Name: The Two Sides of Coin: Balancing Artist Productivity and IT Cost Efficiency
Start: 2026-01-28T04:30:00+00:00
End: 2026-01-28T14:30:00+00:00
Location: OpenLM

JetBrains license management with OpenLM

JetBrains provides the essential Integrated Development Environments (IDEs)—like IntelliJ IDEA, PyCharm, and ReSharper—that power modern software engineering. While individual seats may seem inexpensive, the sheer scale of enterprise deployment makes managing the JetBrains License Server a critical task for cost control and developer experience.

OpenLM is your trusted partner, offering the visibility and automation needed to master your JetBrains licenses, ensuring your development teams have the tools they need without bloat.

What is JetBrains License Server | Floating License Server: An introduction

JetBrains License Server (historically known as the Floating License Server) is an enterprise utility that manages concurrent license pools for JetBrains products like IntelliJ IDEA, PyCharm, and ReSharper. Instead of assigning static keys to individual developers, the server dynamically “leases” a floating license to a user’s IDE upon startup and reclaims it when the application closes. While the on-premise server was the standard for years, JetBrains is transitioning customers to License Vault (part of JetBrains IDE Services), which offers the same floating capabilities via the cloud with integrated Single Sign-On (SSO).

Licensing schemas of JetBrains

JetBrains offers flexible licensing, including a floating model via a License Server. The challenge for enterprise IT is ensuring that this shared pool is efficient and that licenses aren’t hoarded by developers who leave their IDE open 24/7.

Floating pool efficiency: In a floating model, a limited number of licenses serves a larger pool of developers. Inefficiencies here lead to “License limit reached” errors that block code commits.
The “Zombie” IDE problem: Developers frequently leave IDEs open in the background while working on other tasks. These idle sessions consume licenses that could be used by active coders.
User-based analytics: OpenLM tracks usage by specific user and host, giving you the data needed to decide who needs a dedicated named user license versus who belongs in the floating pool.

OpenLM’s solution for JetBrains license optimization

OpenLM provides a clear, authoritative solution for high-volume developer tooling. We help you transition from passive allocation to active license optimization.

OpenLM capability	Value for JetBrains licenses
Real-time pool status	View the exact number of available floating licenses vs. total inventory. Instantly spot if a specific team is draining the pool.
Idle IDE harvesting	Automatically detect when an IDE has been idle for a set period. OpenLM can release these licenses back to the pool, significantly increasing availability without new spend.
Server key expiration	Track the expiration of your central license server keys. Prevent the catastrophic scenario of the entire dev team losing access due to an administrative oversight.
Peak concurrency analysis	Analyze usage trends to find your true “high water mark.” Use this data to reduce your floating count to exactly what is needed + buffer.

OpenLM advantages for JetBrains license usage monitoring

OpenLM Platform is robustly built for the scale of enterprise software. We offer continuous monitoring specifically tuned to ensure maximum ROI on your development stack.

Shortage forensics: OpenLM Broker captures denial events, helping you distinguish between a genuine shortage and a configuration issue.
Instant ROI: By aggressively harvesting idle sessions, OpenLM effectively “creates” new licenses, often delaying the need for purchase orders by months or years.
Full stack visibility: Manage JetBrains alongside your other dev tools (like Visual Studio or database clients) in one dashboard, simplifying IT asset management for the engineering domain.