Best IT Asset Management Software

As your organization’s operations and complexity grow, you require more software to manage the operations. This software usage can quickly go out of control. More importantly, they add to your operational costs, especially if you’re paying for licenses.

This is where Software License Management (SLM) comes into play. It is the process of managing licenses across your organization from a single console. SLMs can also come in handy to notify about license expiry dates and violations of the End User License Agreement (EULA) you entered into with the companies providing the software.

Below are the best IT asset management software available today:

1. ManageEngine Endpoint Central A unified platform that brings together devices, apps, and data to provide central control and visibility into your operations. Its data-driven insights enhance user experience and maximize the ROI.
2. FlexNet Manager A scalable IT asset management that improves license management and enables you to better manage vendor relationships.
3. Ivanti Endpoint Manager A software monitoring tool that automatically discovers products and stays on top of how their licenses are used in the organization.
4. BMC Helix ITSM A software license management tool that monitors software usage and the status of their licenses.
5. ServiceNow Software Asset Management A unified platform that tracks and manages software licenses across the entire organization.
6. SymphonyAI Summit Asset Management An asset management tool that maximizes the return on your enterprise IT assets while providing control and visibility into your licenses.
7. Insight SAM A software asset management platform that uses smart data points to provide a clear picture of your software licenses.
8. Certero SAM A license management application that helps organizations manage software licensing and onboarding.
9. AssetSonar An IT asset management solution to enable all businesses to organize and track hardware and software assets.
10. Zluri SAM A SaaS management platform for managing your SaaS apps, providing visibility, efficiency, and cost savings.

Benefits of Software License Management

Software license management has become an essential aspect of operations because of the many benefits they offer. Here’s a look at some key reasons to have SLMs in your organization.

Cost Savings

SLMs can identify the over-usage or under-usage of your licenses. Moreover, it can provide insights into how your organization uses licenses. Using this information, you can streamline usage to reduce the associated costs.

Asset Optimization

You cannot modify or redistribute the software or use it in any way that violates the EULA. A good SLM monitors the usage patterns and sends notifications of non-compliance. Accordingly, you can take corrective action to avoid fines and penalties.

Security

SLMs maintain software security by ensuring that only authorized users have access to licensed software. Such a concerted approach reduces the risk of unauthorized usage and potential security breaches.

Due to these reasons, organizations of all sizes are looking to implement SLMs in their organization. However, SLMs are often a module in the overall IT asset management software, and this is why, we’ll look at the best platforms that offer a well-developed SLM.

Our Methodology

While evaluating the different SLM tools and modules and identifying the best ones, we used the below criteria:

• Ability to generate comprehensive reports.
• Coverage levels. Will this tool work well with any licenses and their different types?
• Notifications when there’s a possibility for non-compliance with EULA.
• Create an inventory of your software to provide continuous control and visibility.

Best IT Asset Management Software

Read on for a detailed look into each tool’s features.

1. ManageEngine Endpoint Central

ManageEngine’s Endpoint Central Management platform offers a wide range of asset management capabilities including software and hardware inventory, software license management, software metering, identifying prohibited software, blocking unauthorized applications, and more. All these features can improve your IT infrastructure’s efficiency and security.

Source: ManageEngine

Below are the important SLM features of this tool.

Built-in Reports

A key aspect of any SLM tool is the reports it generates for users to understand the compliance rate, information about license utilization, and more. You can use these reports for internal auditing and compliance with EULA and other agreements and regulations.

License Notifications

Endpoint Central also provides notifications when your licenses are about to expire or if there’s potential non-compliance with agreements and standards. All that you have to do is upload the EULA and the tool will automatically check for compliance.

Data-driven Decision-Making

You can decide to renew licenses based on the usage patterns. This approach ensures that you are making the most of your licenses and their spending. Also, you can stop renewals when the usage falls below certain thresholds.

With these features, Endpoint Central makes it easy to manage your software licenses and their compliance.

Request a demo.

2. Flexnet Manager

Flexnet Manager is a comprehensive solution for managing your data centers, SAP, and engineering apps. It comes with many features to automate compliance and manage different licensing models. It even integrates the SLM insights with ITSM, ITFM, and other business ecosystems to provide comprehensive views.

Source: Flexnet Manager

Here’s a look at Flexnet’s key features.

Automated Compliance

Flexnet comes with an entitlement library of more than 450,000 applications that contain insights into product usage, metrics, and license types. It compares the usage of your software against these metrics to identify gaps in compliance. With these insights, you can improve compliance with vendor agreements.

Improves Software License Management

This tool can manage different kinds of license models spread across multiple vendors. With such flexibility, you can have centralized control and visibility over your software licenses and their usage.

