Software License Management

Transcription

1 Sftware License Management White Paper January 9, Altiris Inc. All rights reserved.

2 ABOUT ALTIRIS Altiris, Inc. is a pineer f IT lifecycle management sftware that allws IT rganizatins t easily manage desktps, ntebks, thin clients, handhelds, industry-standard servers, and hetergeneus sftware including Windws, Linux and UNIX. Altiris autmates and simplifies IT prjects thrughut the life f an asset t reduce the cst and cmplexity f management. Altiris client and mbile, server, and asset management slutins natively integrate via a cmmn Web-based cnsle and repsitry. Fr mre infrmatin, visit NOTICE The cntent in this dcument represents the current view f Altiris as f the date f publicatin. Because Altiris respnds cntinually t changing market cnditins, this dcument shuld nt be interpreted as a cmmitment n the part f Altiris. Altiris cannt guarantee the accuracy f any infrmatin presented after the date f publicatin. Cpyright 2003, Altiris, Inc. All rights reserved. Altiris, Inc. 588 West 400 Suth Lindn, UT Phne: (801) Fax: (801) BtWrks U.S. Patent N. 5,764,593. RapiDeply U.S. Patent N. 6,144,992. Altiris, BtWrks, Inventry Slutin, PC Transplant, RapiDeply, and RapidInstall are registered trademarks f Altiris, Inc. in the United States. Carbn Cpy is a registered trademark licensed t Altiris, Inc. in the United States and a registered trademark f Altiris, Inc. in ther cuntries. Micrsft, Windws, and the Windws lg are trademarks, r registered trademarks f Micrsft Crpratin in the United States and/r ther cuntries. Other brands and names are the prperty f their respective wners. Infrmatin in this dcument is subject t change withut ntice. Fr the latest dcumentatin, visit

3 CONTENTS Intrductin... 1 Lking fr a quick win? Optimize yur sftware license envirnment. 1 Sftware License Audit Preparatin 1 Optimize Sftware Investments thrugh Reallcatin 1 Cnslidate Vendr Cntracts 1 Reduce Supprt Csts 2 Justify Sftware Investments 2 Infrastructure Resilience and Security 2 Implementing Sftware Asset Management Prcesses... 3 Phase I: Making Asset Management Part f the Culture 3 Phase II: The Sftware Audit 4 What sftware d I have? 4 CIO Magazine 4 Phase III: Gather the licenses 4 Hw many licenses have I purchased? 4 Phase IV: Sftware Usage 5 Hw many applicatins am I actually using? 5 Quick Facts 5 Phase V: Understanding the Data 6 Hw many d I really need? 6 The Slutin... 7 Altiris Asset Management Suite 7 Benefits 7 System Requirements 9 Ntificatin Server Minimum Requirements 9 Try Asset Management Suite Free fr 30 Days 9

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5 INTRODUCTION Implementing Sftware Asset Management prcesses allws yu t capitalize n sftware license reallcatin pprtunities, achieve vlume licensing discunts, decrease sftware supprt csts, increase infrastructure security and resilience, justify future purchasing activities, and ensure license agreement cmpliance. Lking fr a quick win? Optimize yur sftware license envirnment. Implementing Sftware Asset Management prcesses allws yu t capitalize n sftware license reallcatin pprtunities, achieve vlume licensing discunts, decrease sftware supprt csts, increase infrastructure security and resilience, justify future purchasing activities, and ensure license agreement cmpliance. Sftware License Audit Preparatin Practicing internal sftware audits n a quarterly basis helps yu gain cntrl f sftware inventries and ensures preparedness fr sftware license audits. If by chance the Business Sftware Alliance (BSA) r ther license enfrcement agencies knck n yur dr requesting cmpliance metrics, yu must be able t cnfidently supply data suggesting yur cmpliance. The implementatin f sftware asset management prcesses ensures detailed knwledge f which applicatins are installed acrss the netwrk and their assciated licenses, cmpared t the number f purchased licenses within yur license agreements. The ability t quickly supply supprting cmpliance infrmatin allws yu t quickly fulfill the enfrcement agency s requirements and get back t yur nrmal wrk functins, minimizing the impact f the audit. Optimize Sftware Investments thrugh Reallcatin Knwing hw many licenses are stated in the license agreement and hw thse licenses are being used can save yu mney. Crrelating license agreement details with the number f installed applicatins t the number f licenses being used in n time frame helps yu t determine which users d nt require specific applicatins. Harvesting licenses allws yu t reallcate licenses t needy users and eliminates the need t purchase new licenses t fulfill sftware requests. Practicing reallcatin prcedures helps yu t ptimize current investments and budget future license purchases, eliminating ver/underbuying. Cnslidate Vendr Cntracts Organizatins have either grwn thrugh acquisitin, cnslidated r practiced ad hc purchasing by business units. As a result, mst rganizatins have multiple cntracts cntaining similar applicatins frm a single vendr. The implementatin f sftware asset management prcesses prvides visibility int yur sftware license agreements t determine cntract redundancies. This infrmatin presents pprtunities fr yu t wrk with yur sftware vendrs t gain access t vlume licensing discunts by cnslidating cntracts, further decreasing licensing and maintenance csts. Sftware License Management > 1

