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Data Privacy and the License Server

SmartPLS runs entirely on your computer. Your data files, projects and results are created, processed and stored only on your own device and are never sent to the license server or to SmartPLS. The license server only receives what it needs to check your license. Besides that, SmartPLS sends technical reports about the use of the license and about crashes.

What stays on your computer

  • Your data files (CSV, Excel, SPSS and other imported data)
  • Your projects and models
  • All results and reports
SmartPLS keeps all of them in your workspace folder. If you put the workspace on a cloud drive, the files are stored by your cloud provider under your own account, not by SmartPLS.

Seat licenses and floating licenses hosted by SmartPLS

These licenses are checked by our licensing provider Nalpeiron. When you activate SmartPLS and when SmartPLS checks the license, it sends:
  • your license key
  • a hardware ID of your computer
  • your operating system and SmartPLS version
  • your IP address (part of every internet connection)
Nalpeiron uses this information for licensing only. Its servers are in the USA. All connections are encrypted (TLS).
For license administration, SmartPLS also keeps the name, email address and institution given with the license, for example to send the confirmation code when you move a license to a new computer.

Floating licenses on your own license server

If your organization runs its own floating license server, SmartPLS checks the license only with that server in your network. The server receives only what it needs to assign a license seat, such as the IP address and name of the computer and the time a user started SmartPLS.
The license server runs in your network and is managed by your organization. It is not connected to SmartPLS or Nalpeiron servers. SmartPLS itself still sends the usage and crash reports described below.

Usage and crash reports

  • License usage: SmartPLS sends information about the use of the license to SmartPLS servers, together with technical details such as the operating system and the installation location of SmartPLS.
  • Crash reports: If SmartPLS crashes, it sends a report about the error to Sentry, a service for error reporting with servers in the USA. The report describes the technical error, for example the error message and the SmartPLS version, and includes the IP address and the name of the computer.
Neither contains your data files, projects or results. Both can contain file paths of your computer, such as the installation folder. A path can include the name of your user account on the computer.
These reports are sent with every license type, also when your organization runs its own license server, and cannot be switched off.

Common questions

Does SmartPLS need an internet connection?

Seat licenses and floating licenses hosted by SmartPLS need a connection to the license server. On a computer without internet access, you can activate a seat license offline. With your own license server, a connection within your network is enough for the license check.

Which connections do we need to allow in our firewall?

Allow SmartPLS to connect to smartpls.com and nalpeiron.com. With your own license server, SmartPLS checks the license with that server instead of nalpeiron.com. The usage reports still go to smartpls.com. More in solving license problems.

Where can I ask about my personal data?

Our privacy policy explains how SmartPLS GmbH processes personal data and how to contact us about data protection. For details about your organization's setup, contact support.