We do have a number of companies that depend on our software for some pretty core processes within their businesses. Still, because our software is stable, ove

We do have a number of companies that depend on our software for some pretty core processes within their businesses. Still, because our software is stable, over time the value of an under-used support contract goes down in their eyes. In several cases, they simply haven't renewed support because the product didn't need it. So we only really hear from them when upgrades are available for them. So I'm hesitant to recommend a support-based business model for that reason (unless they're making unstable software ;), and for the fact that most software falls outside of the "core business process" category, which would likely make support a really tough sell. There's where subscription-based services shine, because support is expected with it, but it's distributed over exactly one installation instead of hundreds, so fixes are made once and apply to everyone. This way you're essentially selling access to the software plus support over time, making residual income, and cutting down the amount of effort it takes to support many customers. While that's not the right model for every type of software obviously, many companies have shown it can be made to apply to a surprising number of cases you wouldn't think it suitable for at first :)