How Does CQFlexMon Help Us Keep Compliant with Software Licences?

Any business that uses a software vendor's product is expected to abide by the licence agreement's conditions. This appears to be a relatively easy rule to follow on the surface. You buy a software package; you check out what the licence entitles you to and what it precludes, and then these parameters guide your use of the software.

Then something else happens—time passes. Your culture, regular practices, workflows, and projects all incorporate the software. Anyone can use a specific programme if they so choose. Rules get blurred as they get forgotten; that is precisely when noncompliance issues begin to worsen. This blog post will discuss how software licence monitoring tool, CQFlexMon can assist you in preventing that from happening.

INNOCENCE IS NO DEFENCE

All software packages come with the straightforward request that you follow the vendor's rules, whether they are from large corporations or smaller specialty solution providers.

To shrink the sometimes-endless pages of terms and conditions down to one clear message, it’s ‘Don’t Misuse the Licence’. You could break this rule in one of two ways. One is that you believe what occurs in your business stays in your business and assume no one will find out if you make the software open to other users but only have a single-user licence.

There aren't many businesses that do this, and even those that do usually have good reasons for doing so, such as expediency in light of project deadlines, companionship among co-workers, or the sincere hope that it will only happen once and never again. The second and most typical method of slipping into non-compliance is just that – slipping into it.

Companies frequently lose track of the software they own and the corresponding licences. Given how intensely application-based is the world we live in and work in, this is hardly surprising. Software is everywhere; from basic office applications to collaboration software, CRM systems, and communications tools, through to AEC and PDM collections and the wide range of sophisticated specialist software available to architects, engineers and the construction and manufacturing sectors. Since everything is likely covered by some form of licensing agreement, it's understandable that it's easy to lose track of. However, this is not a tendency to be ignored. A fine could be imposed if you violate a licence at some point.

It will be too late to fix any licensing anomalies you may have in your system once you receive a letter from the software vendor informing you that they intend to audit your licences. From the time the letter is received until the audit occurs, you are unable to remove or make any changes. The audit may reveal such behaviours.

In addition to offering tools to monitor software assets and prevent such issues, Symetri's CQFlexMon also shows a significantly greater return on your software investments than would otherwise be the case.

CQFlexMon will take care of licensing issue concerns before they become problems by providing tools that make it simple to track usage, check vendor licence compliance, control costs, and ensure that licensing throughout your software portfolio is flawless. You will get control and visibility over all your licences—from Autodesk, to Microsoft, to any other vendor product; basically, any executable file. You can find more information on the benefits of CQFlexMon in our previous blog, ‘Why should I consider software licence monitoring?’.

COMPLIANCE IS A CATALYST

The SAM module in CQFlexMon is a special module that aids in maintaining Autodesk compliance. You can use it to report on which endpoints have which pieces of software installed. The name of the application installed on devices may be displayed by standard inventory software, but CQFlexMon goes far further in terms of enhancing your understanding of and management over your software estate.

By installing a small software package on your endpoints, you can run a scan of the status quo. The information is stored on the local device and pushed into the CQFlexMon database.

You may view the application, serial number, licence type, installation date, install source, install location, and licence server pointer (in the case of Network Licensed software) with CQFlexMon.

With information about your subscriptions/contracts also added, you’ll gain great insight into how compliant your estate is for all your software.

It is also easy to locate unauthorised software installations on workstations for:

• Cracked – protection bypassed licences
• Trial licences
• 'Not For Resale’ (NFR) licences
• 'Not Issued by [Vendor Name]' licences
• Educational licences

The controlled use of software is fundamentally about the precise allocation of licences according to need, and complete buttoning-down of your licence situation. You can accomplish this with confidence with CQFlexMon, but that’s only the beginning of something much more exciting that arises from software licence monitoring.

Choose the modules in CQFlexMon that are most applicable to the way you conduct your business from a list of available options. It is adaptable, simple to use, and will be very helpful in increasing internal productivity and lowering that troublesome non-compliance risk. Regarding the benefits you'll receive from CQFlexMon's reliable and data-driven licence monitoring tools, take a look at these three additional blogs:

• Why should I consider software licence monitoring?
• How does the move from Network Licences to Named User Licences affect me?
• Exploring Symetri’s software licence monitoring – CQFlexMon’s modules

For more information on CQFlexMon, take a look at our product page here. Alternatively, should you wish to discuss any aspect of your licensing concerns, please get in touch with us at SYMETRI on info@symetri.co.uk or call us on 0345 370 1444.

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