What is the focus of license management within Hardware Asset Management?

The focus of license management within Hardware Asset Management is fundamentally about ensuring that software licenses align with the hardware assets being used. This involves monitoring and managing the software licenses effectively to make sure that they are compliant with vendor agreements and that the organization is utilizing the software optimally on the hardware it has in place. It also helps to prevent issues related to over-licensing or under-licensing, which can lead to increased costs or legal ramifications.

In practice, this means that organizations must be aware of what software is installed on their hardware, how many licenses were purchased, and how many are in active use. This alignment ensures that as hardware assets are deployed, the necessary software licenses are tracked and managed accordingly, minimizing the risk of compliance issues.

While optimizing hardware usage and tracking employee licensing needs are significant aspects of asset management, they do not specifically address the primary goal of ensuring adherence to software licensing agreements in relation to the hardware. Similarly, auditing hardware performance is more focused on the operational efficiency of the hardware itself rather than the compliance and alignment of software licenses with those hardware assets.