In this final article addressing license management during the COVID-19 crisis, we summarize the ways you can use License Statistics to gain insight into license usage through regularly monitoring and managing license usage.

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to create difficulties for many companies as they keep business operations moving safely while adapting to new, remote ways of doing business. At X-Formation we’re proud to be able to help you maintain control of costs by better optimizing license usage.

Previous articles in this series:

• Part 1: Managing Software Assets During the COVID-19 Crisis
• Part 2: Managing Licenses During the COVID-19 Crisis with License Statistics
• Part 3: Managing Borrowed Licenses During the COVID-19 Crisis with License Statistics

Managing Software Assets

Just as we were here to help your organization through the financial crisis of 2007 to 2009, we continue to work on your behalf through the COVID-19 pandemic. The key to managing software assets now is to watch borrowed license use as workers continue to work from home long-term, and as some return to the office itself. 

The nature of work may have changed forever, but the ability to manage and optimize your software assets hasn’t. The tools you have at your disposal in License Statistics are exactly what you need to manage costs and keep your staff working.

Managing Licenses Overall

Settling into this “new normal” has created its share of challenges. Here’s a summary of the tips we provided in “Part 2: Managing Licenses During the COVID-19 Crisis with License Statistics”:

• In License Statistics, all current and real-time reports give you immediate insight into license utilization. The reports most useful for tracking purposes are: 
  • Current Users and Usage Per User reports.
  • Current Utilization report.
  • Currently Borrowed Licenses report.
  • Current Usage by Time Range report.
  • Current Usage on Multiple Hosts report.
  • Current Feature Usage report.
• Use the information License Statistics provides to predict future license needs based on historical reports showing real license consumption.
  • Usage History Comparison report.
  • Feature Usage history report.
  • User History report.
  • Utilization History report.
  • User Usage History report.
• The Feature Reservations History report can provide information about unconsumed reservations that could easily be used by other people. Use it in combination with the User Denials report for the same feature and time frame to get complete details.
• You can use the Expiring Features report to see an overview of when features are expiring. This allows you to plan for (or even delay) future payments for the licenses until the expiration date gets closer.

Managing Borrowed Licenses

License Statistics administrators may find that adjustments to license behavior — such as the expiration time for borrowed licenses — will be necessary to ensure uninterrupted software use. Here are some easy ways to monitor borrowed license usage to ensure availability:

• The Currently Borrowed Licenses report shows you the borrowed licenses for all features on one or all license servers. You can also drill into borrowed licenses on a specific license server. The report details the number of borrowed licenses used,  checkout and borrow expiration times, and the user / host for each borrowed license by feature on the selected server (or servers).
• There may be rare cases in which too many licenses have been borrowed by the same user on multiple hosts. You can immediately see where this is happening on the Current Usage on Multiple Hosts report, and in the Usage Per User report.
• The Current User Usage grid includes information about a user or user group’s license usage, including expiration times for borrowed licenses, the license server, vendor, feature information, and host licenses where checked out from, the number of licenses used (which may be more than 1 in cases such as token licenses), the time the license(s) were checked out and the amount of time the license was used.
• The User Usage History grid includes information about a user or user group’s historic license usage, including the license server, feature information, the host that licenses were checked out from, the maximum number of licenses borrowed (used), and the number of hours licenses were used.
• Another way to look at borrowed license usage is by feature. The Current Feature Usage report page shows the usage statistics for a selected feature. In a glance you can see a summary of  feature usage information, including a current count of licenses used, borrowed and reserved; the total licenses available; and the feature’s expiration date and utilization percentage. 

Stay Calm and Manage Your Licenses

We trust this information has helped you get better insights into your software assets and license usage. License Statistics enables you to maintain control of your business and continuously scale licenses up or down as your workforce changes.

The X-Formation staff reminds you they’re here for you whenever you need assistance. You can count on us. In the meantime, continue life’s best practices: Stay home, practice social distancing and cut down on your unnecessary licenses.

In this third article addressing license management during the COVID-19 crisis, you’ll see how to use License Statistics to monitor and better manage use of borrowed licenses.

With more people working from home, and with no end in sight to the need for vigilance over COVID-19, you’re going to find that more and more users have borrowed floating licenses for use remotely. Some companies are already planning for long-term remote work to adapt to the radical changes in working environments. That means more borrowed license usage.

License Statistics administrators may find that adjustments to license behavior — such as the expiration time for borrowed licenses — will be necessary to ensure uninterrupted software use. Here are some easy ways to monitor borrowed license usage to ensure availability:

• The Currently Borrowed Licenses report shows you the borrowed licenses for all features on one or all license servers. You can also drill into borrowed licenses on a specific license server. The report details the number of borrowed licenses used checkout and borrow expiration times, and the user / host for each borrowed license by feature on the selected server (or servers).

