Striking the balance with software licence management

1. Striking the balance with software Striking the balance with software licence management licence management Identifying and managing the best licensing models for compliance without overprovisioning Software license management refers to the software tools or processes an organisation uses to control and document where and how the company's software products are able to run in order ensure compliance with software licenses or End User License Agreements (EULA). Software license management tools License management tools are also employed by software vendors to monitor and ensure compliance with the developer's software license. These tools help prevent the developer's software from being copied, shared or otherwise illegally used by non-licensed users. Software vendors may implement tasks to ensure adherence to the EULA by creating trial periods, products for personal use, corporate licences, and subscription-based license keys assigned via a licence generator. Software product activation and deactivation are further tasks that may be implemented, amongst others. The cost of software licence management Software and licencing forms the major part of IT spend for many businesses. With this comes the burden of tracking what licences have been purchased. A lack of knowledge of the installed software base brings the added risk of running non- licenced software and FAST non-compliance standards. Poor software licencing management can also lead to overprovisioning of current licencing, poor commercial deals with software providers and lack of governance around new software introduction. Aligning software licensing with business needs It is clear that businesses need to strategically align their software licencing against their business needs. They need to ensure they are compliant and utilising the most effective software licences and balance this with the potential for over- provisioning. An end-to-end service can significantly simplify software licensing while maximising value and minimising spend. This begins with a planning phase that identifies software to be discovered, operating system and database requirements, licence software agent installation planning, firewall ports and internet access requirements.

2. Installing a software licence management system The installation phase follows the planning phase and looks to deliver a fully operational and functional licence management server. This includes post build operating system configuration, licencing database installation, installing a latest software catalogue, licence software agent installation, server or hypervisor connections, base user configuration and configure software scans. Ongoing software licence management Software classification reviews and monitors software components discovered during the planning phase. Each discovered component is mapped to a software product and potential issues identified and documented. Ongoing remote management covers the deployment of new agents and identifies and rectifies agent connection issues, and monitors and resolves infrastructure conflicts proactively. Remote catalogue updates produce monthly updates to software catalogues, importing any new licences purchased. Ideally there should be monthly scheduled reports as well as on-site quarterly license reviews that include recommendations of the most appropriate licensing models for the business and its applications. Quarterly software audit snapshots are highly recommended. About us: Bell Integration provides expert IT services and consultancy to businesses across Europe and Asia-Pacific. Their services are focused on four key capabilities – transact, transform, run and recycle – to provide their customers with an end-to-end service and a wide range of propositions to help meet business challenges. Bell is at the forefront of helping companies drive down operating costs and improve their ability to engage with their own customers, either by supporting the growth of their channels to market, or by aiding their responsiveness and service quality. Bell Integration is proud to have won listings in The Sunday Times HSBC International Track 200 and The Sunday Times Hiscox Tech Track 100 and has featured in The Business Magazine’s Solent 250 and Southern Tech 100. Bell Integration continues to grow and now has over 300 permanent staff and over 50 associates employed at their offices in London, Portsmouth, Wokingham, Stevenage, Hyderabad, Singapore and within many of their customers’ sites. For more information Please visit: https://www.bell-integration.com Call: 44 2392 825925