The Importance of Client Access License

A company offering services electronically allows clients to access its server and take advantage of its services. However, to protect the interest of the business and restrict non-potential clients from accessing the services through the same server, it encrypts the access and allows only those who obtained client access license (CAL). This software is tremendously important in keeping vital information and products accessible only to authorized customers.

Servers, the Internet, end-users—these are the primary elements in an online communication. For instance, if an end-user seeks for a service provided by a company, he/she can have access to the company’s server that stores and shares the services through the Internet. A server is a software or a hardware that provides all services of the company. Some companies use clouds comprising the Internet as official servers.

Because the Internet is a free and wide platform, anyone can access servers of companies with internet-based businesses instantly and unlimitedly. This affects the stability of the business, particularly the revenue. Companies like Blackberry offering middleware as a product need CAL to protect their products and services from being taken advantage of by unauthorized individuals.

A CAL legally permits an end-user to use the services that certain software provides. Servers, such as Blackberry enterprise server express 5.0, allow software to be used by a few users or a few computers who have the code that can break the encryption. The CAL can either be given to the client for free when the software is purchased or for a fee when the software is accessed for free but in a limited time of use.

Client access license like the Blackberry enterprise server express CAL can be used for various software products, such as accounting software, or even middleware. In the case of Blackberry, a middleware that enables electronic devices of dissimilar features to share software and data is protected by a specialized CAL.

The weakness of Blackberry enterprise server express CAL, though, lies on the limited number of users that it can track and allow using the software. Basically, a company with access to the software can allow as many users as it desires when a software license agreement is made. However, with the development in technology, service providers are now able to limit the users of certain purchased software according to the coverage of a CAL.