What is Asset Vision Optimize?

Optimize from Scalable Software is a cost management application that provides detailed, comprehensive true usage information for the desktop software and hardware in an organization.  Using Optimize, one can accurately identify unused and under-utilized hardware and software assets, reduce IT spending by eliminating unnecessary maintenance obligations, reallocate existing assets and cut back on support needs.  Optimize utilizes class-leading usage tracking technology that detects and analyzes user keystrokes and mouse movements to ascertain actual user interaction with an application versus simple open/close status.  Whats more, Optimize has the ability to determine the difference between a reader and a writer application based on actual usage.

Unlike ITAM tools that configure and manage hardware and software, Optimize's asset intelligence gives your organization a business view of the computer systems and software installed.  The asset usage reports give insight needed to:

• Stop overbuying software licenses.
• Remove the cost burden of supporting and maintaining under-utilized software and hardware.
• Gain fair value from annual software license reviews and true-up negotiations.
• Accurately plan IT budgets for future years and forecast future budget needs.
• Achieve accurate compliance with vendor licensing.

What does Optimize do?
As a complement to existing ITAM products and services, Optimize gathers data via a light touch agent installed on supported clients within the IT environment.  While running in the background, the agent gathers:

• An inventory of the program files on the PC or Mac.
• A view of application usage as determined by keystroke counts and mouse interaction for all applications used by each individual user of a PC or Mac.  The agent does not record specific keystrokes; rather, it records the number of keystrokes.  The application activity data gathered is a unique and important component in evaluating software usage.
• The amount of time spent at predefined website URLs, such as web applications like Salesforce.com
• Usage on applications that are hosted by the Thin Client application.
• Hardware inventory information such as available memory, CPU, operating system version, and so on.

How Optimize works
Optimize collects the following types of data:

• how many individuals use a specific application
• how much time each individual uses a specific application
• which machines are used by individual users to run applications
• which individuals visit predefined web applications, and how much time they spend there
• which hours of the day individuals are using applications
• the dates an application was used
• and much more...

Optimize gathers the above data from a light touch agent installed on the PCs and Macs in the IT environment.  When a user interacts with a application, the agent records the number of keystrokes (not the actual keystrokes) and the length of interaction.  The agent also records how much time users spend at website URLs previously identified by the Optimize administrator as web applications.  For example, a user who routinely accesses your custom salesforce.com URL has his/her usage tracked and assigned to the CRM application.
Once each day, at a scheduled time, the agent data files are sent to the Optimize database at a predetermined scheduled time to minimize network traffic.  On average, the compressed and encrypted data files are approximately 20 to 100 kilobyte in size.
After the initial collection of data, you can begin leveraging the flexibility of Optimize by categorizing computers and software applications into logical groups for your organization.  From that point on, the data aggregates the way you want to view it.  After several days of data aggregation, patterns begin to emerge as to who is and is not using specific applications.