Patent ID: 8271970

Claim:
A method for software distribution from a central provider server of a software provider to a customer system with a plurality of technical devices, an application program managed by the software provider being installed on at least one technical device of the plurality of technical devices, the method comprising: storing information about a customer version of the application program used by the customer system and a current version in a database on the central provider server; automatically transferring a program packet that corresponds to the current version of the application program from the central provider server to a customer server of the customer system by way of a data line when the central provider server determines the customer version does not correspond to the current version; automatically transferring a confirmation of successful installation of the program packet to the central provider server when the program packet is installed on the at least one technical device of the customer system; automatically updating the information about the customer version of the application program used by the customer system stored in the database when the confirmation of successful installation is transferred; separating at least some technical devices of the plurality of technical devices of the customer system into a first group and a second group; and supplying group-specific program packet bundles to the customer server of the customer system by the central provider server, one of the group-specific program packet bundles including at least one program packet that is different than program packets included in another of the group-specific program packet bundles, the customer server being operatively connected to the first group and the second group, wherein different access rights are granted for the different group-specific program packet bundles, the different access rights preventing a user at a technical device of the second group from installing a first group-specific program packet bundle from the customer server.