SLAMM™ enables you to prove software license and
copyright compliance by tracking and managing:
- software
licenses
- software
installed data (what's installed and how many copies)
- media
(optional)
- installation
keys (optional)
- users
(optional)
If
you have a Software Auditing Tool such as
Centennial Discovery , SLAMM™
works with your Software Audit Tool.
SLAMM™
can import software installed data from a comma delimited file generated
from an Audit Tool or from a spreadsheet.
You
enter the license details into SLAMM™
and then import or key in the software installed information from your
Auditing Tool or from manual records.
SLAMM™ uses
Intelligent License Allocation to ensure best
use is made of all your licenses.
SLAMM™ handles:
- Backwards
compatibe licenses e.g. Microsoft licenses.
- Upgrades
(including part-of-license upgrades and many licenses to one upgrades.
- Competitive
upgrades
- Subscription
Licenses
You can choose to
keep basic license information or you can use SLAMM's™
comprehensive facilities to keep track of proof of purchase information.
SLAMM™, in conjunction with your PC Auditing Tool, will enable you to
determine if you are using software legally and to track the quantities of
Software Packages installed, the License Details, Media Information
(including Installation Keys) and - where appropriate - who is using the
Package. There are many auditing tools available which can scan PCs and
determine what software is installed and what software is used. However,
when you attempt to reconcile the installed software with the licenses you
own then, almost without exception, these products provide little more
than a single field where you can enter the total quantity of licenses
that you have for each package. In reality things are usually more
complex:
- Several licenses
may be held covering one package.
- Most licenses
also cover previous versions.
- Licenses are
often upgraded and are no longer valid.
- Upgrade licenses
depend on a previous valid license.
- Subscription
based licenses expire.
In order to prove
software license compliance more evidence is required than just a number.
It is necessary to prove proof of purchase, that the licenses exist, that
they cover the correct products, subscriptions have not expired etc..
Typically, companies set-up a spreadsheet or similar to record license
information but this can be difficult to maintain and may not provide an
audit trail between upgraded licenses etc.
Software License And Media Manager provides a way to record all the
relevant details needed to provide a full tracking mechanism for Software
Licenses, Media and Users.
INTELLIGENT LICENSE ALLOCATION
Most licenses also
cover previous versions of the Package e.g Microsoft Word XP will cover MS
Word 2000, MS Word 97, MS Word 95 etc.
Even if you
currently only have one version of each Package installed, during a
software upgrade rollout there may be times when the Upgrade license needs
to cover a combination of the old and new versions. In these cases, it is
extremely difficult to allocate 'spare' licenses across the various
versions.
To deal with this
SLAMM™ introduces the Software Package Family concept. A Family
is a group of packages that can be grouped together for licensing
purposes. Typically they will have the same Publisher and Title but will
have different version numbers. Each package is given a position in the
Family e.g.
- MS Word XP -
Position 1 (highest Family Member)
- MS Word 2000 -
Position 2
- MS Word 97 -
Position 3
- MS Word 95 -
Position 4 (lowest Family Member)
SLAMM's™
Intelligent License Allocation uses the
Family Structure to decide how to allocate licenses.
All MS Word XP
Licenses will first be allocated against the quantity of MS Word XP
installed. Any unallocated 'spare' MS Word XP licenses will be added to
the MS Word 2000 licenses (if you have any) and the total will be
allocated against the quantity of MS Word 2000 installed. Spare licenses
will then be passed down the family structure. This methodology allows
best use of all available licence capacity. |
