Software License Management

Keep your business secure with license management software

With companies depending on software programs for everything from basic daily operations to complex business modeling, software license management is more important than ever. Without a license management program, you might unintentionally run afoul of software licensing compliance requirements and be hit with civil or even criminal penalties. On the flip side, neglect software asset management and you might pay too much by purchasing more licenses than you need. Tracking software licensing is critical to assuring systems security, passing compliance audits and keeping your software library current.

To set up your software license management program, consider the following:

1. License management as part of an asset management program.
2. Negotiating software licensing terms.
3. Software licenses for over-the-counter software programs.
4. Software licensing in a Microsoft environment.

Software license management as part of an asset management program

All businesses accumulate assets such as computer hardware and software. Each asset has a lifecycle that runs from purchase, licensing and deployment through maintenance and upgrades and, finally, retirement. Software has special asset management needs in terms of security and license management.

Negotiating software licensing terms

Software asset management goes beyond tracking licensing compliance. Companies that buy a significant number of software licenses can often negotiate software licensing terms with vendors, saving money and simplifying license management.

Licensing over-the-counter software

If your company purchases over-the-counter software or downloads shareware, you may not require a full-scale asset management program, but you still need to acquire and manage software licenses.

Software licensing in a Microsoft environment

From operating systems and servers to e-mail and word processing, most companies run at least one Microsoft software program on their computers. If you use a server, that is the logical place to manage software licensing.

• Inventory all software programs and software licenses when they are purchased and deployed.
• Improve your software asset management by setting up a permissions hierarchy that describes who is authorized to access which software programs and denies access to unauthorized users.
• Monitor software licenses and update as necessary.
• Software licensing needs change as employees come and go. Update permissions when employees quit and as new employees are hired.
• Align software license management with larger business policies and goals.

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