Name: Shadow Licensing Uncovered: Smart Control for Unmanaged Software
Start: 2026-02-04T10:00:00+00:00
End: 2026-02-04T17:00:00+00:00
Location: OpenLM

Advanced Canvas X Geo license management with OpenLM

Canvas X Geo is a powerful geospatial data illustration software designed to work in tandem with Geographic Information Systems (GIS). It is a critical tool for technical professionals who need to visualize, integrate, and illustrate high-resolution geospatial data.

OpenLM supports monitoring the Canvas X Geo license manager, providing the necessary insights to manage and optimize this high-value technical illustration and GIS software. OpenLM Canvas X Geo integration helps control spending and ensures licenses are available when needed for critical visualization workflows.

Understanding Canvas X Geo licensing: Subscription and enterprise

Canvas GFX, the developer of Canvas X Geo, offers licensing schemes designed for both individual users and large enterprise operations.

What is Canvas X Geo?

Canvas X Geo is a technical illustration solution that combines a rich graphic toolset with sophisticated geospatial data handling capabilities, supporting over 70 file formats. It is specifically chosen by data managers who work with ArcGIS, Global Mapper, and other GIS platforms.

Canvas X Geo licensing schemas

Canvas X Geo primarily uses subscription-based licensing, with special models available for large organizations:

Subscription licenses: Licenses are typically offered on 1-Year or 3-Year subscription terms.
Volume/Enterprise licensing: For organizations needing more than 10 licenses, Canvas GFX directs customers to contact sales, indicating custom pricing and volume licensing models are available. This distribution is geared toward enterprise sales, where pricing is often negotiated.
Educational licenses (Unlimited): Canvas GFX offers unlimited licenses for the full Canvas portfolio (including Canvas X Geo) to universities under a low-cost annual subscription.

OpenLM’s solutions for Canvas X Geo license manager

OpenLM is capable of interfacing with the Canvas X Geo license manager (which may rely on a separate license service/monitor) to track license statistics. This process involves installing and configuring the OpenLM Broker on the license server machine.

OpenLM provides essential monitoring capabilities for Canvas:

OpenLM capability	Value for Canvas X Geo licenses	Supported by OpenLM
Real-time usage monitoring	Tracks usage activity with a high-resolution report, available per second.	Yes
Historical reporting	Provides detailed usage reports to analyze license consumption trends over time, crucial for forecasting and renewal planning.	Yes
Broker reliability	The OpenLM Broker buffers communication with the OpenLM SLM, ensuring reliable data collection even during network issues.	Yes
Centralized reporting	Usage data is displayed in the OpenLM EasyAdmin web application, simplifying management and providing a unified view of license usage across various applications.	Yes

Note on Capabilities: Currently, OpenLM’s documented interface for Canvas relies solely on logging/status files and does not directly support tracking of Quantity, Expiration Date, Denials, Borrowing, or Allocations via command-line querying. However, usage reports are tracked per second.

The OpenLM advantage for Canvas X Geo license management

Integrating OpenLM with the Canvas X Geo license manager allows enterprises to gain control over their GIS illustration software assets, especially when managing negotiated volume or educational licenses.

High-resolution data: With usage monitored per second, OpenLM provides extremely granular data, enabling precise analysis of when and how long the high-value software is in use.
Avoidance of over-licensing: By monitoring actual usage patterns, OpenLM helps organizations avoid unnecessary purchases and optimize license costs.
Unified SAM: OpenLM offers a centralized dashboard for managing licenses across various software applications, simplifying the overall Software Asset Management process.