Ever wondered why on earth software identification is so difficult to do properly?  What’s the most accurate method of identification: registry analysis, file header analysis, or software catalogs?  When will software tagging become a reality?

Join me for a webinar I’ll be hosting next Wed, October 13, at 10am Pacific/1pm Eastern that will cover everything you need to know about software identification and how it relates to your software asset management efforts.  The webinar will be a sneak preview of the presentation I’m delivering at the IAITAM Conference in Nashville during the 3rd week of October, so please bring your most challenging questions so I can fine-tune my presentation accordingly.

Here are just a few of the topics I’ll discuss: (more…)

For most IT pros, it’s a constant struggle to manage their organization’s software licenses. In fact, just getting an accurate inventory of what’s installed requires a Herculean effort. But here’s the dirty little secret: software license management doesn’t need to be such a challenge.

This month, we’re offering a series of free webinars that can help you get a better handle on your organization’s software licenses, so you know exactly what’s installed, how it’s being used, and whether it’s legal. Don’t miss out!

1)  Software Identification: Understanding the Various Methodologies (And Why It Matters)
Wed, October 13: 11am Pacific, 2pm Eastern  (*** REGISTER NOW ***)

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Finding the right software license management technology is hard enough. It’s even more challenging if your network environment includes servers running Citrix or Windows Terminal Server (WTS), as precious few tools provide usage statistics or management capabilities for applications delivered through these platforms.

To manage software in a Citrix or WTS environment, you need technology that collects software usage data not only at the server level, but also at the end-user and machine level.  And in order to effectively manage license compliance, you’ll want to explore capabilities that allow you to control in an automated fashion which end users and/or machines can run those licensed applications.

There are three software license types you need to consider in Citrix or WTS environments, each of which requires a different approach to license management. (more…)

Very nice blog post by Jenny Schuchert of the International Association of IT Asset Managers (IAITAM) concerning how to build the business case for IT asset management (ITAM).  In particular, I agree with her philosophy regarding the two general approaches to selling ITAM most likely to succeed. 

The first approach is to link ITAM to a particular event or known issue, and build the business case around resolving the issue or preventing such an event from happening again in the future.  Schuchert remarks that while this approach may not necessarily target areas where the most significant savings may be obtained, it may be the most politically savvy—and therefore practical—approach for obtaining buy-in from skeptics.  Plus, once a successful program is in place, the additional savings generally speak for themselves and will likely lead to subsequent reprioritization of program goals and emphasis. 

The second approach Schuchert mentions is to focus the business case on the multitude of ways a well-structured ITAM program can lead to cost savings, presented in terms of potential return on investment. This approach, if presented as a strategic initiative, is more likely to succeed among executive stakeholders that have demonstrated a commitment to exploring ways of uncovering long-term organizational savings. 

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If your organization has adopted a “Go Green” initiative and you’re evaluating ways to get IT involved with the effort, check out this article, “Retiring IT Assets for Green Reasons,” by Steve Suesens, of Staples Inc. Though not exhaustive, the column offers helpful advice for using IT asset management best practices to get more out of your deployed assets and determine when retiring those assets makes sense.   

As with any IT asset management initiative, whether it be license compliance, reduction of software costs, or planning for an organization-wide OS migration, developing a green policy for IT requires, at its most basic level, detailed computer inventory data revealing what assets exist and their capabilities, and software usage statistics showing what’s being used and what’s sitting idle. Once you’ve blended this information with key considerations such as power consumption, purchase and maintenance costs, recyclability, and more, you can begin to weigh the trade-offs related to various options such as upgrading, replacing, refurbishing, recycling, or donating it the dinosaur exhibit at the Museum of Science and Technology. 

Express Software Manager delivers the “discoverable” IT asset data mentioned above that can be used as the foundation of any green IT policy.  After that, the hard part begins.  Of course, nobody said it was easy being green – but if you do your homework and apply your learning thoughtfully, you’ll receive dividends both in terms of reducing your carbon footprint and strengthening your bottom line.