New Free version of Identity Shield coming

[lordraiden]

Why is all this delay? can not be that hard to remove features of something already done

[lordraiden]

No news yet?

we will be offering a free version similar to SafeOnline in the coming weeks

10 months later...

[fax]

Originally Posted by lordraiden

No news yet? 10 months later...

I think you can read in-between the lines of previous posts that the company policy towards the free version is changed or at least a very low priority as compared to retail versions. I guess nothing users can influence as just a different strategy towards the market (free trial welcomed but not free versions).

[Techfox1976]

Hmm. Let's look at both sides here, maybe. I can foresee that it's not simple. (This is meant to open a discussion. Maybe we can convince somebody reading it that it's a good idea, maybe we'll have second thoughts.)

So, companies are out there to make money, right? No money, no company. Unless it's FOSS and people are donating their resources, money is needed to pay for infrastructure, salaries, etc.

Everything has a cost. Creating a free product has a cost in development, QA, servers, etc. Resources aren't unlimited either. There's a given number of developers, for example. Getting new ones for any reason at all has other costs, like learning curves, extra QA work, that sort of thing.

What is the value to the company of having the free product?
- Brand exposure. People will use the product and get exposed to Webroot.
- More cloud data. More people scanning more files gives more information.
- Potentially can advertise using it.
- Get banks and other sensitive sites to pay for it to give it out for free to their customers.

But what are the problems?
- Costs server capacity.
- Support costs. Sure, they could say Unsupported, but that would be a mistake and people would still call and write.
- Ongoing development costs. Can't just toss something out and call it done, after all. Other AV companies work hard to break compatibility after all.
- The people who are most likely to use this are unlikely to approve of advertising. In fact, nobody really likes advertising.
- Why would the banks pay for it if anybody can gt it free anyway?
- Perceived value. Free is throw-away. People have no problem with tossing out free or cheap stuff, it has no cost and thus often no value to them. Studies show that people are much happier with things they must pay for. Even discounts are only a very short-term happy, since later a tiny problem may cause them to say "Oh, it was cheap, I guess I got what I paid for. That explains why it was on sale." and dump it. Look at Apple as an excellent example of paying a lot and completely glossing over any possible problems.
- How many of the people who would use this would actually buy paid Webroot product as a result of using it? Those who wouldn't would only be a source of either advertising views (which would be bad) or cloud data. But how many extra resources would be spent figuring out all the self-developed programs and obscure things on their machines?

I figure there are a lot more positives and negatives to look at. We're smart people. Can we find them?

[TerryWood]

Hi TechFox1976

The argument is quite simple. They, Webroot, said they were bringing out a free version. Ten months later no free version. OK, so they changed their minds so tell the public!!! Why the deafening silence or coyness in tech support replies?

This approach is more likely to disenchant people than by being open and honest.

If Webroot can be less than open about this, what else might they be less open about?

They never learn do they?

Terry

[PrevxHelp]

I answered this several months ago:

Originally Posted by Prevxhelp

No it hasn't, and it's been moved down in the list of priorities for the time being so that we can focus on other projects.

[TerryWood]

Hi Prevx Help

No you did not answer it.

As I said in my post you were being coy.

First you announce a new free version, then you cast seeds to keep people awaiting growth of the project, then you say it has been moved down the list of priorities.

In other words, the public has been left dangling, in the hope that it may emerge, but a subtle hint that it may not. No sorry we have had a rethink and it has been withdrawn.

This is truly unprofessional behaviour on your part as an individual, but not surprising. Simply because you are an employee. Your words are as good as your masters.

Before you respond with the holiness of cleric, why not look at all the posts made on this specific topic all the promises made and all the questioning of Webroots motives. Can you then say that Webroot has been entirely open?

I make this point not as an inveterate complainer, but this is my first post out of many who are more articulate than I. The one exception between you and I is that I am totally free to express my views, you have to toe the company line.

So, Prevx help I am not impressed. Webroot will not get a single dollar, Euro, Pound of my money, nor a single recommendation.

Terry

[volvic]

why do you think they should provide a free version because you think they should?

[TerryWood]

Hi Volvic

Did you not read or comprehend my post?

I did not say that they should provide a free version!

My criticism of Webroot was that THEY SAID that they were going to provide a free version. A world of difference.

I am not after a free version per se. I am just seeking that when developers try to ramp up the general public by use of "we are introducing a free version " that they are being honest", which in this case I believe they are not.

Terry

[PrevxHelp]

Originally Posted by TerryWood

Hi Volvic

Did you not read or comprehend my post?

I did not say that they should provide a free version!

My criticism of Webroot was that THEY SAID that they were going to provide a free version. A world of difference.

