Applications

SAM Core on Snow Atlas gathers data on the applications in your IT environment and presents the data in the SAM Core user interface.

In SAM Core on Snow Atlas, an application is defined as software installed or run on a computer or device. Each application is associated with filtering rules, which are used to identify programs installed on inventoried computers.

Applications are normally created by the Data Intelligence Service and distributed to all subscribers of the service.

Application bundle

Some applications can be installed both as a stand-alone product and as part of a product suite. Normally, different licenses are required depending on the type of installation. For example, even though Photoshop is included in the Adobe Creative Suite, a stand-alone installation of Photoshop cannot be covered by a license applicable to the Adobe Creative Suite.

For a correct compliance calculation, SAM Core needs to be able to determine if an identified application is a stand-alone or product suite installation. The mechanism used to identify installations that are part of a product suite is called an application bundle. Application bundles are administered via the Data Intelligence Service.

In some cases, it may be allowed to use the installation media of a product suite to install single components, for example, components included in the Adobe Creative Suite. These stand-alone installations are then licensed individually instead of via the application bundle. In SAM Core, this is achieved by manually removing the application bundle from the computer. All installed bundle components will be regarded as stand-alone installations when compliance is calculated.

Application category

Application categories can, for example, be used to specify the standard applications that, according to the IT policy of the organization, should be installed on all computers and laptops.

The report Computers that do not comply to application categories lists all computers/laptops that are missing the applications specified by the application category.

Application family

All versions and editions of an application are together called an application family. In SAM Core on Snow Atlas, the application families are defined by the Data Intelligence Service.

Application families are used for managing upgrade and downgrade rights. Upgrade and downgrade rights refer to the extended right to use a license also for the preceding or subsequent versions. For more information, see Upgrade and downgrade rights.

SAM Core on Snow Atlas summarizes, for example, the license cost, compliance, and risk for applications belonging to the same family. The information can be used to optimize the licensing within an application family.

Application type

An application type is a classification based on function, according to the United Nations Standard Products and Services Code (UNSPSC). This enables the listing of, for example, all virus applications in the IT environment without having to know the manufacturer or the application name. The application types are administered via the Data Intelligence Service.

Application use rights

Application use rights can be assigned to applications, for example, to monitor and ensure the correct usage of expensive applications. Users without use rights of the application are highlighted.

Default metric

The default metric describes the general licensing conditions for an application. The default metric is set per application, meaning that an application only can have one default metric. To change the metric for a license, you need to edit the application to which the license is attached.

The default metric can only be changed if the metric for all registered license purchases is according to the default metric.

EXAMPLE

The default metric for an application with the default metric Devices can only be changed if all registered license purchases have the metric Devices.

However, if licenses are added to applications with the default metric Installations, Number of processors, and Number of processor cores, then the default metric can be changed to any of Installations, Number of processors, and Number of processor cores.

Multiple metrics

More than one metric can be used in the license assignment, reporting, and compliance calculations for an application. If more than one metric can be used for an application, Multiple metrics is shown next to the application name in the detail view of the application.

Stock-keeping Unit (SKU)

Stock-keeping unit, or SKU, is a code used to identify and track products. Most manufacturers assign SKUs to their applications. A unique SKU is assigned to each variant of the application, such as, different versions, bundles, and metrics. This means that an application can have one or several SKUs. In SAM Core, licenses can be identified by the SKU of the application it applies to. There is also SKU intelligence when registering a license purchase and when importing licenses.