6 Reduce Supprt Csts The lack f standardizatin f perating systems and hardware leads t a cmplex envirnment that is near impssible t manage and is cstly t supprt. An envirnment with multiple versins f perating systems and hardware leads t a lack f standardizatin f applicatin versins. Gaining visibility int OS and hardware versins and allws yu t better understand what areas t fcus n t ensure cnsistency acrss yur rganizatin, ultimately increasing manageability and reducing affiliated sftware supprt csts. Justify Sftware Investments IT rganizatins are cntinually faced with priritizing technlgy purchases. In many cases, IT rganizatins d nt have adequate infrmatin t execute infrmed purchasing decisins. Understanding the number f purchased licenses within the license agreement, what licenses are being used r nt being used, and hw much the licenses cst prvides yu with the infrmatin yu need t frecast sftware budgets, further helping t justify future sftware purchases and eliminate risky verbuying and underbuying. Infrastructure Resilience and Security The dwnlading f unauthrized and pirated applicatins creates security vulnerabilities and can lead t legal implicatins. The ideal situatin wuld be t empwer IT representatives t mnitr and set plicies t eliminate the intrductin f unauthrized applicatins int yur envirnment by autmatically denying installatin and allwing the remval f specified applicatins. 2 < Sftware License Management

7 IMPLEMENTING SOFTWARE ASSET MANAGEMENT PROCESSES Phase I: Making Asset Management Part f the Culture The first step is always the hardest. A sftware management prgram shuld be part f an verall asset management initiative in yur cmpany. The purpse f asset management is twfld. Asset management is first a set f prcesses that helps IT rganizatins achieve business bjectives by prviding detailed infrmatin abut cnfiguratin, relatinships, and assciated csts. The assets must be displayed by lcatin, cst center (accunting unit) r emplyees t ensure businesses make decisins targeted at cntrlling csts. Asset management is a vehicle fr facilitating grwth r cntractin in the enterprise, while minimizing inherent risks. Asset management prvides tls that: Align purchasing/it peratins with business gals and bjectives. Ramp up fr new hires What type f cmputer d they receive? Hw is it cnfigured? D we have that in stck? Manage hardware refresh Times f cntractin What assets can we reallcate? Where are the assets? What is the value f assets fr write-ff r sale? Stp walking assets with frmer emplyees Disappearing assets such as ntebks and PDAs. (What is the cst f the asset and mre imprtantly the infrmatin n the device?) Help ever-tightening margins; yur cmpetitrs' expenses are less. Optimize current investments thrugh reallcatin. The initial step is t discver and inventry what is in the enterprise. This is then fllwed by extending the details f the inventry with such infrmatin as financial data, user infrmatin, and s n. Sftware License Management > 3

8 Phase II: The Sftware Audit What sftware d I have? A cmplete hardware and sftware inventry adds many values t yur business. Primarily it answers the questin: What d I have? It then extends t give visibility int what ptential hardware upgrade scenaris we might have. Sme additinal features are mitigating security risks, preparing fr migratin (and knwing what can be migrated), what sftware needs t be upgraded and helps set standards in the enterprise. This leads t the reductin f maverick buying. The ultimate result is reducing supprt csts by reducing the number f hardware/sftware platfrms t be supprted. The first step is getting cntrl f what has been installed in yur enterprise. An inventry f yur desktps, ntebks, servers, handhelds, and netwrk devices gets cntrl f what d I have. This will give yu visibility int the number f licenses that yu are using. Data inventry needs t be fully cnfigurable, manageable, and reprted in several ways. This gives yu the flexibility t scan fr nly specific pieces f sftware r t scan fr everything. End-user infrmatin needs t be cllected as part f the inventry prcess. This data is essential fr understanding wh wns specific cmputers. This allws administratrs t assciate sftware licensing and usage data with the lcatin and cntact infrmatin. CIO Magazine Quan Ha, manager f desktp supprt at Sny Pictures Digital, als lends his vice t the chrus, saying that his investment (in sftware auditing tls) prvided near-instant payback by revealing that an anticipated $10,000 sftware purchase was unnecessary because the cmpany already wned mre licenses than it needed. Phase III: Gather the licenses Hw many licenses have I purchased? The ability t track purchase infrmatin fr licenses is very difficult when held by a number f different individuals. It is essential t establish standards fr purchasing and intrducing sftware int the envirnment. Nt nly des this prvide insight int what we have, it als helps enfrce standards s that un-authrized sftware is nt purchased and intrduced int the envirnment. The first step f understanding what has been purchased is t assign a persn r grup f peple t gather the licenses. These licenses will be 4 < Sftware License Management

