Elias looked at the small black drive. It represented thousands of dollars in savings. It represented the ability to compete with the big firms without breaking his bank. "Just like that?"

"It works fine," Marcus argued. "You just don't know how to use it."

He picked up the phone and called sales.

There was only one problem. The price tag was a jagged pill to swallow. His business was lean, and an expensive license felt like a luxury he couldn't afford.

Then, red text. License invalid. Connection terminated.

Elias panicked. He restarted the machine. He reloaded the file. The error persisted.