I am not after a free version per se. I am just seeking that when developers try to ramp up the general public by use of "we are introducing a free version " that they are being honest", which in this case I believe they are not.

Terry

... and I haven't said that we aren't providing a free version, just that the priorities have changed.

[TerryWood]

Hi Prevx Help

You are quite right you haven't. (Said that you are not providing a free version)

That is the whole point of my argument.
You are playing semantics.

Fact, at least 10 months ago you said you were introducing a new version. 10 months later no new version. It is "down the list of priorities".

Seems perilously close to either "Bull**** or no new version.

Prevx Help you cannot win on this one until you provide the new version. Until you do there will be people like me raising the ante and the bad publicity. Either way Webroot has shot itself in the foot and frankly you are ~snip~.

Terry

[d0t]

Take it easy...

Like any other business, sometimes more important things come up. It's not like they are partying instead of making the free IS.

[Amit]

Originally Posted by d0t

Take it easy...

Like any other business, sometimes more important things come up. It's not like they are partying instead of making the free IS.

Exactly. Give it a break Terry.

[JCRUYFF]

Hi

The so a-waited "Free Version of Identity shield" simply doesn't exist.

People should not wait.

[hogndog]

There are many reasons for delaying a project one look at the world we live in should make it abundantly clear promises made can't be promises kept. War in one section of the world will close factories without prior notice a tsunami in another region will wash factories out to sea we could start a poll and find many other reasons but the weather may postpone it..

Thanks..
Hogndog

[jasonbourne]

It has been moved the very bottom of the priorities of WebRoot...

Well imho WebRoot might take some consideration of Avast which was made very popular of it's free version and where is Avast now! AvastFree has only to put it's Sandbox feature or SafeZone (limited of course)in and it will be awesome and that with malware removal!

Sorry to see that it's WebRoot's priorities...I nearly forgot about Prevx and WSA a long time after the Beta trial if it weren't for this thread.

[Techfox1976]

Minor note:
PrevxHelp is not the "average peon" at Webroot, being the VP of Product Development or something very similar in title as a VP.

That being said, push hard enough and all you'll likely get is "Since it will provide no benefit to Webroot whatsoever, we have decided to explicitly say that we will not provide any free version." Go ahead and call that bad publicity if you want to, but honestly the only people who are likely to be upset about it are folks who would never give the company any money anyway. What do they lose? Nothing except the lack of whining from people who are too cheap to buy things.

Seriously, when did the world get so entitled that they want "Free, Now, Or Else"? Nobody owes you a free handout. Want something free sooner? Get a bunch of people to buy the paid version so Webroot can afford to hire more people to code and support a free version. It's a gift if you get anything free these days, so be happy with what you get.

I figure, if you don't get a free version, you'll not pay anything to Webroot and use AVG. If you do get a free version, you'll not pay anything to Webroot either. So really, why should they give you a free version if the cost is higher than the return?

[lordraiden]

Originally Posted by Techfox1976

So really, why should they give you a free version if the cost is higher than the return?

You don't know that.
Avast it's free and I'm pretty sure that the revenue of the company is much bigger that webroot's revenue.

[Techfox1976]

161 million users on Avast.

Avast! SEC filings include some interesting stuff.

2011 Bookings per protected device were 64.5 cents. Literally, for every person using their product actively, they made just under 65 cents for the year.

Total 2011 bookings for Avast were listed at $96.1 million.

Webroot is not publicly traded, so there's no SEC filings, therefore bookings have to be estimated. One could go by $39.95 ($40) for the AV, but that doesn't take higher packages or retail discounts into account. But with wholesale generally being 40% total and suites up to $80, as well as direct sales not being discounted to the company, consumer bookings likely average $30 or so per unit.

I have no idea what their consumer user base is now, and estimations from prior years are anywhere from 4 million to 9 million. But even taking the low end of that, 4 million consumer users, puts their bookings at 120m for consumer alone. Then we know they have business bookings as well, so that has to be higher.

So Webroot very likely makes a lot more money with a fraction of the userbase to support that Avast has. Therefore less costs in supporting said user base.

All of this is speculation of course, since Webroot is not publicly traded, but just the guessable numbers don't support going to a freemium model.

Also, keep in mind, I'm playing the naysayer here because I seem to be the only one doing so. Everybody else wants Free Webroot, no matter what the cost. But what would be the cost?

"Avast is better than all (three) other free AV products and even some paid products!"

I think I'd like Webroot to continue being better than most (if not all) other paid products than just some.

[trjam]

considering how thick Joes wallet has become, I would say yeah, they are doing very well.

Hey Joe, can I borrow 50.

[lordraiden]

Any news?

[PrevxHelp]

No news yet, and I'm going to close this thread until there is so that we don't have the "false hope" referenced in a previous post. PM me if you have any questions.