Company

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Doing Business with Aras

What we offer

By now you've probably realized that Aras is different. Among our many differences, we've simplified the way enterprise software is bought and sold. To summarize the Aras approach to PLM, we offer the industry's most advanced PLM technology with no PLM license fees. If you need support, updates, upgrades and other stuff like that, we offer optional annual subscriptions. We also offer training and consulting services on an ala carte basis.

Ours is a pretty unique model and to make it work there are a few trade-offs. The biggest trade-off is that we don't employ any field sales people. Unless we're being paid, we won't visit you, we don't respond to RFP's and we can't offer demo, after demo, after demo… If you want to get your feet wet there are demos online. If you've got questions, we've got forums. If you want your RFP questions answered, check out our wiki or simply download the software and try it. When you're ready to get serious, give us a call. Once you realize that the world's best PLM software is always available to you without fees or obligations, you will understand that when you pay us, you are paying directly for our time and expertise.

We also don't offer special terms, custom contracts or redlined license agreements. Our license, support and consulting agreements are designed to be very straightforward, fair and mutually protective so we can all get through the paperwork and move on to implementing your PLM system. Your lawyers and ours bill by the hour so we don't recommend letting them run your PLM selection and acquisition process.

And if our approach doesn't work for you, you're always welcome to download our software and use it on your own, with no obligation or commitment to Aras. That's the beauty of the enterprise open source model.

How we make money

Hands down, the question we get most often is: "If you don't charge for the software, then how does Aras make money?"

It's really very simple. We brought Red Hat's business model to the PLM market. This just means that we got rid of all the up-front PLM license fees - anyone can get, customize and use Aras forever with no obligation to buy anything. And we provide a series of optional offerings that enterprise users want such as subscriptions, consulting, training and more. It's a proven business model that's profitable, predictable and fair.

Why you should be a Subscriber

At the most basic level, you should become an Aras Subscriber because it is the most cost-effective way for you and your team to learn how to use and implement our software efficiently. You're going to need training. You're going to need support. And when you're implementing, you're going to benefit in a big way from some cool Subscriber-only toys such as our data load tool. That's all included in your subscription.

Moving on, there's a lot to be said for peace of mind. We're talking about the peace of mind that comes from knowing there's always someone there to help, you're never going to be hung up waiting for a service pack, and you'll always be able to take advantage of the newest features and enhancements because upgrades are also included in your subscription. Our hotline staff has the highest customer satisfaction ratings and they know all the answers.

And finally, there's the social contract that comes with being part of a community that's working together to continually improve the technology we all rely on. As an Aras Subscriber and member of the Aras Community, your subscription fees support the future development of the Aras PLM solution suite. You have a voice in the direction of the Aras Roadmap, and you have the opportunity to develop new solutions based on the Aras Framework or build on to solutions created by other Community members.

Subscription Terms & Conditions

To keep the price of your annual subscription as low as possible, we've developed the following terms and conditions:

Pricing for all subscription packages, consulting and training is based on Net 30 payment terms.
Subscription packages are invoiced and paid annually in advance.
Standard subscription term commitment is 2 years.
Pricing for subscription packages is based on the planned number of named users during the term of the subscription (aka your deployment scope).
At the end of each subscription term the deployment scope is reviewed for renewal sizing and pricing.
Subscription renewal pricing is based on the current list price on the date the new subscription begins.

Navigating the Aras Innovator Agreement

As part of our keep it simple, keep it low-cost approach, we did away with complex license and consulting agreements that waste everyone's time with rounds and rounds of edits. Instead, we have a simple and straightforward click-thru agreement, the Aras Innovator® Agreement. After all, you're not buying the software from us. We're agreeing to let you use it. You're agreeing to behave yourself with it. And we've thrown in some ground rules in case things go south.

Like all agreements, ours was written by a lawyer. And since no one but another lawyer can really understand what those guys say, we created a simplified version of the Aras Innovator Agreement agreement. It's written in everyday language we all understand so you know in advance what you're signing up for.

Read the Simplified Aras Innovator Agreement