4 Steps to True License Optimization

As the organization expands, many companies realize that they need software usage metering tools to have visibility and gain more control over their growing portfolio of technical software applications.

What many of them don’t realize is that a software usage metering tool is just the first step, not the end-all and be-all, of managing these expensive software assets.

The wide array of features and functionalities of software usage metering tools are only valuable if you know how to properly use them to accomplish your software license optimization goals.

Here are 4 steps to achieving true license optimization:

1. Get the Right Tool for True License Optimization

Getting a software usage metering tool is relatively easy.

You can easily find downloadable tools with one-click installations on the internet.

However, those tools may not exactly address the unique requirements of your organization because they are designed as general solutions.

These tools may seem cheap at the onset because they only include the basic features, but you may end up paying a lot more to get the features and functionalities that you actually require.

Finding the right tool that would address your current specific challenges and allow you to go further than your initial expectations is the first step towards a successful software asset management and optimization journey.

Remember that an insight to your software license usage is just the beginning, not the end result, of your optimization initiative.

And the right tool should lead you to your end goal.

2. Deploy and Set Up Solution to Fit Requirements

Once you have the right tool, it would be imperative to have it installed and configured based on the specific requirements and goals of your initiative.

Not only should it run smoothly and collect the correct and accurate usage data from your environment, it should also be set up in a way that would provide the needed information when it is needed.

This would mean that dashboards and reports should be personalized so that each user or administrator would immediately get the information he or she needs in the format or presentation that he or she prefers.

These would require professionally assisted installation and configuration.

Users and administrators may also need to undergo hands-on training from subject-matter experts in order to fully understand how to effectively use and proficiently manage the tool.

Implementing an effective program for managing the usage of technical software applications would require not only the right tool, but also the right information aggregated from the correct and accurate data collection of the tool.

3. Analyze Usage Data for True License Optimization

Analyzing usage data is crucial in optimizing the usage of expensive technical software applications.

The right information presented in easily understandable reports should be enough for a thorough software and license usage analyses.

These usage analyses should be able to tell you how many licenses of each feature from which application are being used on each hour of each day of each week or month.

They should also be able to tell you which users are using which license at which time, and whether they are using more than one license at a time or are holding on to idle licenses for long periods.

With the right report analyses, you should be able to tell which features or applications need more licenses, and which ones can withstand some reduction.

You should be able to simulate the perfect mix of licensing methods that would fit your current needs and maximize your license usage while reducing your overall licensing costs.

But beyond that, you should be able to predict future licensing needs based on your current usage trends and growth projections, thus allowing you to properly plan for future budgets.

Effective usage data analysis would provide the documentation you need to come up with measures to achieve your license optimization goals.

4. Implement Value Optimization Initiatives

The end goal is, of course, to optimize the value of your software assets.

With effective usage data analysis, you could attain a better negotiating position with software vendors because you know exactly what you need, how much, and when.

You could rebalance your portfolio and let go of unnecessary M&S costs depending on your actual needs.

You could also implement a fair and accurate chargeback system that would allow for better management of your available software assets.

Value optimization means that you should be able to maximize the usage of each software asset and improve user productivity at the optimum cost for the company.

It means that you should be able to allocate more budget for new technology, upgrades, personnel improvement, business expansion, etc., while keeping productivity at optimum levels.

Completing the Journey

Open iT offers a host of software usage metering, analysis, and optimization solutions and services that would guide you through every step of your technical software management and optimization journey.

With Open iT, you don’t just get a tool, you get the full experience.

Learn more about Open iT solutions and services.

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