9 fund in yur accunting r purchasing department, IT department, r a myriad f ther places. Many rganizatins will need t cntact vendrs and ther surces t gather this infrmatin. Once the infrmatin is gathered and entered int a centralized license management system, yu can gain insight int what yu have and hw much yu paid fr specific licenses. This exercise prvides pprtunities t analyze license agreements fr redundancies. Phase IV: Sftware Usage Hw many applicatins am I actually using? The sftware inventry scan determines hw many cpies f an applicatin are installed n yur user s systems, the sftware usage infrmatin determines which f these sftware applicatins are actually being used, and hw ften. Sftware metering tls can als help with asset management by tracking usage patterns and reprting n trends t assist with server lad balancing. These tls can als mnitr and cntrl the use f unauthrized applicatins such as vide games and screen savers and prevent dwnlading f insecure, nn-apprved sftware. Withut usage data, enterprises may be purchasing sftware based n perceived requirements, nt factual need. Usage data plays a rle in determining which applicatins shuld be included in a standard image and hw many standard images may be needed t meet the sftware requirements f users. Enterprises that cnduct image testing and evaluatin in shrt time frames are mst receptive t implementing sftware usage capabilities. This crrelatin f infrmatin can prvide dramatic cst savings as IT reclaims sftware licenses that are nt being used. Fr example: Relcate surplus licenses t internal cst centers that need additinal licenses List excess licenses that d nt need t be renewed fr the cming year Reduce csts f maintaining license cmpliance Identify and eliminate sftware applicatins that are nt being used Quick Facts Gartner estimates that 20 t 25 percent f all sftware ends up as shelfware. ZDnet: Typically, 10 t 20 percent f the cst f enterprise sftware ges t peridic bills fr upgrades and tech supprt. Sftware License Management > 5

10 Yu'd be surprised hw many cmpanies keep paying thse fees even when they're nt using the sftware. Phase V: Understanding the Data Hw many d I really need? Once yu knw what sftware yu have, hw ften users are using it, and hw many yur rganizatin has purchased, yu have the infrmatin yu need t make infrmed business decisins. The crrelatin f this data must be autmatic and active. This means that it is cntinually tracked and makes alerts t the apprpriate managers when the business falls ut f cmpliance r is verbuying licenses and wasting mney. Having cntrl f sftware licenses in yur envirnment reduces the risk f expensive penalties and legal expsure. Nrmal style shuld be used fr main bdy cpy. 6 < Sftware License Management

11 THE SOLUTION Altiris Asset Management Suite Asset Management Suite captures detailed sftware inventry f installed applicatins acrss the netwrk, and tracks usage data fr each Windws* applicatin. The suite alerts IT staff when applicatin installatins exceed the number f purchased licenses. The crrelatin f sftware usage and inventry data with sftware licensing cntracts prvides dramatic cst savings t IT rganizatins. Asset Management Suite includes pwerful Web publishing features that turn yur brwser int an executive infrmatin system. Altiris prepackaged Web Reprts, which are available frm any Web brwser, supprt presentatin-quality graphs, tables, and Office 2000/XP pivt tables. Use the drill-dwn feature t ffer multiple levels f details in yur reprt, while run-time replaceable filters and parameters allw fr extensive, ad-hc custmizatin. T ensure that data remains secure, yu can use Custm Views t cntrl access t all reprts. Benefits Why pay mre than yu need t? Asset Management Suite helps yu: Identify sftware usage patterns Stp verbuying and underbuying trends Facilitate license distributin Identify nn-standard applicatins Stp usage f unauthrized applicatins by time/grup Remve r true-up n unauthrized sftware installatins Standardize the applicatin envirnment Reduce supprt csts Take advantage f vlume licensing discunts Sftware License Management > 7

12 Figure 1 Sftware license cntracts and expiratin dates are easy t track with Altiris Asset Management Suite. Figure 2 Altiris Asset Management Suite keeps yu infrmed f license usage and whether yu need t uninstall licenses t maintain cmpliance. 8 < Sftware License Management

13 System Requirements Asset Management Suite requires that yu install and cnfigure the Altiris Ntificatin Server. Ntificatin Server Minimum Requirements Nte: As yu add slutins, we recmmend that yu increase prcessr speed, RAM, and hard drive space. Prcessr Pentium* lll 800 class r faster Memry 1 GB RAM Hard drive 20 GB Operating system Windws Server 2003 r Windws 2000 Server SP2 r later Database Micrsft SQL Server 2000 SP3 restricted t less than 50 percent f available memry. Nte: MSDE 2000 recmmended fr evaluatin purpses nly. Brwser Micrsft Internet Explrer 6 r later Try Asset Management Suite Free fr 30 Days Get yur 30-day, fully-functinal evaluatin cpy f Asset Management Suite at Sftware License Management > 9