Software Control

Asset Guardian® allows for two distinct types of software to be stored and tracked.

The first is Proprietary Software, which covers packages that have been supplied or purchased from third party software vendors. This can include anything from Word Processing software to Graphics packages to AutoCAD tools or any other packages that used in your organisation.

The other form of software Asset Guardian® enables you to track is your bespoke Application Software. This is code that has been produced (usually by using a Proprietary Software package). This may be written by you or by a supplier, but this software is usually written to run a specific application on your site.

Every organisation that uses PC's will have Proprietary Software to log and track. Not all may have application software but with Asset Guardian® you use the areas you need, and the sections with no data logged will not appear in the tree window.

Proprietary Software

Not having a thorough knowledge of the quantity of software licenses within your organisation, and where they are installed, has the potential to cause a huge financial impact.

From lost productivity when recovering from a system crash, to potentially large fines from the use of illegal software. The truth is, you can't stick you head in the sand and hope it won't happen to you.

	Asset Guardian® allows you to do the following
	Back-up files and safely log them to the repository
	Sign-out software to install it
	Assign the software to the hardware (from the hardware register) where it is installed
	Add & Track revisions of software and track where different revision are installed

Proprietary Software is added to Asset Guardian® simply by clicking on new record within the desired Asset. A simple form allows the user to enter pertinent details such as Title, Author and a short Description. Asset Guardian® then assigns a unique identifying number and stores this information to the Asset. Users can then sign in new revisions of the software as required.

Users can also sign-out software to install it, and then log the details of where it is installed, along with the serial number, license number and PC Name.

If the selected PC Name was already logged in the Asset Guardian® hardware register, then it will be possible to view the newly installed software from within the hardware register. Similarly, if a new PC name was entered when installing the software, this will then appear on the hardware register.

This powerful cross population between the installed software register and the hardware register drastically simplifies the tracking and administration of your system hardware and software.

Application Software

Having an accurate and up-to-date store of all your bespoke application software is arguably one of the most important systems that any organisation can implement.

Knowing that you have the ability to access the correct version of developed software for your mission critical systems such as production lines, quotation packages, system networks and so on, not only makes economic sense but increases confidence across the organisation.

From the support engineer who is called out in the middle of the night to a breakdown, to the office manager who has to ensure production targets are met, Asset Guardian® can take the strain, and help minimise system downtime by storing where software is installed, and which revision is installed.

Whether you write your own application software or you have vendors who supply it, Asset Guardian® provides an expert tool for the following:

	Back-up files and safely log them to the repository
	Assign the software to the hardware (from the hardware register) where it is installed
	Add & Track revisions of software and track where different revisions are installed
	Add comments to show what has changed between revisions
	Sign-out software to implement changes to it

Using the common look and feel of Asset Guardian®, application software is added, deleted, updated and tracked in a similar way to proprietary software. Additional information, such as which package was used to produce the code, can be stored along with the files so that the appropriate development package can be used to download the application software.