• You may also find situations in which too many licenses have been borrowed by the same user on multiple hosts. You can immediately see where this is happening on the Current User Usage report and in the User Usage History report.
  
  The Current User Usage grid includes information about a user or user group’s license usage, including expiration times for borrowed licenses, the license server, vendor, feature information, and host licenses where checked out from, the number of licenses used (which may be more than 1 in cases such as token licenses), the time the license(s) were checked out and the amount of time the license was used.
  
  
  The User Usage History grid includes information about a user or user group’s historic license usage, including the license server, feature information, the host that licenses were checked out from, the maximum number of licenses used and borrowed, and the number of hours licenses were used.
  
  
  
• Another way to look at borrowed license usage is by feature. The Current Feature Usage report page shows the usage statistics for a selected feature. In a glance you can see a summary of  feature usage information, including a current count of licenses used, borrowed and reserved; the total licenses available; and the feature’s expiration date and utilization percentage.
  
  
  The Current Feature Usage list includes the username and hostname of the machine on which the selected feature is checked out, how many licenses that user has checked out, the checkout time(s) and how much time has elapsed since checkout, and when the borrow time expires (for borrowed licenses).
  
  
  The Feature Usage graph gives you a picture of the number of licenses used throughout the day, making it easy to see borrowed license usage over time.
  
  

We believe that you should remain in control of your business. License Statistics enables you to do just that as you can continuously scale licenses up or down as your workforce changes.

In the light of the current situation we urge everyone to do what is necessary in the situation: Stay home, practice social distancing and cut down on your unnecessary licenses.

The License Servers Usage page, new with License Statistics v6.6, allows administrators to monitor statistics about each license server

The License Servers Usage report page gives administrators the ability to monitor statistics about how each license server is being used in real time. A usage chart gives you an overview of usage counts, and a usage grid provides usage details for each license server.

The information you get from the License Servers Usage report page can help you understand exactly how many users are using which license servers. You can actually see which servers have the heaviest use, helping you make better decisions about future hardware and network requirements.

You’ll find the License Servers Usage report in the Usage tab of the License Servers page, located under the Administration section in the left pane. (This page is visible only for License Statistics administrator users.)

The License Servers Usage Chart

(Available in v6.6 under the new licensing model only.) The Usage tab includes a License Servers Usage chart that allows you to view counts for Users, Features, or Hosts. You can sort by total or current usage. Control your viewing options using the Show and Sort by drop-down menus.

License Servers Usage grid

The License Servers Usage grid lists details about the number of features, users and hosts in the database for each license server. The grid provides the following information for each license server:

• The number of features/users/hosts included in the last query.
• The number of the users/hosts that were monitored by the associated license server only.
• The number of all features/users/hosts monitored by the associated license server.

Hover over any number in the grid, and you’ll see a list of the users, hosts, or features included in that report count. In any such list you can edit the display name, display version, and description that appears in reports.

Refer to “Reviewing license server usage” for more details on using the License Servers Usage page.

Autodesk® is moving from network licenses to named user licenses starting August 7, 2020. License Statistics v6.7 introduces the License Statistics Agent in response.

Beginning August 7, 2020, Autodesk® will change its licensing model from network licenses to named user licenses. (See the Autodesk article “Transition to named user licenses” for details.) To support the new model, Autodesk introduced its cloud platform to manage licenses (https://manage.autodesk.com). 

How Autodesk’s Change Affects You

With named user licenses, Autodesk moves away from network licenses and, after a year, eliminates maintenance contracts for network licenses. It’s a difficult decision to make – trade in now, stay with network licensing without maintenance, or shift to perpetual licenses – also with no maintenance. Deciding to switch is about cost and your needs. Even if you retain network licensing with no maintenance, License Statistics will continue to support FlexNet (used by Autodesk network licenses).

Should you shift to named user licenses, you’ll no longer have a single source of usage data. You must monitor both the cloud service and the applications running on client hosts.

Here’s how License Statistics handles named user license monitoring.

How License Statistics Monitors Autodesk Named User Licenses

The v6.7 release of License Statistics introduces a new Autodesk cloud license manager type consisting of two independent data gathering methods:

• HTTP monitoring of the Autodesk cloud platform (https://manage.autodesk.com) to gather general license and user data.
• License Statistics Agent, installed on end-user hosts, to gather license usage statistics.

