BlackBerry are making a pretty substantial change to their Enterprise software licensing model, starting March 1st, 2016.
As of March 2016, BlackBerry will be moving to a subscription-only license model. From this point perpetual licenses will be going end-of-sale Friday 26th February.
This means that February 26, 2016 will be the last day perpetual licenses are available for purchase.
Currently, there are two license types available:
Perpetual License
Pay a one-time, one-off fee for the license. After the initial purchase of the perpetual license, you pay only for your Software Assurance and BlackBerry Support on an annual basis. With Support, you are eligible for free updates and upgrades.
Perpetual license cost
£80 with £16 Support on top. The second year you have the option to pay for Software Assurance and BlackBerry Support (intertwined) which is £16 yearly. Paying for Support and Assurance is compulsory for the first year.
Annual licenses:
You pay the same fee year-on-year-on-year for the licenses, which has BlackBerry Support and Software Assurance included.
Annual license cost
£48 year-on-year.
Example based on 100 licenses –
[table style=”table-striped”]
| Number of Required Licenses | Perpetual License Cost | Annual License Cost year-on-year | Total Cost for Perpetual Licenses | Total Cost for Annual Licenses |
| 100 | One-time fee of £80 + £16 first-year Support fee | £48 | £9, 600 | £4, 800 |
[/table]
Due to perpetual licenses being more cost-effective for organizations, allowing you to become cost-neutral in around two years, it is advisable that users order their perpetual licenses before February 26.
Existing license holders can contact their Account Manager with a purchase order and licenses can be processed immediately.
New users can purchase their licenses at the BlackBerry Enterprise Store.
