IT asset management and software licences at a glance

In short: IT asset management records hardware and software with owner, location and lifecycle; licence management ensures enough, but not too many licences exist and are used correctly.

In more detail: Whoever does not know what they own can neither secure, patch, plan nor bill it. An inventory is the basis for security (vulnerabilities), costs and compliance.

In Depth

Inventory (hardware and software)

• Hardware: device type, manufacturer, serial number, inventory number/barcode, location, user, purchase date/warranty, maintenance contract, status (stock, in use, defective, retired).
• Software: name, version, vendor, licence type, number, key, term, installation locations.
• Tools: spreadsheets for small environments, GLPI, snipe-IT, Lansweeper, OCS Inventory, MDM/Intune, barcode/QR labels.
• Automatic capture (agent/network scan) complements manual upkeep; a CMDB links dependencies.
• Lifecycle: procurement → commissioning → operation → maintenance → decommissioning (erase data securely, dispose/recycle properly, ElektroG).

Licence types

• Single seat/volume licence: per device/user.
• Subscription (SaaS): Microsoft 365 etc., per user/month.
• Concurrent/floating: simultaneous users.
• OEM (tied to a device), retail (transferable), open source (GPL, MIT, Apache: observe obligations, see open-source licences), freeware/shareware, core licences (per CPU core: databases/servers).
• Client access licences (CAL) for server software.
• Education/non-profit licences with restrictions (non-commercial only).

Compliance and costs

• Under-licensing: more use than licences → back claims, penalties (vendor audits).
• Over-licensing: unused licences cost money → clean up/cancel.
• Read licence terms (usage rights, transfer, virtualisation, cloud).
• Proof: purchase receipts, licence certificates, keys safe (password manager/vault).
• Used software legally differentiated (EU exhaustion principle), cracks/pirated copies are illegal and a security risk (malware).
• Detect shadow IT (unknown tools/cloud services); central purchasing.

Practice for you

• At home/business: table with device, serial number, purchase date, warranty, receipt photo; use the site’s inventory tool.
• A retro collection/stock is also an inventory (condition, purchase price, location).
• Warranty periods and invoices help with complaints and tax (asset register, depreciation, low-value assets).
• Software: install only what is needed, document licences, clarify the open-source licence of your own projects.
• Exam: explain CMDB, licence types, inventory, lifecycle.

See also: Open-source licences, Depreciation and low-value assets, ITIL and IT service management