Need your ideas about how Comodo can generate revenue from free products! :-)

[Guest]

[pandlouk]

I do agree with Dooplex! Also ZA's business model has been done already by ZA themselves. We are looking for a new business model. I think selling Central Management software and giving firewall for free is the way forward.

Melih

Hi Melih.
I agree with this model of central management. Maybe you could expand it also for CAV.

ps. Have you thought of making a version of the CPF and CAV based in java? Something like the bittorrent client "azureus". By this it will be OS independent and will have an excellent impact on the sales over the large companies that use more than one operating system. What do you think about it?

[panic]

Personal Firewall: the client is provided for free, but offer a *separate* software package to run on a network server that could:

• create, manage and distribute standardised firewall client policies
• provide a central location for storing and distributing updates
• provide remote logging facilities for all firewall clients (like syslogd)
• be remotely accessible (e.g. via http or MMC)
• (plus other ideas that our community can come up with!)

AntiVirus: the client is provided for free, but offer a *separate* software package to run on a network server that could:

• create, manage and distribute standardised AV client policies
• act as a centralised quarantine area for all clients
• automatically forward suspicious files to Comodo
• provide a central location for storing and distributing updates
• provide remote logging facilities for all AV clients (like syslogd)
• be remotely accessible (e.g. via http or MMC)
• (plus other ideas that our community can come up with!)

You've raised very good points (and presented them very convincingly,too  ).

Did you happen to notice how many common elements there were in your two lists?

Why not just make a single centralised control module for all Comodo applications? This module could dynamically adapt to however many Comodo apps are installed on the server (providing they have paid a license fee for each of the installed app control modules, of course).

I'd love to see the centralised control module "dumbed down" for small home networks, even if it was just for update downloads and distribution for say, up to 6 PCs. This would deliver corporate-level consistency to home networks.

cheers,
ewen :-)
 (WCF3)

[dooplex]

Did you happen to notice how many common elements there were in your two lists?

Oh, yeah!

Why not just make a single centralised control module for all Comodo applications? This module could dynamically adapt to however many Comodo apps are installed on the server (providing they have paid a license fee for each of the installed app control modules, of course).

Yes, it makes sense to manage each individual Comodo application via the one interface.  Conceptually similar to the LaunchPad idea.

I don't know how you'd "dynamically adapt" the management interface in the situation where it was installed on a server with none of the client applications, though...  It might just have to be done on an installed licence basis.

I'd love to see the centralised control module "dumbed down" for small home networks, even if it was just for update downloads and distribution for say, up to 6 PCs. This would deliver corporate-level consistency to home networks.

This would be an absolutely fabulous, possibly unprecedented move! (at least in the firewall/antivirus markets)  I think that 6 free stations is possibly a little high; Comodo would miss out on a lot of small business revenue if they set the level there.  Perhaps free for up to 3 stations?  We're talking about computers actually running Comodo client apps, which may not include the server itself.

What about the management interface itself - would it be possible to do it via MMC?  That would make remote management very easy, and it would make the learning curve pretty painless also...

[Melih]

Oh, yeah!

Yes, it makes sense to manage each individual Comodo application via the one interface.  Conceptually similar to the LaunchPad idea.

I don't know how you'd "dynamically adapt" the management interface in the situation where it was installed on a server with none of the client applications, though...  It might just have to be done on an installed licence basis.

This would be an absolutely fabulous, possibly unprecedented move! (at least in the firewall/antivirus markets)  I think that 6 free stations is possibly a little high; Comodo would miss out on a lot of small business revenue if they set the level there.  Perhaps free for up to 3 stations?  We're talking about computers actually running Comodo client apps, which may not include the server itself.

What about the management interface itself - would it be possible to do it via MMC?  That would make remote management very easy, and it would make the learning curve pretty painless also...

Ok love the idea!
who can help create the sample GUI so that it will be to everyone's liking?
I would love to implement it and give it for free for upto 3 machines free, and sell higher to enterprises. But we need help design it! Can you help? We need the GUI flow and samples etc pls.

much appreciate it.

thanks
Melih

[Melih]

Hi Melih.
I agree with this model of central management. Maybe you could expand it also for CAV.

ps. Have you thought of making a version of the CPF and CAV based in java? Something like the bittorrent client "azureus". By this it will be OS independent and will have an excellent impact on the sales over the large companies that use more than one operating system. What do you think about it?

Well, to get the power you have to go deep into bare metal, so not sure what Java could bring you apart from the GUI bit of the product working on all platforms. So I am not sure as to we would make a java version to be honest.

Melih

[dooplex]

Ok love the idea!
who can help create the sample GUI so that it will be to everyone's liking?
I would love to implement it and give it for free for upto 3 machines free, and sell higher to enterprises. But we need help design it! Can you help? We need the GUI flow and samples etc pls.

