By: Steve Schmidt
Half of the “usage + entitlement” equation that is used to build a software license compliance position and plan for real enterprise license optimisation, is obviously the entitlement data, but it often does not get the same level of attention as the usage data. Increasingly, though, companies are asking for a deeper level of understanding of what it is and where it comes from. They want to know more about entitlements, which in this context is being defined as a “right to use” the software in a certain way, such as to download, install, re-host, upgrade, downgrade, etc.
An obvious source of entitlements is the database of financial records within the Enterprise utilising the software, including Purchase Orders. These highlight the specific products purchased, including part numbers, descriptions and quantities. Expense reports may also need to be scoured depending on the internal processes of the organisation and the ability of employees to handle their own software procurement.
What if the entitlements are not available in the company records, or there are questions with regard to completeness or currency? This often happens in a decentralised organisation or in an organisation where controls were loosened during organisation changes, M&A activity, or other unique circumstances. An option is to go to the Vendor for this data. The vendor could be the original software publisher, or a distributor/reseller in their value chain. If all purchasing is done through a small number of suppliers, the task becomes easier. This step can also be used to validate internal records, if for no other reason.
A key part of the entitlement data set that is often overlooked is the use rights that are needed to answer questions such as: Can I use the product on another system, and under what conditions? Can I use an older version of the software? Can a suite be split up for use on different systems? This type of data may exist in the end-user license agreements (EULAs), either in simple click-through format or long form contracts. Some may require reviewing documented vendor policies posted for the general public or in customer support centers, or a discussion with the vendors.
Start there… and then seek to automate and optimise. Companies that have been on the path of actively managing software license compliance and enterprise license optimisation for some time have established processes to keep the data current, house the data in a central location with controlled global access, and run software that aggregates and analyses the data for them.
What additional sources of entitlement data do you utilise, and under what circumstances?

This entry was posted on Tuesday, August 24th, 2010 at 10:54 am and is filed under Software Asset Management.