License Statistics Agent

This initial version of License Statistics Agent is the first iteration of our new long-term project that will significantly extend License Statistics capabilities. With this first version, you will be able to monitor Autodesk named user license usage directly on client hosts.

The Agent is a separate application you install independently from License Statistics directly onto client hosts. There, it gathers data about license usage – including username, hostname, and sessions where the application was running – and delivers it to the License Statistics application. The License Statistics Agent communicates between these applications and License Statistics, running as a service in the background.

License Statistics Configuration for Autodesk

You’ll provide the Autodesk administrator username and password during license server configuration in License Statistics. License Statistics will report the following:

• The list of products the customer purchased.
• The number of licenses for each product.
• The list of users assigned to particular Autodesk licenses. These will be displayed in License Statistics in the form of reservations as of next release.

You’ll be able to see usage and quantity of Autodesk named user licenses on a single report.

(Note: License Statistics will continue support for FlexNet – used by Autodesk network licenses – as we move towards monitoring the Autodesk cloud licensing solution.)

For License Statistics Agent installation instructions, see “Installing and Configuring License Statistics Agent”. License Statistics Agent is available only with License Statistics v6.7 and the Licensing 2019 licensing model. 

We believe that you should remain in control of your business. License Statistics enables you to do just that so you can continuously scale licenses up or down as your workforce changes. As always, if you have questions or suggestions, get in touch with us!

The Feature and User Reservations report pages, new with License Statistics v6.5, provides a quick view into license reservations

The Feature and User Reservations report pages give you an overview of the License Reservations for selected users or groups, and for all reservations of a selected feature. 

Knowing how many licenses are actually in use gives you more control over denials, gaps in license usage and under-utilization of licenses. Reviewing the Feature and User Reservations reports help you understand situations such as users being unable to check out a license despite only 2 out of 10 licenses currently being in use. (See the documentation for more information about License Reservations in general and the license servers you can monitor.)

Read on to learn more about how to use the Feature and User Reservations Reports pages.

The Feature Reservations Report Page

You’ll find the Feature Reservations report page under the Features section in the left navigation pane. There you will see an overview of all reservations for the feature you selected. The General Information area at the top of the page includes identifying information for the feature and lets you select the license server and feature to view.

Feature Reservations grid

The Feature Reservations grid shows the reservation information for the license server and feature you selected.

The grid displays the following information:

• The type of reservation.
• The pattern used for the reserved licenses.
• The maximum number of licenses reserved.
• The number of licenses remaining.
• The time the reservation became available for checkout.
• The expiration time.
• Whether the reservation is current or historical.
• The last time at which the reservation was queried from the license server.

You can view a reservation history graph for any active or historical reservation, and get details for any active reservation.

See “Feature Reservations” in the documentation for details.

The User Reservations Report Page

You’ll find the User Reservations report page under the Users section in the left navigation pane. There you will see an overview of all reservations across all features and license servers for the user or user group you selected. The General Information area at the top of the page allows you to select the user or user group to view.

User Reservations grid

The User Reservations grid shows the reservation information for the user or user group you selected, based on the pattern gathered from the queried server.

The grid displays the following information: 

• The Feature name, version, and type.
• The type of reservation.
• The pattern used for reserved licenses.
• The maximum number of licenses reserved.
• The number of remaining reservations of each type.
• The time the reservation became active.
• The time the reservation will expire.

See “User Reservations” in the documentation for details.

We believe that you should remain in control of your business. License Statistics enables you to do just that as you can continuously scale licenses up or down as your workforce changes. As always, if you have questions or suggestions, get in touch with us!

In this second article addressing license management during the COVID-19 crisis, we show you how to use License Statistics to gain useful insights into your software licenses – and the ability to control how those licenses are being used.

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, companies find that settling into this “new normal” has its share of challenges. Tracking changes in license usage is key to maintaining operations and keeping costs down today. Here are a few tips for making the most of your software license investment by using the tools readily available in License Statistics.

• As personnel shift or go on furlough, license utilization is likely to vary quite a bit as your company continues to adjust. For example, you’ll probably find that the number of unused licenses will suddenly grow with staff reductions and moves. You’ll find, too, instances where too many licenses are being used by the same user on multiple hosts. Where can you gather this information?In License Statistics, all current and real-time reports give you immediate insight into license utilization. The reports most useful for tracking purposes are:
  • Current Users and Usage Per User reports.
  • Current Utilization report.
  • Currently Borrowed Licenses report.
  • Current Usage by Time Range report.
  • Current Usage on Multiple Hosts report.
  • Current Feature Usage report.
• Use the information License Statistics provides to predict future license needs based on historical reports showing real license consumption. For example, if Utilization for a period of time is lower than expected, the Usage History Comparison report can show you where to make adjustments. Other useful reports:
  • Feature Usage history report.
  • User History report.
  • Utilization History report.
  • User Usage History report.
• The Feature Reservations History report can provide information about unconsumed reservations that could easily be used by other people. Use it in combination with the User Denials report for the same feature and time frame to get complete details.
• You can use the Expiring Features report to see an overview of when features are expiring. This allows you to plan for (or even delay) future payments for the licenses until the expiration date gets closer.

