How to Maximize MATLAB Toolbox Usage

Carving its expertise in the world of technical computing, MATLAB helps engineers and scientists worldwide in accelerating the pace of innovation, design, and product development. MATLAB technology continues to evolve as it releases 326 software changes between R2020a and R2021a alone. These quick transitions can leave organizations with overwhelming decisions on when, why, and how to upgrade to these latest software versions.

One of the most effective ways to evaluate the need for new versions or additional licenses in an organization is to monitor software usage. Tracking MATLAB license usage can be accomplished fundamentally by simply viewing log files or by running the utility command from the license manager. These monitoring approaches can show the current usage and provide an idea on what is currently happening with the MATLAB licenses.

However, monitoring current usage mainly from log files and license manager utilities alone can be tedious, and conclusions based solely on these tools can be error-prone, which may lead to incorrect assumptions. Moreover, useful information that can be used for optimizing MATLAB licensing can only be derived from in-depth analyses of aggregated historical usage data.

As more challenges arise, the following steps could help save cost and maximize the use of MATLAB Toolboxes:

Get the Right Tool for Visibility

The first step towards a successful optimization journey is to find the right tool that would address specific needs and go beyond initial expectations.

MATLAB, for instance, is a core product developed by MathWorks. This means that other MathWorks products depend on MATLAB for them to properly function. Therefore, making sure that there are enough MATLAB licenses for all users, without straining the software budget too much with excessive unused licenses, is essential for any organization that uses these tools.

A tool that would be able to identify, monitor, and report on MATLAB licenses regarding peak license usage even on different licensing models, distinct user group level usage, and other critical information could provide the organization with the necessary visibility to make better decisions on software purchases.

Consolidate and Analyze Usage Data

The right report and analysis should make it easy for administrators to filter or drill each MATLAB session information down to its license number, list of available toolboxes, and which user checked out a specific toolbox, including when and where the toolbox was checked out. Using these reports, administrators should be able to determine the organization’s true license usage and formulate appropriate measures to maximize license usage while reducing overall licensing costs. By analyzing current usage trends and growth projections, they should also be able to predict future licensing requirements, thus allowing proper planning for future budgets.

Implement a Value Optimization Solution

Value optimization means maximizing the usage of each software asset and improving user productivity at the optimum cost for the company. An effective software solution would allow organizations to avoid unnecessary costs by correcting user behavior, calculate license efficiency, and simulate various licensing agreements.

Open iT Analyzer for MathWorks® Licensing is especially designed to provide a high level of visibility for the usage of MATLAB Toolboxes and other MathWorks products. By polling license and usage information from an active MATLAB session, it allows organizations to see their true license usage, thus providing the necessary information to implement optimization efforts based on actual usage data.

Learn more about how Open iT can help you with your software optimization initiatives today.

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