Why License Management?
For most organizations, purchasing and supporting the software used within the business is a major annual expense, and yet the true cost is often hard to quantify. Analysts believe that as much as 30 percent of all software expenditure is wasted as firms buy more software than they need, purchase the wrong software, and continue to support applications that are no longer in use. What’s more, significant sums are spent and resources displaced to deal with vendor audits and reviews to prove that software is legally licensed. With an estimated 55 percent of organizations facing at least one compliance audit each year, the need for effective preparation and license management is crucial.
A Complete Integrated Solution
As the industry’s most powerful IT audit and software license management solution, Centennial License Manager™ from FrontRange Solutions® provides a complete, upto-date reconciliation of the desktop software estate in line with the industry best practices established in ISO/EN 19770-1. It compares deployed software assets against proven license entitlements, and provides the means to identify, catalog and track all hardware and software on the
network.
This best-of-breed solution allows IT assets to be managed more efficiently by combining network-wide software discovery with fast and easy entitlement reconciliation. For companies that want to avoid the unnecessary cost of over-licensing, eliminate the fines and negative publicity associated with underlicensing, and better manage a sprawling software estate, Centennial License Manager™ is the answer.
Baseline Discovery
For something to be managed, it must first be identified and inventoried. Centennial License Manager™ supports automated data feeds from inventory management solutions such as the marketleading Centennial Discovery® and other third-party inventory tools. A standard edition of Centennial Discovery is included at no charge with Centennial License Manager to ensure that complete software inventories are imported seamlessly. As a result, Centennial License Manager has the up-to-date audit data it needs to identify and validate:
- A formal count of the software deployed across the organization;
- A breakdown by version of programs being used;
- The volume of unused or underused programs that can be removed or redeployed;
- License shortfalls by specific applications;
- Usage levels for software on a machine-by-machine basis.
Intelligent “Proof of Entitlement” License Capture
Once software assets are inventoried, Centennial License Manager™ enables organizations to capture proof-of-
entitlements for all installed applications. This semi-automated process reduces human error with techniques such as bulk data import, wizard-driven data entry, and data validation against a hosted commercial software library. The solution is role-based, ensuring data entry and compliance reporting can be managed by different parties with appropriate security and controls.
The solution seamlessly augments the stored data with essential data held on the hosted software library that includes the vendor’s official title, SKU number, associated entitlement rights (i.e., upgrade versus downgrade, languages) and other important information. This enables the system to provide the best match and use of available licenses against the software inventory.
Intelligent “Best Fit” Reconciliation
Centennial License Manager automatically matches and reconciles proof-of-entitlement information against the imported software inventory. Automated functionality accelerates the process, reduces errors, and facilitates future licensing discussions. Just as importantly, because Centennial License Manager links entered entitlement information to actual proof of entitlement; such as scanned images of invoices, email confirmations and more, it greatly simplifies compliance audits and streamlines the demonstration of best practices as established in ISO/EN 19770-1.
Extensible Solution
Centennial License Manager™ from FrontRange Solutions is easily extended with other FrontRange Infrastructure Management point products and solution suites such as the FrontRange™ SAM Suite™, FrontRange Client Management Suite and FrontRange IT Service Management.
End-to-End SAM
The FrontRange SAM (Software Asset Management) Suite is a powerful asset management suite that integrates Centennial License Manager with FrontRange™ SAM Essentials™, Centennial Discovery® (Web) and NetInstall™. All modules work together as part of an intelligent solution that discovers installed software, monitors ongoing usage, simplifies how license entitlements are handled, and enforces corporate software policies. The modules are integrated using an industry-leading project management framework that guides each step of a successful SAM initiative, from initial planning through implementation through ongoing deployment and optimization.
