Regardless of the industry, the final product an organization delivers to its customers is a collaboration between a variety of departments. If we take the naval industry as an example, a ship’s final design is a result of teamwork among architects and engineers. To better collaborate with each other, these people use a variety of software to avoid bottlenecks in their workflow.
The applications used can be either from a third party or in-house built software, which then become integral components of the organization’s IT environment. As with every other asset, they need to be controlled in some way. This is where software license management comes into play.
Continuing with the naval example (but you can substitute your industry here), there are at least six categories of applications used in this industry, such as
- CAD software (and CAM/CAE);
- structural design apps;
- hydrodynamics and stability analysis software;
- BEM software for seakeeping and maneuvering;
- project management
- in-house-built software;
- etc.
So, for a customer to receive the final design of a ship, the organization needs to own software licenses for engineering apps such as SolidWorks, AutoCAD, Ansys Structural, Ansys Fluent, Ansys Aqua, OrcaFlex, SimCentre Start CCM+, Moses, Matlab, and NAPA, just to name a few.
In the case of licensed software, it is essential that organizations know how many licenses they own, as the entire design process starts with project planning (also software-based) and budgeting, before one cent is spent on the project. In other words, it is all about good management, which also includes software license management.
Software asset management solutions such as OpenLM enable you to track and manage all types of applications. Engineering software is licensed to the organization so IT asset managers can track license usage. However, in some cases a need arises to develop a custom solution tailored to the specific needs of the organization.
When in-house software comes into play
Projects usually involve lots of data that requires visualization and simplification. The need for in-house software comes from the non-availability of an application that serves the aforementioned scope in the market. This is where the organization decides to dedicate resources so it can have access to a tool that it is tailored to its needs – instead of using Excel spreadsheets.
The difference between third-party and in-house software
The main difference between an off-the-shelf application and in-house-built software is that the former requires a license, whereas your custom solution doesn’t. In other words, it makes sense to track engineering applications at the licensing level, but how can you track and manage applications without a license?
Tracking in-house software is important for every IT asset manager, because they need to understand its adoption and user engagement. You may have the best application in the world, but how do you know if your employees are using it? You justify the development efforts and see the ROI only by having the right insights into user engagement. OpenLM provides you with the right toolset to get those insights.
Monitor and manage in-house-built software with ease
IT asset managers and license managers need to have information about user engagement. So, they will likely be asking the following questions: Who is using the in-house software? How are they using it? and When are they using it?
Without no licenses to track, IT asset management becomes a challenging task, but this is where OpenLM comes it handy. Our solution allows organizations to track and manage any application regardless whether it is an on-premise or network-based accessed via the Web UI, even in-house software, simply by using the OpenLM Workstation Agent or Browser Agent.
Without a license to track, our software license management solution monitors the application on the end user’s workstation. With OpenLM, you will know exactly who is using the software, and how and when they are using it. This also allows you to deploy a high-level application management strategy: you can enable access to software for different departments or groups by integrating your primary directory with OpenLM.
If the in-house software you built is targeted only to a specific department or groups, you can simply set “license” consumption rules using our Applications Manager feature. For example, if the custom application was designed for the engineering department, you can prevent sales or marketing from accessing it.
Application management made easy with OpenLM
Asset tracking is key in the lifecycle management of the software the organization owns. Without data about the applications end users have access to, license managers cannot make informed decisions. Third-party or in-house software is an integral part of business processes, and obtaining the right data is key now it is up to you whether you want access to it on-premises or on the cloud.
IT asset management is made easier by having access to the right toolset: track and monitor applications with or without a license with OpenLM. Sign up for our cloud solution today!
