What it is (plain English)
Managing software licenses and subscriptions: what you're entitled to, what you're actually using, and whether those match. It closes the gap between over-buying (wasted spend) and under-licensing (audit exposure), across on-prem software and SaaS.
Problems it solves
- Surprise vendor audits with true-up bills nobody budgeted for.
- Paying for software licenses and SaaS seats nobody uses.
- No clear entitlement position when negotiating renewals.
- Shadow SaaS proliferating outside procurement.
What must exist first
Platform Core Setup and CMDB Foundation; software discovery/usage data (often via ITOM Discovery or SaaS integrations) to know what's installed and used.
What the customer needs to provide
- Your license entitlements: contracts, purchase records, agreements per publisher.
- Software usage/installation data source (Discovery, SCCM, SaaS admin APIs).
- Priority publishers (usually the big, expensive, audit-happy ones: Microsoft, Oracle, SAP, Adobe).
- A software asset manager and procurement engagement.
Where it can go next
Reclamation workflows recover unused licenses; SaaS management extends to subscription optimization; entitlement data strengthens vendor negotiations and renewals.