Employee offboarding in U.S. government agencies has long been hindered by inefficiencies, fragmented protocols, and the absence of standardized procedures. These challenges go beyond administrative delays, often leaving idle licenses—exposing agencies to compliance risks, inflated operational costs, and ineffective license management. For engineering and specialized applications—critical tools for government operations—such disruptions have far-reaching consequences.
30% of software licenses across industries remain idle due to poor offboarding practices.
Why Idle Licenses Happen When Engineers Exit Government Service?
A vast majority (77% )of state and local government CIOs say that workers exiting government service, particularly those from IT and engineering roles, are problematic as their office is required to clean their digital trail. When federal engineers, IT personnel, or contractors leave government service—whether through planned retirements, voluntary resignations, or abrupt terminations—they often leave behind an unmanaged web of active credentials and software licenses.
Improper employee offboarding frequently leaves software licenses assigned to former users, resulting in significant waste. Government agencies can lose millions annually, with studies showing that up to 30% of licenses across industries remain idle due to inadequate tracking and management.
These idle licenses continue to incur costs without delivering any value to the organization, while active personnel are unable to access essential tools tied to these unmonitored assets. The inefficiencies stemming from this issue compromise mission-critical goals, such as infrastructure development, national defense initiatives, or advanced scientific research.
Prevent Idle Licenses with Open iT
With Gartner reporting that 2025 will see significant increases in software spending, federal agencies must prioritize maximizing the value of their software investments. This entails implementing measures to ensure licenses are optimally utilized and remain accessible, especially when previous users are no longer part of the organization.
Open iT provides government agencies heavily reliant on engineering and specialty applications with proven solutions to track and monitor license usage and ensure they are getting the most value from these assets. Not only that, Open iT’s solutions can also help organizations mitigate the risks of idle licenses due to poor employee offboarding practices.
User-Level Tracking: Enhancing License Accessibility
Open iT enables agencies to monitor software license usage at an individual user level, providing detailed insights into who is using specific applications, how often they are being accessed, and whether the usage aligns with organizational objectives.
User-level tracking becomes critical during employee offboarding. By identifying licenses assigned to departing personnel, agencies can promptly reclaim these resources. This process prevents licenses from becoming idle and ensures their efficient reassignment to active users, thereby reducing waste and enhancing productivity.
License Harvesting: Automating Reclamation
License harvesting leverages advanced software tools to automatically detect and reclaim inactive licenses. When a license remains unused for a defined period, the system flags it as inactive and reclaims it, making it available for reassignment. This proactive approach ensures optimal utilization of limited license resources while minimizing the risk of over-provisioning or unnecessary expenditures.
When an employee leaves government service without undergoing proper offboarding, Open iT proactively addresses the risk of idle licenses. The system continuously monitors license activity and automatically flags licenses that have been inactive for a predefined period. Upon detecting inactivity, Open iT sends a notification to the user’s workstation, prompting them to confirm their need for the license. If no response is received within the allotted timeframe, the system suspends the application and reclaims the license for reassignment.
Industry Experience and Expertise
As a GSA-certified software vendor of license management solutions, Open iT brings decades of experience working with government organizations managing large engineering license portfolios, including NASA and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. By addressing complex licensing challenges, Open iT has helped these organizations optimize their software assets and contribute to their critical mission objectives.
Idle licenses caused by improper offboarding not only strain budgets but also disrupt productivity, delaying important government projects and initiatives. Open iT’s robust features, such as user-level tracking and automated license harvesting, ensure that every software asset is fully utilized, contributing directly to the success of government operations.
Reach out to us today to see how Open iT can streamline your agency’s license management and help you start saving immediately.