With the recent advancements in Epicor Kinetic, businesses now have the ability to protect custom solutions like BAQs, BPM directives, and functions as intellectual property. This new layer of protection enhances security for proprietary customizations, ensuring that valuable intellectual property remains safeguarded.

However, with this level of protection comes a significant risk: businesses installing these protected customizations are unable to view the source code. This "black box" approach can pose a serious threat to security, as companies are unable to verify the safety or performance of the code they are installing. Without a standard for transparency, there's a greater chance of vulnerabilities, system disruptions, or hidden flaws going undetected.

Beyond the inherent risks of black box solutions, the ability to protect custom solutions opens the door to new business models where companies can confidently distribute their customizations without fear of exploitation. It gives businesses the flexibility to share or license their solutions, creating fresh revenue streams and greater control over how their custom tools are used. Intellectual property protection will be a key factor in shaping the future of the Epicor tooling ecosystem.