embodiments described herein.

A number of program modules can be stored in the drives and RAM1512, including an operating system1530, one or more application programs1532, other program modules1534and program data1536. All or portions of the operating system, applications, modules, and/or data can also be cached in the RAM1512. The systems and methods described herein can be implemented utilizing various commercially available operating systems or combinations of operating systems.

Computer1502can optionally comprise emulation technologies. For example, a hypervisor (not shown) or other intermediary can emulate a hardware environment for operating system1530, and the emulated hardware can optionally be different from the hardware illustrated inFIG.15. In such an embodiment, operating system1530can comprise one virtual machine (VM) of multiple VMs hosted at computer1502. Furthermore, operating system1530can provide runtime environments, such as the Java runtime environment or the .NET framework, for application programs1532. Runtime environments are consistent execution environments that allow application programs1532to run on any operating system that includes the runtime environment. Similarly, operating system1530can support containers, and application programs1532can be in the form of containers, which are lightweight, standalone, executable packages of software that include, e.g., code, runtime, system tools, system libraries and settings for an application.

A monitor1544or other type of display device can be also connected to the system bus1508via an interface, such as a video adapter1546. In addition to the monitor1544, a computer typically includes other peripheral output devices (not shown), such as speakers, printers, etc.

When used in a LAN networking environment, the computer1502can be connected to the local network1552through a wired and/or wireless communication network interface or adapter1556. The adapter1556can facilitate wired or wireless communication to the LAN1552, which can also include a wireless access point (AP) disposed thereon for communicating with the adapter1556in a wireless mode.

When used in a WAN networking environment, the computer1502can include a modem1558or can be connected to a communications server on the WAN1554via other means for establishing communications over the WAN1554, such as by way of the Internet. The modem1558, which can be internal or external and a wired or wireless device, can be connected to the system bus1508via the input device interface1542. In a networked environment, program modules depicted relative to the computer1502or portions thereof, can be stored in the remote memory/storage device1550. It will be appreciated that the network connections shown are example and other means of establishing a communications link between the computers can be used.

When used in either a LAN or WAN networking environment, the computer1502can access cloud storage systems or other network-based storage systems in addition to, or in place of, external storage devices1516as described above. Generally, a connection between the computer1502and a cloud storage system can be established over a LAN1552or WAN1554e.g., by the adapter1556or modem1558, respectively. Upon connecting the computer1502to an associated cloud storage system, the external storage interface1526can, with the aid of the adapter1556and/or modem1558, manage storage provided by the cloud storage system as it would other types of external storage. For instance, the external storage interface1526can be configured to provide access to cloud storage sources as if those sources were physically connected to the computer1502.

FIG.16is a schematic block diagram of a sample computing environment1600with which the disclosed subject matter can interact. The sample computing environment1600includes one or more client(s)1602. The client(s)1602can be hardware and/or software (e.g., threads, processes, computing devices). The sample computing environment1600also includes one or more server(s)1604. The server(s)1604can also be hardware and/or software (e.g., threads, processes, computing devices). The servers1604can house threads to perform transformations by employing one or more embodiments as described herein, for example. One possible communication between a client1602and servers1604can be in the form of a data packet adapted to be transmitted between two or more computer processes. The sample computing environment1600includes a communication framework1606that can be employed to facilitate communications between the client(s)1602and the server(s)1604. The client(s)1602are operably connected to one or more client data store(s)1608that can be employed to store information local to the client(s)1602. Similarly, the server(s)1604are operably connected to one or more server data store(s)1610that can be employed to store information local to the servers1604.