We believe that you should remain in control of your business. License Statistics enables you to do just that as you can continuously scale licenses up or down as your workforce changes.

In the light of the current situation we urge everyone to do what is necessary in the situation: Stay home, practice social distancing and cut down on your unnecessary licenses.

With the COVID-19 crisis continuing to unfold there is enough to worry about. With License Statistics, managing your software assets doesn’t have to be one of them.

The COVID-19 pandemic has created a crisis for many companies as they work to keep business operations moving while at the same time maintaining a safe working environment. Changes in staffing resulting in layoffs, reduced hours, and remote work created new and unexpected consequences and a host of new problems for business owners.

Fortunately, you won’t have to worry about managing your software licenses if you’re a License Statistics customer.

We here at X-Formation, the creators of License Statistics, are here to help you get control of costs by better optimizing license usage. Our full staff is still hard at work on your behalf, ensuring the stability and utility of License Statistics to make sure you get through this crisis with the fewest difficulties possible. We were there in the financial crisis of 2007 to 2009, and are here now for you and your business. While working from home like most others we still stand by our commitment to make a great product which helps you in your daily life. Additionally we’re proud to serve several of the medical companies that are on the frontline of this crisis.

We listen to you and, based on your feedback, have built the tools you need to manage your software licenses. In the next few articles, we’ll show you how you can use License Statistics to know exactly where and when your licenses are being used so you can better track what you need and what you don’t.

We believe that you should remain in power of your business. License Statistics enables you this as you can continuously scale up or down those licenses as your workforce changes.

In the light of the current situation we urge everyone to do what is necessary in the situation: Stay home, practice social distancing and cut down on your unnecessary licenses.

License Statistics v6.5 now provides support for DSLS restricted access mode passwords

Many of you have been asking for DSLS restricted access mode support when configuring Dassault license servers. With License Statistics v6.5, you can provide a password for restricted access mode during DSLS configuration when adding or editing a Dassault license server.

Here’s how it works.

Entering a Restricted Access Mode Password When Adding or Editing a Dassault License Server

To enter a DSLS restricted access mode password when adding or editing a Dassault license server:

1. To edit an existing license server, click the Edit icon in the Action column of the Realtime License Servers grid row for the license server you want to change. An Edit License Server dialog opens to allow you to change the existing settings for that license server
2. Alternatively, to add a new license server, click Add at the bottom of the Realtime License Servers grid. An Add New License Server dialog opens to allow you to configure the new license server.
3. As you complete the information in the Add New/Edit License Server dialog’s License Server tab, enter the DSLS restricted access mode password into the “Password” field.
4. Proceed with configuring the license server.

See sections “Adding or editing a realtime license server” and “Realtime License Server settings” on the Adding and editing realtime license servers page for details.

With License Statistics v6.5 you can view the Usage History Graph as a heat map in which Usage History values are represented as colors. The Usage History Heat Map provides a graphical representation of the number of licenses used by the selected user/user group for a specified time period. 

One of the tools introduced in License Statistics v6.5 is the Usage History Heat Map, part of the User Usage History page. The Usage History Heat Map can help you quickly identify trends in usage history.

Here’s how to use the Usage History Heat Map.

Viewing the Usage History Heat Map

To view a heat map, select a desired grouping in the User Usage History Settings area. The Heat Map for the desired grouping and time frame is the default visible chart. Click the “Show Line Chart” button at the top of the graph to display the line chart instead. (For details see the User Usage History page.)

Using the Heat Map

The Usage History Heat Map allows you to toggle between Used and Borrowed licenses. The value in each block of the heat map is the number of licenses used or borrowed by the grouping and time range selected in the Settings section at the top of the User Usage History page. The map’s X axis represents the grouping you selected, and the Y axis represents the features used by that grouping in the selected time range.

The darker sections reflect heavier license usage, while the lightest sections reflect lower usage. At a glance you can quickly see license usage trends by date range and license feature set. This intuitive display of statistical data can help you better understand how licenses and license features are being used so you can better plan for optimal usage and license distribution in the future.