What to look for in a Network Inventory Solution
In most companies, a computer and a suite of software are as commonplace now, as a fax machine was in the 1980’s. However, in most cases companies do not know exactly what software is installed on their networked PC’s and if that software is even legal for them to use. The United States copyright law can impose fines up to a $150,000 per title that is illegally installed on a company’s network. Not to mention the possible jail time that might be added on. Forrester Research has warned that IT departments need to take extra care with software audits, as suppliers stamp down on licensing discrepancies. In its latest report, Surviving A Software License Audit, the analyst highlighted three areas where IT managers could be caught out by suppliers looking to extract extra revenue from licenses.
That being said, you can see how each corporate network is advised to have some sort of network inventory solution to keep track of all their titles, and suites. A network inventory solution is needed that can both keep track of your software licenses, and maintain an up to date compliancy status. Other benefits would be a support contract log, a place to track and store invoice attachments, and tracking of the different types of licenses. Of course the ease of use is also an important factor, so that the installed applications are collected easily, and no extra effort is required.
Once all the different software is collected, you will need to be able to easily run reports on all your installed software, and sort out the ones that are not licensable, or not required. Another nice feature of an inventory tool should have is the ability to have up to date alerts sent to you. So when an end-user uninstalls a piece of software (or installs an illegal one) you can know about it instantly and resolve the situation. Having your weekly reports e-mailed to you is a major benefit since you can set it, and forget it and once a week (or as defined by you) have a report automatically emailed directly to your inbox, such as a your software compliance status.
In conclusion, you need a network inventory solution that is easy to use, and gets you the information you need in a timely manner. AuditWizard from Layton Technology will do just that, plus much more. Layton Technology Inc. has recently released AuditWizard 8.1.2. This latest update delivers significant enhancements to the reporting capabilities and dashboard functionality in AuditWizard.
This article was written by Doug Ellis, Senior Support Technician for Layton Technology Inc, 27th January 2010.
