Flexera Software Unveils FlexNet Manager Suite On-Demand Cloud-Based Software License Optimization

Now Enterprises Seeking Best-of-Breed Solution to Reduce Waste and Risks Associated With Software License Non-Compliance and Shelfware Have a Cloud-Based, SaaS Option


SCHAUMBURG, IL--(Marketwired - Jul 9, 2013) - Flexera Software, the leading provider of Application Usage Management solutions for application producers and enterprises, announced today the unveiling of a cloud-based version of its market-leading Software License Optimization solution, FlexNet Manager Suite for Enterprises. FlexNet Manager Suite On-Demand provides software license management functionality to enterprises seeking to reduce software spend and maintain license compliance through a low overhead software-as-a-service (SaaS) offering.

"While on-premises applications will always be part of the IT mix, many organizations see operating expense (OPEX) and capital expense (CAPEX) benefits in purchasing software through a SaaS-based delivery model," said Alan Swahn, Vice President of Product Management at Flexera Software. "FlexNet Manager Suite On-Demand will enable these organizations to implement best-in-class Software License Optimization, while enjoying the benefits of reduced infrastructure requirements, accelerated deployment times, lower learning curves, and a lower initial investment."

FlexNet Manager Suite On-Demand's web-based user-interface provides anytime, anywhere access to critical Software License Optimization functionality including:

  • Application Discovery & Inventory: To ensure an organization can determine how many licenses it is consuming, Flexera Software's Inventory Beacon provides cross-platform (Windows, Linux, UNIX, and MAC OS) discovery, inventory, and application usage data collection at the customer site and securely uploads this data to the cloud. It also performs discovery and inventory of virtual machines for VMware ESX/vSphere and Microsoft Hyper-V servers, and supports Citrix XenApp application virtualization environments. In addition, the Inventory Beacon is integrated with a multitude of third-party standard inventory sources including Symantec Altiris, BMC Atrium Discovery and Dependency Mapping (ADDM), BladeLogic Client Automation (Marimba), HP Discovery and Dependency Mapping Inventory (DDMI), IBM License Metric Tool (ILMT), Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM), and IBM Tivoli Endpoint Manager (BigFix), to name a few.
  • Purchased Versus Installed Reconciliation: Understanding how many licenses an organization is entitled to use is challenging for a variety of reasons including a multiplicity of purchase dates, product versions, renewals, support and maintenance metrics. FlexNet Manager Suite On-Demand automates the process of reconciling software purchases against software installed on computers and virtual machines within an enterprise, and derives an accurate license position that will stand-up to the scrutiny of an audit. A built-in knowledge base recognizes more than 120,000 application titles and 600,000 product stock keeping units (SKUs) to determine the license entitlements for each software purchase, and links that information to the software installed on the devices within the target network. This reconciliation process can provide a baseline license position for more than 14,000 vendors.
  • Software License Optimization: To continuously optimize an enterprise's software license position, a solution must be capable of leveraging the "product use rights" found in licensing agreements -- such as the right of second use, multiple use, roaming use, virtual use, and license mobility -- to minimize license consumption. Optimization ensures new licenses aren't purchased unless they're required, and existing licenses are fully utilized in compliance with vendors' license terms. FlexNet Manager Suite On-Demand provides Software License Optimization for major software vendors such as Microsoft, Adobe, IBM and Symantec.
  • Dashboard and Reporting: IT Asset Managers need a real-time window into their software estate to ensure continuous software license compliance and optimization. FlexNet Manager Suite On-Demand provides an intuitive management dashboard enabling an administrator to understand the current license position, receive alerts on issues, and review key events such as data imports. A compliance overview report summarizes an organization's exposure, such as its financial liability and the number of licenses in breach per publisher. Organizations can also drill down into any vendor to obtain deeper information on each of its products and the licenses attached to those products. With its support for common tablet browsers, business managers can access the dashboard and reports with a swipe of their finger.

"With as much as twenty-five percent of an organization's software budget wasted on shelfware, poor license allocation, and responding to audits, CIOs know that to realize substantial savings software inventory alone isn't sufficient. They must connect the dots between software procurement, inventory, usage, and vendor entitlements for each application in order to maintain license compliance and reduce ongoing costs.  The complexity of getting an accurate license position in a physical and virtualized environment across diverse and changing vendor license models has driven Software License Optimization to prominence as a new category in the industry," said Swahn. "With the addition of FlexNet Manager Suite On-Demand, organizations can identify and recover wasted software spend by leveraging our industry standard solution through the delivery model of their choice -- on-premises or in the cloud."

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About Flexera Software

Flexera Software helps application producers and enterprises increase application usage and the value they derive from their software. Our Application Usage Management solutions are essential to ensure continuous licensing compliance, optimized software investments and to future-proof businesses against the risks and costs of constantly changing technology. Over 80,000 customers turn to Flexera Software as a trusted and neutral source for the knowledge and expertise we have gained as the marketplace leader in licensing, installation and compliance for over 20 years and for the automation and intelligence designed into our products. For more information, please go to: www.flexerasoftware.com.

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Contact Information:

For more information, contact:
John Lipsey
+1 (224) 465-9139