These tools are not for isolated use, but are to be used in coordination with the particular needs of your organization.
The first steps of SAM are taken with asset management tools. These tools are used to compile an inventory of installed software, license, and documentation information, and can range from a well-executed spreadsheet to an extensive database.
Since licenses can take many forms, the level of sophistication necessary to creating an inventory can be complicated, and must often extend to support functionality beyond simple linking to include procedures such as procurement and reallocation.
Likewise, documentation inventories must account not only for electronic data such as EULAs, contracts, and correspondence, but for physical paperwork such as proofs of purchase, invoices, and bills of lading.
Discovery tools work in conjunction with asset management tools. The discovery tools search for software installed on your system, and collect relevant details about them. This information then gets stored by the asset management tools.
Good discovery tools are designed to search for software on a range of platforms. However, no discovery tool is compatible with the full variety of platforms, so organizations may need several different tools to create a complete image of what software is in use.
Other complications include nonnetworked machines, reliability of software identification (some applications, such as instant messaging programs, are difficult to identify, and must be manually inventoried).
Metering tools are increasingly sophisticated devices used to measure software use. Unlike discovery tools, they do not simply detect software, but monitor and report the frequency of its use, and can even compare that use against license information to determine the level of compliance.
But these tools are incomplete without appropriate analysis, which can help identify software that is installed but not used actively or appropriately.
License management tools are potentially the most important tool type for SAM implementation. Using a variety of criteria, these tools track and report the need for licenses across your organization. This information, then, can be used to keep your organization compliant, ensure efficient software use, and notify staff of software needs during periods of growth.
It should be pointed out, however, that the market for license management tools is still immature, and manual license management is more appropriate for many organizations.
