Is your organization overspending on software? It’s quite common among companies investing in expensive specialty licenses. A Nextthink study showed the surveyed organizations wasted around 50% of their license purchases. You buy a block of floating licenses for a critical application like MATLAB or AutoCAD, only to discover that many are sitting idle for most of the day. This isn’t just wasted budget; it’s a silent drain on your firm’s profitability.
The good news is that you can turn this situation around. By moving from a reactive, “buy more licenses” mindset to a proactive, data-driven optimization strategy, you can reclaim those unused licenses and put your budget back to work where it’s needed most.
How to identify unused engineering software licenses
Identifying unused licenses goes beyond a simple inventory. A software inventory tells you what’s installed and assigned, but it can’t tell you if a license is actually being used. A user may have a license assigned to them but hasn’t opened the application in months. This is a blind spot that leads to significant waste.
The most effective way to identify idle licenses is through a process called software license metering. This involves continuously monitoring how, when, and by whom engineering applications are being used. You need a system that tracks:
- Session patterns: How long are licenses being used? When do peak usage periods occur?
- Idle time: How long is an application open without any keyboard or mouse activity?
- Feature-level usage: For complex suites, which specific modules are being used, and which are not?
- Denial reports: When a user is denied a license, why did it happen, and what was the reason?
By tracking this granular data, you can build a comprehensive picture of your usage. This lets you spot licenses that are checked out but not actively delivering value.
Additional Read: Software license actual usage: Start optimizing with OpenLM
The best way to reclaim unused software licenses
Once you’ve identified idle licenses, the next step is to reclaim them. The most powerful strategy is automated license harvesting. Instead of manually tracking down users and asking them to close their applications, a robust license management tool can do it for you.
Here’s how it works:
- Define your rules: Set policies for what constitutes an “idle” session. For example, you might decide that an application idle for 10 minutes is a candidate for reclamation.
- Automated detection: The system continuously monitors usage, flagging any sessions that meet your idle criteria.
- Proactive reclamation: The tool automatically takes action. It can either save the user’s work and close the application or, for specific license managers like FlexLM, suspend the application, which returns the license to the pool without closing the software.
- User-friendly experience: The best systems provide a smooth experience for the end-user. The tool can send a gentle notification to the user before reclaiming the license, giving them a chance to resume their work if they are just stepping away for a moment.
This automation ensures that your licenses are always available to the engineers who need them, preventing expensive denials and keeping projects on schedule.
How OpenLM helps you track and reclaim unused licenses
OpenLM is a comprehensive software license management solution designed specifically for engineering environments. We give you the visibility and automation you need to stop wasting money on idle licenses.
Our platform helps you:
- Gain real-time insights: Our centralized dashboard gives you a complete view of your license usage across all applications, license managers, and locations.
- Identify idle sessions: The OpenLM Agent tracks actual user activity (keyboard and mouse input) to accurately identify when a licensed application is running but not in use. This goes far beyond what a license server alone can report.
- Automate license harvesting: With our powerful License Harvesting feature, you can automatically reclaim idle licenses based on your specific rules. This ensures that licenses are always available for the next user, boosting productivity and avoiding unnecessary purchases. We offer multiple harvesting methods, including “Save & Close” and “Suspend & Resume,” to fit your specific needs.
- Optimize for the future: Our reporting and analytics tools provide insights into historical usage trends. This data helps you make informed decisions during your next license renewal, ensuring you buy exactly what you need—nothing more, nothing less.
Additional Read: Floating license optimization: A customer’s guide to maximizing ROI
How often should software license usage be reviewed?
The days of quarterly or annual reviews are over. To effectively manage your license costs, you need a continuous, proactive approach. Real-time monitoring and automated reclamation are essential.
However, a formal review of your strategy should happen at least quarterly. This is your chance to analyze the data collected over the past few months. Look for trends in usage, identify which departments are under-utilizing licenses, and pinpoint where your reclamation efforts are having the most impact.
The most critical time to review your usage is before a major license renewal. With the accurate, detailed usage data from OpenLM, you can confidently go to your vendor with a clear picture of what you actually need. This data-driven approach strengthens your negotiation position and can lead to significant cost savings.
Would you like to have a detailed demo? Schedule a call with us.
