Warranty versus a no-breach guarantee.

Not surprisingly, we got some questions on our recently announced No-Breach Guarantee. One specifically I would like to address today is the notion of a software warranty versus the No-Breach Guarantee. Are they not the same?

Well, we think not. Most software warranties are for 30-60 days and basically say the vendor is not responsible for anything. The application will have errors, bugs and might not install or perform as indicated :) Check out this interesting eWeek article titled "Software Warranty Woes" on the subject.

A few excerpts from the article:

"GM couldnt sell a car using the [current] software model," in which the buyer assumes the risk of making sure the product works reliably, says Scott, whose company is a large SAP and Electronic Data Systems customer.

Software vendors typically provide a 90-day limited warranty that promises the application will conform to published specifications. The supplier usually adds that the software may have errors and notes there are no guarantees that an installation will be successful.

Thats not good enough, Scott says.

And some more..

Technology executives roundly dismiss todays software warranties as reams of legalese that merely tell you the vendor isnt responsible for any problems. For instance, Cisco Systems says in its standard user license and software warranty that "in no event" does it guarantee that its code is error-free or will run "without problems or interruptions." As for security, Cisco says it doesnt warranty that its software "will be free of vulnerability to intrusion or attack."

I read with interest the comment on CNet by Phil Dunkelberger, CEO of PGP, on our guarantee. I am not sure if Mr. Dunkelberger has read his own EULA - PGP has a very limited 60 day software warranty - terms used are "PGP Corp will, at its own expense and as its sole obligation and your exclusive remedy for any breach of this warranty,... " etc etc..

Not the same, I would contend.

We don't claim to have the perfect answer, but we do think the BitArmor guarantee better reflects what the customer is purchasing data protection software for - to prevent data breaches! And we stand by our capability and responsibility to provide that protection.