FAQ’s about monitoring software usage with CQFlexMon

Understanding your software portfolio is essential for you to effectively manage it. It can bring enormous benefits and help you avoid any non-conformities.

Within this blog post, I look at some questions I get asked quite frequently about Symetri’s software monitoring tool, CQFlexMon.

How many users does a company need to have to benefit from monitoring their software with CQFlexMon?

I would say the cost of the subscription per licence is the key.

Some of our customers have 15,000 users but smaller customers may still have very expensive software subscriptions. A company with 10 users, for example, may well use niche software that is very expensive, a saving of 1 or 2 subscriptions could bring a great return on investment from using CQFlexMon. Also, smaller customers may have a lot of subscriptions we can monitor in CQFlexMon, and therefore the savings that could be made could be considerable.

We monitor the .exe files as well as licence managers, so CQFlexMon becomes a great tool for analysing usage.

How quickly can I roll out the solution to my 10 users/ 100 users/ 400 users?

This is dependent on what you would like to monitor with CQFlexMon and your infrastructure.

When monitoring network licences, the CQFlexMon server will poll these to get the usage data, so as soon as it is configured, data will start to be collected.

When monitoring .exe files, we supply you with a local service package .MSI file. This can be deployed using a /q switch to make it silent, using whichever deployment method you currently use. PDQ, SCCM, Intune, Datto RMM are a few our customers are using to push out the package. Group Policy can be used, however may be slower to reach the endpoints.

How long should I have CQFlexMon running before I can truly analyse the data?

We have monitored and produced licence optimisation reports based on a few weeks of data. A key consideration is the time of the year the data has been collected in. In Ireland & the UK, July, August and December may show lower licence usage due to employees on holiday compared to other months. We need to make sure we take these factors into consideration when analysing the results. I would recommend gathering data away from the holiday seasons to gain a more accurate understanding of your usage.

When would be the best time to consider investing in CQFlexMon?

Straight away. Some of our customers find it useful to understand their usage before their licence renewal is due 3 months before to ensure they are buying the amount and type of licences needed. Not everyone has so much time, in those cases we have helped them gather data for only a couple of weeks before the renewal date.

Data is great to have for as long as possible before the renewal to help you make an informed decision on licence requirements.

Another thing to consider is the constant changing picture of employees within the business and different projects being worked on. With the business ever changing, it is always good to keep an eye on things.

Are the system requirements for CQFlexMon costly?

No, CQFlexMon can be installed on existing infrastructure. Some customers like to create a new server for CQFlexMon, this way it is all in one place. Others have installed it on an existing server that is already in use for other roles. At Symetri, we can host the solution for you, which can reduce any additional costs for extra hardware or software licences.

CQFlexMon has several modules, do I have to purchase all modules at once?

No, CQFlexMon is a very flexible solution which enables you to get what you need out of the solution. We start with a requirement meeting to discuss your needs, options, and costs. During the year you may want to include more vendors or licence servers to be monitored, which will need additional requirements and can easily adjust the licence according to your needs. Some customers also purchase a licence optimisation report after realising they need assistance to make the right licencing decision. A SAM compliance project can be started at any point.

Find out more about the CQFlexMon modules here.

If you have any further questions and would like to book an appointment to discuss how we can help you monitor your software licence usage, please complete the form or alternatively call us on +353 061 919000. 

Author

Jeremy Vessey

Jeremy joined Excitech in 1998 (before it became Symetri) as a Hardware Engineer and has now progressed to an IT Solutions Consultant. His knowledge varies across a broad range of technologies including virtualisation, storage and cloud solutions. Jeremy also has a great deal of knowledge around the Autodesk suite of products regarding licencing and deployments. IT installations, pre-sales and fully supporting the Helpdesk for escalated calls are his main responsibilities.