By Cyndi Tackett
We’ve written a lot in the past about the value of Product Use Rights (see “Update on Microsoft Downgrade Rights”, “Product Use Rights are the Key to License Optimization” and “Can Applying Product Use Rights Enhance Software Reclamation Programs?” as just a few examples).
Product Use Rights are critical to minimize software license consumption. Use Rights can be complicated, so you want a Software License Optimization solution that includes these Use Rights within the product so it can automate the application of them to your software estate. Without a complete set of Use Rights and sufficient automation from your Software License Optimization solution, you’ll never be able to manage your software assets effectively and achieve your desired business results.
You want to make sure that your solution includes such use rights as:
Product Use Right | Definition |
Secondary Use | Enables users to consume only one license for an application installed on a desktop and laptop belonging to the same user. |
Upgrade | Ability to upgrade to newer versions of applications. Typically, this use right is granted as part of maintenance agreements. |
Downgrade | Ability to install older versions of applications than what you purchased. For example, the ability to buy Windows 8 and actually install Windows XP. |
Companion Use Rights | Ability to access applications through BYOD. For example, accessing an application on a laptop and through Citrix |
Exemptions for Non-Production | Ability to exclude machines from consuming licenses that are in Development, QA, UAT, etc. environments. Greatly reduces license consumption for datacenter products. |
License Mobility | Ability to move licenses to third party (i.e, Cloud) providers. |
Virtualization Rights | Determines whether you can install an application on more than one machine on the same physical host and only consume one license. For example, Microsoft Windows Server Enterprise can be installed on 4 virtual machines and only consume one license. |
Subcapacity | Determines how you count licenses installed on virtual machines or partitions (whether you count based on the capacity of the host or the virtual machine) |
Typically, Product Use Rights are not granted by the product itself, but by the program that the product was purchased under. For example, maintenance agreements grant additional Product Use Rights. Purchasing on Enterprise, Select, or Open agreements grants different Product Use Rights.
IBM Websphere PVU and IBM Websphere UVU are technically the same product, just bought under different license models. The relationship between Products and License Models is not a one to one relationship. One Product can be purchased under multiple license models.
Your Software License Optimization solution should not only include a complete library of Product Use Rights for your high-spend software, but it needs to understand these relationships in order to be able to deliver on the promise of minimizing software license consumption.