Group Usage
Software asset visibility by department
Every department within an organization is using applications. When users and groups are integrated into the software license management system via Directory Sync, OpenLM can interface with a company’s directory service and synchronize to its Organizational Units (OUs) and users’ workgroups. The Group Usage feature supplies administrators the information about which department is using which application and for how long.
Enable software chargeback for your organization
The OpenLM Group Usage feature enables chargeback of license usage to cost centers based on groups and improves the planning of license acquisition, maintenance and allocation.
OpenLM allows system admins to add their users and groups in multiple ways:
- manually,
- by uploading a CSV file,
- using the Options file,
- Reading the license output
- By synchronizing the OpenLM database with the organization’s central directory.
Key Benefits
Make cost centers/departments visible
Cost center owners should have insight not only into their cost center’s licensing situation, but also into the license positions of other cost centers. This helps procurement and cost center managers to make informed decisions about whether new purchases are required or whether an existing license can be used.
Don't depend just on self-reporting
In case an organization relies on cost center managers to track and self-report the licensing situation for their specific cost center, the human factor increases the risk to be caught off guard when a software audit happens and the self-reporting is shown to be inaccurate. Use the Group Usage feature of OpenLM to get a clear picture of how licenses are consumed by various departments or groups.
Measure license consumption per department
Being able to look at how licenses are being used based on groups/departments can be a key part of answering some common questions about usage. “How do the two teams’ uses of the app compare?” is a question that comes up often.
The OpenLM Group Usage feature lets you measure license usage per group/organization unit to see which departments use the most licenses, which software features are used the most, and so on.
Enable reharvesting
With OpenLM you have the data on license usage, and see which licenses are unused and which one are in high demand by departments. Now you can decide to make it appealing for cost center owners to proactively reharvest their unused licenses for transfer to another cost center. Facilitate license optimization per group and organization-wide, and cut costs by reharvesting licenses rather than storing them “just in case.”
Group reporting allows managers and system administrators to obtain license usage statistics according to the organization’s groups.
- Feature usage per group
- Currently consumed licensesÂ
- Denials
- License activity
Prerequisites & System Requirements
The OpenLM Group Usage extension requires the OpenLM License File, Broker (Option File), and Directory Sync.
 Download these components here.
