While most businesses are committed to ensuring that the software they use is paid for and compliant with applicable intellectual property laws, there remains the risk of unlicensed programmes being introduced into the environment.
Combating this potential problem, specialist Microsoft Large Account Reseller PC Ware provides a solution, which provides a simple check of all software inventory and licence status to avoid any unintended transgression of the law.
According to Maurice Staal, PC Ware managing director, software creep is a common challenge. “Even those IT managers and directors who have a firm commitment to running a legitimate environment can find themselves with unlicensed software running underneath the radar,” he notes.
He makes a distinction between unlicensed and unauthorised software, which can be at the root of licence discrepancies: “Most IT managers have policies in place to prevent the install of unauthorised software. However, additional instances of authorised programmes can easily be installed by users - programmes such as Microsoft's Office or operating systems.”
Staal explains that PC Ware's SAM DNA Compact is a solution for calculating installed software based on inventory data. The solution is offered as a service, which means it can assess the software environment without the install of any programmes and without even for an agent to be installed on the client site.
“The solution provides for a rapid assessment of the complete environment at regular intervals. Provided as a service, it requires no capital outlay and can be run against selected or all available devices on the network,” he says.
Running the service against the client's network, SAM DNA integrates fully into the host environment. The inventory is not cached, which provides for a full assessment of the current environment at each execution. This is notable, Staal explains, since the challenge with unlicensed iterations of software is that the environment constantly changes.
The solution applies rules to clearly identify the software products that are installed; it highlights the version, language and edition of each image as well as its location. Custom-developed software, industry-specific and modified installation packages are also identified and inventoried.
While it provides for identification of under- or unlicensed software, it also conversely indicates if an environment is over-licensed, providing for optimisation of software usage.
“With SAM DNA, businesses of all sizes are able to maintain a close eye on the licence status of their software, identifying and classifying all applications in use and ensuring full compliance with the law and avoiding unwanted attention from the Business Software Alliance trade group,” Staal concludes.
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