Source: HotWire

Flexera Software Launches FlexNet Manager for Symantec and Upgrade to Underlying FlexNet Manager Platform

New Optimization and Software Asset Management Capabilities Give Enterprises Unprecedented Control Over Their Software Estates

SCHAUMBURG, IL--(Marketwire - January 17, 2011) - Flexera Software, the leading provider of strategic Application Usage Management solutions for application producers and their customers, today announced the general availability of FlexNet Manager for Symantec. Built upon the FlexNet Manager Platform, FlexNet Manager for Symantec is a new Enterprise License Optimization product that enables enterprises to identify Symantec software installations, reconcile purchases with installations, and optimize license consumption. This end-to-end license management reduces ongoing license and maintenance costs while ensuring compliance. Also announced today is an upgrade to the FlexNet Manager Platform, which delivers scalable software and hardware asset management across more than 11,000 publishers and 100,000 applications, and insight into installed software, application usage, and purchase versus installed license reconciliation.

FlexNet Manager for Symantec

"License optimization requires more than identifying software installations and comparing them to purchase quantities; license consumption must be minimized by applying each application's product use rights," said Alan Swahn, vice president of product management at Flexera Software. "Our automated solution relies on intellectual property libraries for application recognition, matching purchases to installations, and applying product use rights. These libraries provide the accuracy and completeness necessary for an audit and to optimize software spend." FlexNet Manager for Symantec includes:

  • Product Use Rights Library for Symantec Software Products: The product use library contains license entitlements, such as upgrade and downgrade rights, which are applied automatically to a company's software estate.
  • Integration with the FlexNet Manager Platform Stock Keeping Unit (SKU) Library: Information is automatically extracted from purchase order data, such as the type of purchase agreement, and matches purchase order line items to software installations. 

FlexNet Manager for Symantec is part of the FlexNet Manager Suite for Enterprises, which includes:

FlexNet Manager for Engineering Application

"While many companies have made investments in IT asset management to help keep an inventory of their software estates, additional benefit can be recognized when these companies focus on optimizing their license assets to stay in compliance and pay only for what they need," said Amy Konary, Director of Software Pricing and Licensing Research at IDC. "Enterprise License Optimization tools like FlexNet Manager for Symantec and the FlexNet Manager Suite for Enterprises can help companies achieve that next level of value by automating some of the most complex software license management processes."

FlexNet Manager Platform

FlexNet Manager Platform includes a variety of significant enhancements, including:

  • SQL Server: FlexNet Manager Platform can now discover Microsoft SQL Server instances throughout the enterprise via an inventory agent that brings back details about SQL Server components, versions and editions. 
  • Hyper-V: The enhanced platform can also discover Microsoft Hyper-V virtual servers across the enterprise. The Flexera Software inventory agent collects inventory of software on each virtual machine, identifies the relationship between virtual machines and physical host servers, and ascertains hardware details, including the allocation of hardware resources to virtual machines. 
  • Enhanced SKU Library: Organizations can now easily import purchase order data from popular procurement systems, utilizing a SKU library with more than 210,000 entries, to accurately determine what software has been purchased. FlexNet Manager Platform compares purchased licenses to installed software to determine a "baseline" license position for a given vendor or application. 
  • IBM PVU Support: Support for the IBM processor value unit (PVU) license model, used by IBM to license most of their middleware software products, allowing organizations to manage full capacity IBM PVU licenses.
  • Enhanced Management Capabilities: New capabilities to fully manage users, including creation, deletion, update, blacklist, and transfers of users across business units in the organization.
  • Contract Management: New and enhanced contract management features including document management, document notes, email alerts, and contract scoping.

"All asset management platforms are not created equal," explained Swahn. "Many are good in one discipline, but none have the out-of-the-box depth of FlexNet Manager Platform for managing physical and virtualized assets, including contract management, and tracking application usage to identify shelfware."

Resources:
Learn more about Flexera Software FlexNet Manager for Symantec
Read our Blog on Enterprise License Optimization
Related Flexera Software Webinars
Enterprise License Optimization White Papers

About Flexera Software
Flexera Software is the leading provider of strategic solutions for Application Usage Management; solutions delivering continuous compliance, optimized usage and maximized value to application producers and their customers. Flexera Software is trusted by more than 80,000 customers that depend on our comprehensive solutions -- from installation and licensing, entitlement and compliance management to application readiness and enterprise license optimization -- to strategically manage application usage and achieve breakthrough results realized only through the systems-level approach we provide. Flexera Software is a privately-held company and an investment of private equity firm Thoma Bravo, LLC. For more information, please go to: http://www.flexerasoftware.com

*All third-party trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Contact Information:

For more information, contact:
Eastwick Communications
(650) 480-4054
flexerasoftware@eastwick.com