Independent IT solutions provider First Technology, which specialises in software licensing solutions, has launched SoftwareBank v3.2, an innovative procurement, workflow and tracking system for end-to-end software licence management.
Clark Coetzee, MD of First Technology Software and Consulting Division, says the new SoftwareBank release is believed to be the first browser-based application that does more than merely track software licences.
"It manages the installed software base across an entire organisation, and measures this against the total number of available licences. It consolidates these licences and determines where procurement is required to fill shortages.
"It also allows for licences to be transferred between workgroups, divisions and even subsidiaries of a corporate group. In effect, it ensures an organisation - regardless of its size or complexity - fully utilises its available software licences, saving money on unnecessary purchases, while simultaneously ensuring its software usage remains legal," he explains.
Coetzee points out that in most organisations, departments and divisions - and particularly subsidiaries - procure software as and when required. The software licences are sometimes bought centrally and at other times, directly from vendors.
"The problem, however, is that the software is seldom recognised as an asset and is therefore not managed properly. Few organisations actually know what software they have procured, where it is and what`s available. When someone in the organisation requires new software, it is simply purchased from the supplier - but the required software may be available in another division.
"However, a solution to this problem should do more than monitor software licence usage. It also needs to offer the facility to plan and control current and future licence requirements for the entire organisation. This is one of the features of SoftwareBank v3.2," he says.
The First Technology-developed solution also enables secure management of the physical licence documents. These can be scanned and stored within the program so that every department can reference them across the corporate intranet.
"Users can view, offer for transfer and drill down to obtain detailed information on licences within a secure environment. Each business unit can remain responsible for the quality, accuracy and completeness of its data. It is able to maximise savings on licence procurement as a whole as users no longer have direct access to vendors and cannot randomly purchase software.
"The system also offers multiple reports based on audit tracking of the movement of the licence; stock on hand per division or even per user; discrepancies per division or department; and shortages per division," Coetzee concludes.
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First Technology is one of SA`s largest, independent IT solutions providers, offering customers solutions and services that maximise business productivity, reduce the risk associated with deploying new technologies and minimise the total cost of IT ownership. The company has fully-fledged branches in every major business node across SA and maintains one of the largest teams of highly skilled technical personnel in the country.
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