Express Lane To Software Asset Management

In the past, software asset management products only produced static results for software audits. That is no longer the case as visibility is required at the top of the corporate ladder. Today, senior level managers outside of IT are interested in analyzing this data. Tools that help align IT initiatives with corporate assets are of special interest to managers. The new demand is generating interest in asset management across entire organizations.

However, some of the suites in this space try to cover every aspect of asset management but often fall short of capturing metrics crucial to helping managers negotiate licenses. So buyer beware. Channel Test Center engineers highly recommend using point products that primarily capture hardware and network information. This is crucial to a successful audit. Once data is collected, there are many ways that remediation can be performed using remote management access protocols. Product suites are good for doing software deployments, patch management, application control and usage metering.

Tools such as Express Metrix 8.0 guarantee companies will meet compliance requirements and help them make the most efficient use of their software dollars. Metrix helps users understand license requirements based on usage, which is important when renegotiating licenses with vendors.

One of the biggest challenges for asset management tools today is how to provide the correct information on migrating to different environments. For instance, what does a solution provider needs to know when recommending a migration to Vista? While Vista can be rolled out with hardware upgrades, what software upgrades can run on Vista? Customers want to know what incompatibilities exist with Vista before taking large steps.

The Metrix tool specializes in analyzing IT assets from a licensing perspective. In addition, Metrix verifies compliance and looks at usage monitoring and metering. Metrix helps customers understand the efficiency of software purchases so that they can control application launches.

Metrix is unique in its emphasis on software licensing. In addition to IT, output reports from Metrix help legal and purchasing departments as well as CIOs as they make decisions on what software to buy or scale back on. The software performs hardware inventory as well.

As far as its channel program, Metrix sells 50 percent through the channel and 50 percent direct. The company primarily focuses on the SMB market. The software is now covering some 2 million desktops worldwide. Here's how you can roll it out successfully for your customers:

Step 1: Installation

Metrix installs a client on desktops. Once installed, the client agent communicates with IIS to transfer information. Metrix installs a database in Microsoft SQL Server, a Microsoft .Net Web service in IIS, a Web-based administrative console and a report generator tool. The software takes about 10 to 30 minutes to install. Metrix primarily focuses on intranet deployments. The software also works on VPNs.

The client collects software and hardware inventory with software usage data. The client can collect usage data on mobile computers while they are not connected to networks. The agent can cache data locally, so it works well for mobile users. The agent can also control applications running on mobile computers. Users are stopped from running any application that is not authorized.

Metrix is all about reporting on software so it's no surprise that its main management console provides a list of reports. The right pane shows details on each report. Some of the important options that are shown the right pane for manipulating report details are filters, license units and users.

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