In-depth Insights

Another key advantage is the insights it offers regarding not just the software usage levels but also their performance in the context of specific IT functions like ITSM. Such comprehensive views help you make better decisions that can positively impact your organization.

Overall, Flexnet Manager helps you strategically manage your software licenses and vendor relationships.

Request a demo.

3. Ivanti Endpoint Manager

Ivanti Endpoint Manager tool’s software monitor scan runs at scheduled intervals to automatically discover your software installations and their instances. It also compares the usage against the stored agreements to identify deviations.

Source: Ivanti

Here’s a look at the key features of this SLM module.

Extensive Dashboard

A highlight of Ivanti Endpoint Manager is its extensive dashboard that displays a summary of product data and usage. You can even see the software installations across different products. In particular, this dashboard is handy for audit planning and optimizing resource usage.

License Usage

You can use Ivanti Endpoint Manager to understand how product licenses are used and shared within your organization. Also, if you have a mix of old and new licenses of the same product, it ensures compliance across different agreements. Also, it tracks the installation and reconciliation of your licenses.

Automatic Discovery

The Endpoint Manager automatically runs discovery scans for installation products and gathers data associated with their utilization. Accordingly, it provides the data you need to decide on the number of required licenses.

Additionally, Ivanti uses minimal network bandwidth and checks for mobile devices that are disconnected from the network. Due to these features, Ivanti is a handy tool for implementing SLM.

Request a demo.

4. BMC Helix ITSM

BMC Helix ITSM has a software license management module that automatically links software CIs with the related license certificates to monitor their usage mode and utilization levels. The usage information is populated by another module called BMC BladeLogic Configuration Automation.

Source: BMC

Let’s now look at a few important features of BMC Helix.

License Management

BMC Helix has a set of processes for managing licenses. It creates license models and populates data with it. You can create as many license models as you need and can map a software license with the appropriate modules for easy tracking and management.

License Engine

The license engine maps the configuration items of software with its license requirements. This engine runs as a plug-in and calculates compliance. You can even run this module as a batch job for weekly reports and insights.

Dashboard

The interface of BMC Helix ITSM communicates with the license engine to gather relevant information and display it on the dashboard for users. The advantage is that you can see software licensing from the overall context of asset management and this can help to streamline operations and reduce costs.

In all, BMC Helix ITSM is a comprehensive asset management tool with a software licensing engine for monitoring usage and compliance.

Request a demo.

5. ServiceNow SAM

ServiceNow SAM is a unified platform that manages your software licenses and reduces your operational costs. It also helps you stay compliant with vendor agreements and ensure that your software aligns with the business needs.

Source: ServiceNow

Below are the key ServiceNow features for SLM.

Single Platform

With ServiceNow, you can manage all your software assets with a single architecture. The advantage of using such a unified platform is that you can implement automation and digital workflows to improve software usage.

Greater Awareness

You can use ServiceNow to cut down on your costs by having greater awareness of usage levels. Moreover, you can have better control over shadow IT and optimize license usage.

Automates IT License

This platform saves time and effort by automating many IT processes across departments, including software usage. You can even create custom workflows to meet your specific requirements.

With such features, you can have better control and visibility into software usage, thereby reducing the costs and non-compliance associated with them.

Request a demo.

6. SymphonyAI IT Asset Management

SymphonyAI is a comprehensive asset management that provides excellent returns on your enterprise assets. At the same time, it provides complete control and visibility across your hardware and software licenses to ensure compliance.

Source: SymphonyAI

Below are some important SLM features of SymphonyAI.

Informed Decisions

SymphonyAI enables you to make informed and data-driven decisions about the usage of your software and hardware assets. You can track their usage from a single pane, thereby giving you organization-wide control and visibility.

Asset Utilization

With this tool, you can optimize your assets and ensure that you pay only for what you use. It also tracks usage, enabling you to redeploy underutilized or unutilized assets for maximum ROI.

Comprehensive Analytics

You can leverage SymphonyAI’s comprehensive analytics to better plan your software usage and enter into favorable agreements with vendors. Eventually, this can optimize your capital and operational expenditure as well.

In all, SymphonyAI is a comprehensive tool for enhancing your software usage’s efficiency and reducing costs.

Request a demo.

7. Insight SAM

Insight SAM is a Software Asset Management (SAM) tool that uses a plethora of tools to optimize your software portfolio and the use of licenses in your organization. Moreover, it enables you to track and analyze license usage across the entire asset lifecycle.

Source: Insight

Below are some key features of Snow License Manager.

