Completing Software Asset Identification

The first step in any software asset management and license management process is to determine what software is installed throughout your enterprise.  While simple in concept, this can be a monumental task.  It requires collecting and examining many different kinds of evidence of application installation, on laptop, desktop and server computers across your IT environment.  Even if you have a configuration management system such as Microsoft SMS or SCCM in place to collect the raw data, all of that evidence must be translated into a set of proper application titles, versions and publishers for accurate software asset identification.

Flexible, automated inventory data collection

Flexera Software FlexNet Manager Suite for Enterprises includes comprehensive IT asset management for both software and hardware through discovery and inventory capabilities for your desktop and datacenter systems.  FlexNet Manager Suite allows a choice of:

• Zero-touch ("agent-less") inventory data snapshots, or
• A fully deployed agent for ongoing inventory collection and application usage tracking, or
• Use of third-party inventory and usage data collection tools such as Microsoft SMS or SCCM

Fast, accurate application recognition and comprehensive reporting

Once the inventory data is collected, FlexNet Manager Suite processes all of the application evidence with its Application Recognition Library to determine the actual application titles, versions, editions, and publisher names.

With your resulting FlexNet Manager Suite enterprise-wide IT asset management database you can:

• Get on-demand reports for both hardware systems and software installed throughout the enterprise. Generate reports by publisher, computer, user, business unit, and more
• Receive alerts when unauthorized changes occur
• Create an audit trail of authorized changes—useful for Sarbanes-Oxley and other regulatory compliance reporting requirements

Installed versus used

Many organizations install a standard set of software packages for entire departments, regardless of what is really needed by each individual.  With FlexNet Manager Suite you can track actual usage of applications to identify installed software that is never used, uninstall it, and reclaim the licenses.  With Flexera Software Enterprise Deployment Suite you can even automate the removal of unused software from PCs, laptops and servers throughout your enterprise.