Web Site Hits on the Rise but Downloads in Decline

CONTACT:

Jayson Gehri
[954] 302 5340

Fort Lauderdale, Florida (September 25, 2007) – Runaware, the global leader in online demonstration services, is calling on software vendors to review their online policies to counter a decline in the number of end-users choosing to download software for evaluations.

The company says that concerns over security have made individuals much more wary and stricter enforcement of usage policies is preventing users within organizations from downloading and running software on their own systems. As a result, and despite the continued rise in web page impressions seen by software developers and ISVs, the number of downloads is in a steep decline.

“A number of software houses that indicates a marked fall in downloads”, says Tim Keyes, CEO. “We believe this is mainly due to rising concerns over security and regulation. Many businesses now have usage policies in place that with discourage or bar users from downloading any kind of file, including bona fide demonstration versions of software packages.”

The claim is backed by Hans Kobsa, Managing Director of FaciWare, a specialist developer of easy-to-use software solutions for managing large buildings and campus facilities, based in Bavaria, Germany “We started noticing a decline in downloads some time ago and that was starting to have an impact on our sales cycle. It was getting harder for potential customers to get any kind of impression of our software as they’d have to request and arrange a face to face demonstration instead.”

Having noted the decline, Kobsa sought out other systems that could be used to demonstrate FaciWare’s range and signed a deal with Runaware for its TestDrive system. The company went live with TestDrive just over a year ago and has since experienced an increase of more than 20 percent in its sales figures.

Other organizations have also seen very positive results from their deployment of TestDrive. For example, FrontRange Solutions – publisher of the popular GoldMine contact management database system, recorded a 25 percent increase in the number of leads generated through the web and TestDrive has become the most important source of new business leads for GoldMine.

The TestDrive interactive demo environment enables ISVs and developers to provide a complete version of their software online with no concern for piracy or reliance on the cost and complications of downloads and CDs. Used on its own, or with self-guided tutorials and guided feature tours, TestDrive delivers the best user experience and provides the highest quality leads and improved time to market.

Applications run as if they are installed on the prospect’s own PC or laptop. Suites or add-on applications can be demonstrated in the TestDrive online demo, showing the collaboration between multiple applications and effectively up-selling prospects. Links to your CRM and sales process can help to speed up the sales cycle.

About Runaware™
Founded in 1999 and with offices in North America and Europe, Runaware™ is the global leader in online software demonstration services. Runaware™ offers ISVs and software publishers a revolutionary means of providing a hassle-free online demonstration environment that runs full versions of software safely and securely over the Internet – anywhere, anytime – with no CDs, downloads or installations required. More than demonstrations, Runaware™ delivers intelligence and measurable results, producing higher sales and conversion rates, faster time-to-market and shorter sales cycles – all at a lower cost.

To receive Runaware™ news directly in your RSS reader, subscribe at http://feeds.runaware.com/LatestNewsReleasesFromRunaware.

CONTACT:

Jayson Gehri
[954] 302 5340

Fort Lauderdale, Florida (September 25, 2007) – Runaware, the global leader in online demonstration services, is calling on software vendors to review their online policies to counter a decline in the number of end-users choosing to download software for evaluations.

The company says that concerns over security have made individuals much more wary and stricter enforcement of usage policies is preventing users within organizations from downloading and running software on their own systems. As a result, and despite the continued rise in web page impressions seen by software developers and ISVs, the number of downloads is in a steep decline.

“A number of software houses that indicates a marked fall in downloads”, says Tim Keyes, CEO. “We believe this is mainly due to rising concerns over security and regulation. Many businesses now have usage policies in place that with discourage or bar users from downloading any kind of file, including bona fide demonstration versions of software packages.”

The claim is backed by Hans Kobsa, Managing Director of FaciWare, a specialist developer of easy-to-use software solutions for managing large buildings and campus facilities, based in Bavaria, Germany “We started noticing a decline in downloads some time ago and that was starting to have an impact on our sales cycle. It was getting harder for potential customers to get any kind of impression of our software as they’d have to request and arrange a face to face demonstration instead.”

Having noted the decline, Kobsa sought out other systems that could be used to demonstrate FaciWare’s range and signed a deal with Runaware for its TestDrive system. The company went live with TestDrive just over a year ago and has since experienced an increase of more than 20 percent in its sales figures.

Other organizations have also seen very positive results from their deployment of TestDrive. For example, FrontRange Solutions – publisher of the popular GoldMine contact management database system, recorded a 25 percent increase in the number of leads generated through the web and TestDrive has become the most important source of new business leads for GoldMine.

The TestDrive interactive demo environment enables ISVs and developers to provide a complete version of their software online with no concern for piracy or reliance on the cost and complications of downloads and CDs. Used on its own, or with self-guided tutorials and guided feature tours, TestDrive delivers the best user experience and provides the highest quality leads and improved time to market.

Applications run as if they are installed on the prospect’s own PC or laptop. Suites or add-on applications can be demonstrated in the TestDrive online demo, showing the collaboration between multiple applications and effectively up-selling prospects. Links to your CRM and sales process can help to speed up the sales cycle.

About Runaware™
Founded in 1999 and with offices in North America and Europe, Runaware™ is the global leader in online software demonstration services. Runaware™ offers ISVs and software publishers a revolutionary means of providing a hassle-free online demonstration environment that runs full versions of software safely and securely over the Internet – anywhere, anytime – with no CDs, downloads or installations required. More than demonstrations, Runaware™ delivers intelligence and measurable results, producing higher sales and conversion rates, faster time-to-market and shorter sales cycles – all at a lower cost.

To receive Runaware™ news directly in your RSS reader, subscribe at http://feeds.runaware.com/LatestNewsReleasesFromRunaware.