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Using License Manager to Enhance Your Lansweeper SAM Program

29 August 2019

Ben Simpson

Blog,

As an existing Lansweeper customer you will already be benefiting from an inventory toolset with an agentless option that removes the need to deploy an agent to your endpoints to receive inventory data. Coupling Lansweeper with License Dashboard brings additional benefits to improve and enhance Software Asset Management within your organization.

Better data using multiple inventory sources

Drawing from multiple inventory sources allows for more rounded analysis and alignment to SAM best practises such as metering information allowing for the removal of installations that aren’t being used, and re-harvesting the licenses to avoid additional spend.

Unlike so many SAM tools, License Dashboard does not solely rely on its own inventory agent, nor will it solely rely on just one inventory source. License Dashboard’s flagship SAM tool, License Manager, can import data from most industry recognized inventory solutions to create as full and as accurate an inventory possible. That means Lansweeper’s data can be used alongside your other existing inventory sources including Active Directory, vCenter, MAP, System Center Configuration Manager, Big Fix, PDQ Deploy, IBM (including ILMT), ManageEngine, BMC – the list goes on. This creates a rich dataset covering all devices, even those that exist in other business units, or behind firewalls that can’t otherwise be reached.

Full and in-depth entitlement and license application

License Manager will import a Microsoft License Statement (MLS) in seconds, auto-matching maintenance licenses with base licenses. This full and rich depository of entitlement will highlight any historic issues to Procurement without the need for the kind of deep analysis that would generally only come from notice of a supplier audit.

When your full and rationalized entitlement is complete, it will be applied to your software usage. License Dashboard’s rich definition dictionary converts inventory into license demand with the ability to split usage by the correct license metrics (Processor, Core, Device User etc). That means the correct license is applied to the correct usage metric, ensuring an accurate license position rather than a license applied to an install.

Data center management

Licenses for virtualization are mapped to a host easily within License Manager to ensure all virtual machines on that host being covered by the license. The built-in due diligence means compliance figures can be confidently presented to the organization and maintenance coverage can be mandated for software such as Autodesk downgrade rights or mobility rights within Microsoft.

Business insights and actionable information

Married to License Manager is License Dashboard Portal, a Business Intelligence portal which enables the sharing of compliance information for analysis throughout a business. Effective license position, compliance, financial risk, and risks requiring urgent attention are readily visible to the entire organization, meaning the relevant department can rectify shortfalls immediately. Metering, cloud subscription, and cloud infrastructure data can also be accessed to give relevant users the information they need to improve, optimize and mitigate risk.

Everything a robust SAM function should do

Lansweeper’s focus on network discovery inside their IT Asset Management software, combined with License Dashboard’s advanced Software Asset Management tool offers reliable, actionable insight into under- and over-licensing of software. Incorporating two industry-leading platforms allows IT Asset Managers to truly understand how their organization is currently licensed, where improvements need to be made, and how urgent those improvements are both financially and operationally.

Ben supports organizations to understand their software risk, working with them to ensure the most efficient procurement solutions to achieve their strategy. With over a decade of experience, he works closely with his customers to provide software cost optimization advice.

Ben Simpson

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