Mar
28
2025
In a world where nearly everything has moved to subscription-based models, having long-term control over your software is increasingly rare. Business applications, once installed and used indefinitely, are now leased monthly—sometimes without an option for ownership. At mendelson, we believe that for business-critical infrastructure like EDI systems and B2B communication, clear licensing and long-term control still matter.
The Rise of the Rental Economy
There’s no denying the convenience of Software-as-a-Service (SaaS). It promises low upfront costs, frequent updates, and outsourced maintenance. But it also comes with trade-offs: vendor lock-in, rising long-term costs, mandatory internet access, and loss of control over data, privacy, and uptime.
For businesses handling sensitive transactions—like encrypted EDI data transfers or protocol-specific exchanges with industry giants—those trade-offs can become serious liabilities.
What You Lose When You Don't Own Your Tools
SaaS models put vendors in the driver’s seat. They can change pricing at any time. Features may be altered or removed. Outages are outside your control. And if you ever stop paying, your access disappears—regardless of how critical that software is to your operations.
That’s not just inconvenient. It’s dangerous when your business depends on stable, secure communication 24/7.
Permanent Licensing = Freedom and Stability
We offer perpetual licenses because we believe our customers should have control. Once licensed, you have permanent use rights—install it in your environment, behind your firewall. You can run it on your infrastructure, behind your firewall, in your own data center or private cloud. You decide when and how to update. You decide how long to use it. And your license doesn’t expire just because your budget changes.
A perpetual license grants indefinite usage rights. Ongoing updates and technical support are available through our optional Support & Maintenance Plan (SMP).
With mendelson, you don’t rent reliability—you own it.
Self-Hosting Isn’t What It Used to Be
It used to be hard to self-host secure applications. Not anymore. Today, most companies already run their own internal systems for identity, file storage, and ERP. Adding a secure, protocol-compliant data communication server is not only possible—it’s often safer. Self-hosted deployments enhance control—when properly configured and maintained by your IT team.
You’re no longer dependent on third-party availability. You control performance, backups, and integration with your existing systems. And in industries where compliance and data sovereignty matter, that’s not just convenient—it’s essential.
Who Benefits Most from Owning Their Communication Layer?
If your organization:
- Exchanges data with regulated partners (automotive, healthcare, finance)
- Requires specific protocols like OFTP2, AS2, AS4, or X.400
- Operates in multiple countries with strict compliance rules
- Needs high availability and predictable performance
…then permanent, locally controlled software isn't just a nice-to-have. It’s a strategic asset.
A Different Kind of Software Company
We don’t have investors pushing us to chase monthly recurring revenue. We don’t force our customers into multi-year contracts or automatic renewals. We build software that works, license it fairly, and support you with the long-term mindset you expect from infrastructure providers.
For us, it’s simple: if it’s mission-critical, you should own it.
Conclusion: You Own Your Business—You Should Own Your Software Too
We know SaaS has its place. But when it comes to secure communication between businesses, control matters more.
That’s why mendelson will continue to offer products you can buy, install, and run on your own terms. Because true reliability starts with ownership.
- Looking for a non-SaaS EDI solution?
- Compare on-premise EDI to cloud-based subscriptions.
- mendelson: The alternative to SaaS lock-in for B2B data exchange.