User Licensing
Every person who accesses Mothernode requires their own user license.
Licensing is based on who uses the software, not on a person’s department, job title, or level of access. Whether someone works in sales, project management, production, installation, accounting, or management, if they log into Mothernode to perform their job, they should have their own license.
Important: A user license grants access to Mothernode. What a user can see and do within the system is determined by their assigned permissions and security settings—not by the license itself.
Quick Facts
- Every individual who logs into Mothernode requires their own user license.
- Licensing applies to all departments, including office staff, production, and installation.
- Permissions are managed separately from licensing.
- Shared user accounts are supported but are not recommended due to accountability and security concerns.
Who Needs a License?
A license is required for anyone who is expected to access Mothernode as part of their job responsibilities.
Examples include:
- Sales Representatives
- Project Managers
- Customer Service
- Estimators
- Accounting
- Production Personnel
- Installation Personnel
- Managers and Supervisors
If an employee logs into Mothernode to retrieve information, update records, complete tasks, or interact with the software, they should have their own user license.
Do Production or Installation Employees Need a License?
This is one of the most common licensing questions.
The answer is straightforward:
If they use Mothernode to perform their job, they need a license.
Many production and installation employees regularly use Mothernode to:
- View work orders
- Access drawings and project documents
- Update job status
- Make Changes
- Add Time
- Record production progress
- View schedules
- Complete assigned tasks
- Access project information in the field or shop
Some organizations have only a handful of shop employees using Mothernode, while others have every technician actively working within the system throughout the day. The licensing requirement is the same regardless of department.
Shared User Accounts
Some companies choose to create a shared workstation where multiple employees sign into the same Mothernode account throughout the day.
While this is technically possible, it is strongly discouraged.
Why?
The biggest drawback is accountability.
Mothernode records activity based on the user account that is logged in. When multiple employees share the same login, the system cannot identify which individual actually performed an action.
This makes it difficult—or impossible—to determine who:
- Updated an order
- Changed project information
- Modified scheduling
- Entered production updates
- Uploaded or removed documents
- Completed or reopened tasks
Instead, every action appears to have been performed by the shared account.
Additional Considerations
Shared accounts can also create other challenges, including:
- Reduced accountability across your organization.
- Less reliable audit history.
- Difficulty troubleshooting mistakes or unexpected changes.
- Shared passwords that may be difficult to manage securely.
- Increased security risk if credentials become widely known.
- Limited visibility into individual employee activity and productivity.
For organizations that rely on accurate reporting and operational visibility, these drawbacks can become significant over time.
Best Practice
For the best security, accountability, and reporting, Mothernode recommends assigning one user license per individual who regularly accesses the software.
Even if an employee only logs in a few times each week, having their own account ensures that all activity is accurately attributed to the correct person.
Individual user accounts provide:
- Clear accountability
- Accurate activity history
- Improved security
- Better reporting
- Easier troubleshooting
- Reliable audit trails
While shared accounts may seem like a way to reduce licensing costs, the loss of accountability and traceability often outweighs any potential savings.
Frequently Asked Question
Can multiple employees share one Mothernode license?
Technically, yes. However, Mothernode does not recommend shared accounts except in very limited circumstances.
When multiple people use the same login, the system cannot determine which individual performed specific actions. This reduces accountability, weakens audit history, and can make troubleshooting significantly more difficult.
For most organizations, assigning each employee their own user account provides the best balance of security, operational visibility, and accountability.