I'd be keen to participate.  Perhaps we should move this train of thought to a new forum, and keep this forum for other revenue-generating ideas?

[RejZoR]

No, don't change the interface. It's Symantec minimalistic style and i like that.
Only thing that needs small corrections are Options which subcategories are a bit confusing and hard to differ. Other than this it's perfect.

[dooplex]

No, don't change the interface. It's Symantec minimalistic style and i like that.
Only thing that needs small corrections are Options which subcategories are a bit confusing and hard to differ. Other than this it's perfect.

...so that's one vote for keeping the interface as similar to current Comodo products as possible.  RejZoR, you do know that we are talking about a brand new, separate product?

[panic]

We're talking about computers actually running Comodo client apps, which may not include the server itself.

Hey dooplex,

I've PM'd you with some further ideas on this that have been kicked around.

cheers,
Ewen :-)

[Melih]

Hey dooplex,

I've PM'd you with some further ideas on this that have been kicked around.

cheers,
Ewen :-)

I created a posting here    http://forums.comodo.com/index.php/topic,587.0.html   

lets continue there..

Thanks
Melih

[panic]

I do agree with Dooplex! Also ZA's business model has been done already by ZA themselves. We are looking for a new business model. I think selling Central Management software and giving firewall for free is the way forward.

Melih

In my experience, corporate lans that would have a need for a centralised management module don't have individual PC based firewalls, they have a single corporate firewall on the outwards facing perimeter of their LAN. AV client, that's another matter, but corporates aren't going to jump on the CAV bandwagon until performance and detection rates improve dramatically.

Cheers,
Ewen :-)

[dooplex]

In my experience, corporate lans that would have a need for a centralised management module don't have individual PC based firewalls, they have a single corporate firewall on the outwards facing perimeter of their LAN. AV client, that's another matter, but corporates aren't going to jump on the CAV bandwagon until performance and detection rates improve dramatically.

Perhaps they should have personal firewall software installed.  What about the laptop-wielding corporate road warriors?  What about the naughty back-room software developer who runs a p2p client that manages to sidestep the boundary firewall and is downloading porn?  (this happened in a previous workplace of mine - and no, I am not said naughty back-room software developer!)

Just a thought...

[techpro]

I think that Comodo needs to decide first of all whether it wants these products to be really free, just for the brand awareness, or whether they are meant to generate income in their own right. If the latter, then you are going to have to develop a thick skin and ignore the moans of the kind of people who complained that the LaunchPad was adware, because I don't think it's possible to generate respectable amounts of revenue without using more "in your face" methods. I personally don't have an issue with that, because I believe that people should realise that everything has a cost, it's just a matter of who pays it. Advertising is, in my opinion, a legitimate price to pay for otherwise free software, as long as you are up front about it. Products like Eudora and Opera have done that for a long time for their free editions, without complaints. (They have also made money by allowing people to pay and lose the ads. The problem with that is, some people would feel you are re-neging on your promise that these products will be free for ever.)

My suggestion is that Comodo should open up a software shop. This would be something like the Windows Marketplace or download.com. This might not initially seem to be part of Comodo's core business, except that Comodo is in the business of selling trust. The Windows Marketplace is supposed to offer software that people can trust to work with Windows. The Comodo Software Shop could sell software on the basis that it is trusted not to contain viruses or spyware. It's what I have been trying to achieve with Tech-Pro, but Comodo, being bigger, having much more resources and already being in the trust business, could obviously do a much better job.

Comodo could partner with Digital River to get access to software products, and would then get a commission on every sale made through the shop. The free security products would be the promotional tool that brought customers to the shop.

[OldMan]

I like the idea of a Pro and Free version as long as you dont cripple the product. In other words a full suite such as antivirus, spyware & malware combination I think the firewall all combined.  Also a small shop to sell brands aware products would certainly be a nice addition.

But gentlemen, first -- I think you should work on making this product usable for the layman, because that is one area that you are failing in so miserably that it is really pathetic. (See my other Post)

[Júštiñ™]

I like the idea of a Pro and Free version as long as you dont cripple the product.

What woult the advantage be, plus some people may feel Comodo is going back on their promise. What I would suggest is to sell the manual for the Firewall, something more in depth then the Help file included, sell it for a small fee such as $9.99 per book each book would be designed for the latest version of Comodo Personal Firewall but when a new version with some changes comes out then you can update the book and sell the updated ones. That way you might have a solid income, and the consumers who buy the book are happy to get a easy "noob" friendly guide in configuring the firewall and learning its features. As for the book I think that sending it as a PDF file would be good, unless they would want to buy the hardcopy for a more expensive price.

Example: Comodo Personal Firewall Users Guide (PDF Download) $9.99
                Comodo Personal Firewall Users Guide (Hard Copy by Mail) $19.99 (plus shipping however much that would be)

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