V2.0: Announcing release date, licensing, pricing and specials

09/10/12 Update: v2.0 went on sale today.

With the v2.0 live date rapidly approaching, we would like to share some exciting news and let you know how to get the most benefits from the coming changes.

Release date:V2.0 will be released on 9/10/12. The beta will expire shortly thereafter. Stay tuned, as an auto-update in StresStimulus will prompt prior versions and beta users about the available update.  

What's new in StresStimulus 2.0. If you are already using the public beta that has been available for two-months now, then you are familiar with its added power and ease of use firsthand. If you're still using 1.7 or just thinking about StresStimulus, we wanted to let you know that 2.0 added a host of features in the Pro Edition to handle complex tests even easier. 2.0 also introduced the Enterprise Edition that allows to quickly set up on-premise or cloud-based distributed test with dozens of agents or configure tests with multiple test cases. The best thing is that the now you can emulate your licensed VUs on any number of agent machines at no extra charge.

Licensing and Pricing: When the current pricing was announced at the time of the release of v1.5, our vision was to create a powerful yet easy to use performance testing tool, affordable to professionals and companies of any size. Since that time, StresStimulus has undergone two major releases, v1.7 and now v2.0,that added more than 4-dozen new features. While the new StresStimulus brings a much higher value, the existing full version pricing will remain unchanged. Actually for the price of 20 VU or 200 VU licenses you will receive even more VUs (25 and 250 respectively).  Prior version license holders with a current maintenance contract will receive 2.0 PRO free of charge.

However, in order to respond to the requirements of our customers to rapidly evolve StresStimulus, we need to make a few licensing structural changes. For new subscriptions, the ratio of full license to subscription price will be brought in line with industry practice, while still maintaining unconventionally affordable pricing. This change will not affect existing subscribers. Also, licenses for 1000 VUs or more will only be available with the Enterprise Edition. This change will also not affect current holders of Pro Edition licenses. Existing pricing will be available until close of business on Friday, 9/7/2012 EST. The new pricing will be rolled out on or before Monday, 9/10/2012 EST.

V2.0 EULA is updated to reflect the coming changes. It allows to distribute the purchased virtual users across an unlimited number of agents. Running StresStimulus from the cloud will require Enterprise Edition. This change will not affect holders of Pro Edition license purchased before 9/7/12.

Upgrades.An upgrade from previous versions to 2.0 Pro is free (requires non-expired maintenance). The cost of upgrading from a full Pro license to the Enterprise Edition is the difference between the costs of the two licenses plus an upgrade surcharge that depend on your existing license (requires non-expired maintenance).

Specials.To make the transition to 2.0 smoother and more exciting, Stimulus Technology announces three specials that that be available on the 2.0 launch date:

1. Evaluation Special.Looking into the existing licensing option, but need more time before placing an order? We understand your decision-making and procurement process and want to make sure that coming change does not interfere with it. If you initiated your free trial before 9/7/12, we will reserve the existing pricing until 9/30/12, so you can order the license you like.

2. Beta Friend Special. Do you know that 28% of 2.0 features were suggested by StresStimulus users? If you initiated your free trial or joined the community site between 6/26/12 and 9/7/12, we will reserve a 10% discount code valid for any order placed between 9/10/12 and 09/30/12 (use invitation code Beta_Friend_10%). This is our way to show appreciation to beta participants.

3. Upgrade Special. If you purchased a Pro Edition full license during the beta (between 6/26/12 and 9/7/12) and want to upgrade to the Enterprise Edition full license by 09/30/12, your upgrade surcharge will be waived, plus your upgrade cost will be reduced by 10% of the Enterprise Edition. This is our way of thanking our customers who made an investment in StresStimulus during the beta, for trusting our innovations and a commitment to them.

More options to place an order:  For your convenience, we upgraded our online store to handle any procurement process. We accept:

• Major credit cards (Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express);
• PayPal;
• Payments in 50+ national currencies;
• eChecks;
• Wire transfers;
• Purchase orders from US organizations (subject of approval);
• Phone orders;
• Fax orders;

Orders for up to 10,000 VUs can be placed online. For more VUs, please call.

We are sure that you will have many more questions about coming change. Here's how to contact us:

• Email: sales@StimulusTechnology.com
• Phone +1-732-637-8100
• Contact Us form
• Or click on “Have a question” link in the bottom right corner of StresStimulus.

See you soon in 2.0!

Stimulus Technology,

StresStimulus Team