Simplified Integration

With Insight, you can seamlessly integrate with any Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) tool for asset inventory and management. It will automatically gather information about your assets and check their usage and compliance.

Extensive Visibility

Insight SAM is highly customizable and scalable and works well for your growing global business. It provides a cloud-based snapshot of your assets. Also, it provides tailored views to improve productivity and reduce risks. Its multi currency and multi-environment support also decrease friction in your working environment.

Reduced Cost and Complexity

The software environment and its associated licensing are dynamic, and these changes add to your operational complexity. Insight SAM takes the uncertainty out of your licensing with its visibility and reports. Moreover, it regularly monitors the changes to identify and fix gaps.

Overall, Insight SAM integrates with your existing ERP to track assets and inventory and monitor their software compliance.

Request a demo.

8. Certero SAM

Certero SAM provides comprehensive visibility into your organization’s software landscape to create the right policies for software governance. Its real-time view also helps with asset tracking and effective asset lifecycle management.

Source: Certero

Here’s a look at Certero’s features.

SaaS Deployment

Certero’s SaaS deployment model makes it easy for organizations to quickly adapt to the changing license requirements. Any required updates can be done on the cloud, making it instantly available across the organization. Furthermore, you can extend this capability to license usage compliance as well. Moreover, organizations don’t have to worry about multiple installations or updates.

Unified Approach

Another advantage of Certero is its unified approach to asset tracking and management. It not only completes a full inventory of your hardware and software assets but also ensures they are done at lightning speed and with minimal overheads. As a result, you get unified views of all your assets in a single pane.

Custom Dashboards

Certero offers customizable dashboards that you can configure to meet your organization’s or user’s specific viewing requirements. These dashboards also display built-in analytics, avoiding the need for expensive BI tools.

Due to the above reasons, Certero is a hassle-free approach to asset and software licensing management and compliance.

Request a demo.

9. EZO AssetSonar

EZO AssetSonar is an IT Asset Management platform that tracks assets, software, and licenses and generates custom reports to help understand usage. With such continuous monitoring, AssetSonar also ensures your software usage complies with vendor and end-user agreements.

Source: EZO

Let’s now look at AssetSonar’s features that streamline software compliance.

Software Usage Management

AssetSonar uses agent-based scans to identify software usage in your organization. It also helps assign software license entitlements to provide employees with the access they need. Moreover, it integrates well with Okta and Google Workspace for tracking usage.

License Management

With AssetSonar, you can get timely updates about expiring licenses. Moreover, you can make data-driven decisions about renewals and subscriptions based on usage and productivity insights. Its customizable dashboards provide all the required information in a single pane.

Software Compliance

AssetSonar continuously scans your environment for unlicensed software and sends notifications immediately. Using this information, you can strengthen compliance with vendors and third-party software providers. It also saves on penalties and fines for you.

In all, AssetSonar is a powerful tool for tracking and maintaining your software licenses.

Request a demo.

10. Zluri SAM

Zluri SAM is a SaaS management platform that helps discover and optimize SaaS applications. It also streamlines your IT usage based on people, processes, and functions. With Zluri, you can manage third-party applications from a single console.

Source: Zluri

Below are Zluri’s features related to software compliance.

Eliminates Shadow IT

One of the problems with software compliance is the presence of shadow IT apps. Unfortunately, these apps are not under the purview of the IT department and may not be monitored for compliance with end-user license agreements. It can lead to potential non-compliance and the resulting fines. To avoid this, Zluri identifies and notifies shadow IT apps.

Automates Repetitive Tasks

Zluri automates repetitive tasks like onboarding and offboarding to reduce errors and gaps in software usage. With this automation, it ensures that only authorized employees can access the relevant software.

Optimizes License Usage

Underused licenses are a waste of money. To avoid this hidden cost, Zluri discovers and optimizes SaaS applications and their security. In particular, it focuses on renewal monitoring and application cost optimization.

In all, Zluri is a comprehensive SAM that comes with customizable dashboards to provide the insights you need for making informed decisions about software usage.

Request a demo.

Thus, these are some of the best IT asset management tools from a software compliance perspective.

Bottom Line

In summary, unmonitored use of software can lead to many problems. Firstly, it increases the operational costs as the software can be underutilized or unutilized. More importantly, the wrong software usage can cause non-compliance with EULA and vendor agreements, resulting in heavy fines and penalties. Moreover, not using software or using shadow IT apps can open security vulnerabilities. To avoid these problems, Software License management (SLM) or Software Asset Management (SAM) tools are helpful. In this article, we looked at the top 10 tools that offer a wide range of features to address the above issues. We hope this information empowers you to select the right tool for streamlining software license compliance and management in your organization.