Long story made longer, we've been using ASG120s in 3-4 locations for 6-7 years and have been nothing short of exceptionally happy with the performance and support.
As it currently stands however, the licensing and upgrade paths have devastated us. We are still running V7 at all locations because Astaro required all V8 software loads to run on the newer licensing platform that they drew up a couple years ago.
The problem for us was the prohibitive cost of the new licensing structure. In fact, we considered it downright outrageous in terms of the annual price increase of nearly 6x what we'd been used to paying.
For all of our ASG120s, we'd been on the Gold maintenance plan which consisted of all the Up2Dates and a moderate level of support. These individual licenses ran about $200 a year. We did not deploy any cost "add-ons" on V7 such as spam or added web-filtering subscriptions.
However, the new licensing structure has jumped to nearly $1200 a year based on our latest quotations from our Astaro reseller, in order to preserve the same level of support and Up2Dates we used to enjoy for $200 a year.
Apparently, the new licensing does include what used to be former add-ons such as the spam and extended firewall capabilities -- items we neither need nor wish to pay for. This is from recollection of demo'ing the new licenses a couple years ago.
From conversations 2 years ago with Astaro, we were able to revert our license back to the "classic" license and continue to purchase the Gold maintenance as we always have. Now with a couple ASG120s up for yearly renewal again, we're told the Classic licensing structure is finally dead and we have no choice but to pay $1200 a year per ASG120 or walk the plank.
As a small business, we do everything we can to control our costs and run a lean, tight ship. But we also understand that prices do rise from time to time and we must make accommodations for that. But we're downright apoplectic about being charged six times our previous cost for what amounts to roughly the same functionality we've always enjoyed. We feel a 6-fold increase is highly unreasonable on any level and in any industry, especially when you multiply it by the number of units we have deployed.
Further, my understanding was in demo'ing the newer licenses 2 years ago that they completely changed the way the ASG handled specific network setups. What used to be controlled through proxys as we have set up for mail and web browsing, were now altered and required a complete re-tooling of our ASG setups in order to retain existing functionality. I remember this rather clearly because when I initially tested the newer licenses, it was quite cumbersome and anything but a plug-and-play proposition. Combined with the astronomical cost increase, we had no other option but to revert to the Classic licensing program.
I'm looking for answers and advice. I love the ASG platform and we've had many happy years not only using Astaro products, but recommending them to companies we do business with. But nobody in my office is going to justify spending $1200 for what used to cost us $200 per box. Especially when the box is probably only worth a few hundred bucks right now anyway.
I'd love nothing more than to stay with Astaro, but if my facts are correct (and please correct any errors I may have stated), they have probably priced us right out of being a customer after 6-7 years. I hate to say that, but at the end of the day, Astaro is not the only game in town.
If nothing else, Id like to know why Astaro chose to increase their licensing cost by nearly 6-fold. Having been in business for 40 years, I dont think Ive ever raised the price of something to my customers in one fell sweop that was larger than perhaps 40-50%. So 600% is territory that we, quite frankly, have never come across in our small business lives.
Again, if I have my facts incorrect, numbers wrong, or information backwards, please do correct. I'm just after the path of least resistance and some heartfelt opinions on the current Astaro protocol and what options I may have to return my costs to something that is not so egregiously off-center compared to our historic annual costs.
Right now I have expired licenses because we simply cannot, and will not, pay a 6-fold increase. Its not how we treat our own customers, and its not something we can blindly take part in without digging deep into the Astaro brainwaves to listen to their side as to why such a Herculean increase remains in our best interests. Astaro is owed that common courtesy, but, we are entitled to answers too.
Thanks for listening.
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