EXCLUSIVES

Introducing Software Asset Management
Words by Stuart Wilkes

August 2004

One area of technology that is increasingly important is that of Software Asset Management, or what is sometimes referred to as, Software License Management technology. This technology enables systems administrators to determine exactly which applications are installed and being used on which Macs® and by whom.

A well-respected Mac solution for Software Asset Management is K2 from Sassafras Software. They have users who are managing thousands of desktop Macs that contain tens of thousands of applications from a single server.

The exact definition of a software license still has many systems administrators grappling for a succinct answer. The application terms and licensing agreements seem all too often to be interchanged. Just because you have the application installed does not mean you have the right to use it. Many people are surprised when they learn that despite paying many hundreds of dollars for software they do not actually own it. But, by delving into the small print of a software license, it becomes apparent that the actual software remains the property of the developer of the software and that what has been purchased is the right to use it (i.e., you have been granted a license to use the software). Should the software company who has granted the license determine that it is not being used within the terms and conditions of its license agreement, it can revoke the license and require removal of the software. Alternatively, you could be forced to pay hefty fines. As many software vendors clamp down on software piracy in all forms, even if it is "unintentional" as it is in many companies, such unthought-of nightmares become more and more reality. The effective management of these software assets can ensure complete legality with all the necessary terms and conditions of use, across the entire organization.

Software Asset Management technology is usually split into 3 key areas: a server, a client, and a management console. The server resides on a central server so it can see all the clients that it needs to monitor. The client, as you may have guessed, resides on all the desktop Macs and on a frequent basis tells the server exactly what applications are installed and being used. The management console resides on the systems administrator’s Mac and allows him to manage and control the entire enterprise.

This software has the ability to automatically detect all the applications that are installed, even if they are not being used. Once detected, a systems administrator has the potential to prevent an application from being used. A good example is that of a user who brings in a "rogue" application from home, or downloads some new software from the Internet. The employee may be able to install it; however, a systems administrator can immediately lock her out of using it.

Additionally, Software Asset Management software allows you to set up access rights to certain installed applications, restricting individual software usage to certain times of the day. For example, with web access from almost every desktop in most organizations, non-business critical usage can be enforced with the sys admin blocking browsers from being used except during lunch.

Finally, by monitoring software usage through the extensive reporting features of most software asset management tools, usage patterns can be determined to help drive future software investment and strategy. In fact, some companies, prior to transitioning from Mac OS 9 to Mac OS X, used software asset management technology to determine which applications were actually being used within their organizations, rather than relying on what had been purchased to date and what people said they wanted. This, then, gave them the basis for the necessary quantity of upgrades rather than just a blanket "site license" approach.

There is a shortfall with this technology, and it is on the legal side of things. It is technically possible to "float" licenses around the network (i.e., whichever Mac user first launches application X they get to use it). Similarly, if a 5-user version of an application is available then the first 5 Mac users to launch the application can use it. While this utopia of concurrent usage would be highly useful in driving down costs, in many cases, it is prohibited by the software license (but software license agreements differ with each software vendor so it would be advisable to check the terms and conditions very carefully). It would appear though that software vendors do allow educational establishments, with certain restrictions, to have concurrent usage.

But, given the valuable information gained from using Software Asset Management technology as it was designed, the benefits of protecting your organization against legal assaults and streamlining capital investments can far outweigh the drawbacks for any company.