How to check if your software licenses are still valid and what to do if they’re not.

Keeping on top of software licenses is an important part of maintaining the integrity of your business. Knowing what to do when licenses expire will help you in the future.

When you start your working day, what do you do first? Make coffee, say hello to your colleagues, take a bite of your bacon butty (that’s Sheffield for bacon sandwich/bacon roll/bacon bap/bacon cob/bacon sarnie)?

At some point, you’ll probably turn on the computer. Your trusty little box with all the software and apps just waiting to help you with your daily tasks.

Email, browser, documents, spreadsheets, standard installations and specialist tools, all ready to do their best for you.

Despite regular frustrations, really all they are doing is trying to help you, give you what you want, look after you. Surely the least you could do is look after it in return.

Keep on top of changes

Business practices and processes evolve over time. Software requirements also shift, so something you invested in a few years ago may no longer be fit for purpose.

Similarly, software companies continue to develop their products, introducing new pieces of software, extending the capability of existing products and retiring others that have outlived their usability so they don’t have to support legacy products. These changes aren’t always communicated to the customer.

It is recommended that you carry out periodic software audits and maintain a central log of all software licenses held by your organisation. That way, you can quickly and easily keep track of the software you run.

How do I know if my software is up to date?

You can usually find a version number for a piece of software in the main menu for the application. It’s probably called something like About Google Chrome or About Creative Cloud. The popup window will show you a version number. But this doesn’t tell you whether this is the latest version, or whether support is still provided. A quick internet search for the latest version numbers should be able to confirm the latest version numbers, and a bit more digging should tell you if support is still available.

Why is software support important?

For some applications, ongoing support isn’t all that important. Standard applications can easily be repaired and replaced.

But for specialist applications and those running business-critical processes, if something goes wrong, downtime could have a drastic effect on businesses of any size. Knowing that there is someone on hand to help bring systems back online is a comfort, but if you pick up the phone and speak to someone who tells you that your software license is out of date and the software is no longer supported, you could be facing dire consequences.

So, it’s best to keep on top of things before this problem presents itself.

Why is software licensing important?

When you use licensed software, you know that you are using a genuine product. Using unlicensed alternatives could lead to lawsuits, fines and even personal liability for managers and directors who knowingly use unlicensed software.

There are also cybersecurity risks to bear in mind. Licensed software offers you better protection from cybersecurity threats, while unlicensed versions are more likely to contain malware or other security vulnerabilities.

With licensed software you will receive technical support and updates from the vendor, so you can be sure that the applications you use are kept up-to-date, secure and functional.

Of course, there are also ethical considerations. The vendor has spent time and money developing their software and should receive fair compensation for their work.

What happens at End of Life?

There’s nothing stopping you from using software with a perpetual license once it has passed its End of Life date, but you need to be aware of the risks that this might present.

• With no security updates and patches from the vendor, the software may become vulnerable to cyber-attacks, putting your data and systems at risk.
• Handling sensitive data using unlicensed software could mean that you are in contravention of data protection laws.
• As newer systems are introduced, there may be compatibility issues with out-of-date software.
• If unsupported software breaks down, finding an independent contractor to rectify the problems could be very costly.
• Current versions of the software might offer greater functionality and improve productivity.
• Business future-proofing can be compromised if outdated software solutions are still active.

If your software is covered by a term license, then once the agreed term has passed, you no longer have any right to use the software. The vendor may well terminate your access and any functionality you rely on will be lost.

How can DeeperThanBlue help?

As an IBM Business Partner and Microsoft AI CSP, we are ideally placed to help organisations and users with their software upkeep.

IBM

For users of IBM WebSphere Application Server (WAS), IBM MQ (WebSphere MQ), IBM App Connect Enterprise (ACE – also previously known as WebSphere Message Broker and IBM Integration Bus), Cognos, IBM TM1 Planning & Analytics, and IBM DB2 we can help you to identify the latest versions, upgrade or migrate to an alternative platform and ensure that your software investment is properly maintained and future-proofed.

You can visit the following pages to find the latest version numbers, the versions that are still supported and those that are no longer supported for WAS, MQ and ACE:

• IBM WebSphere Application Server End of Support
• IBM MQ End of Support
• IBM App Connect Enterprise End of Support

Microsoft

We are proficient in the implementation of MS SQL Server, Exchange Server, Active Directory, BizTalk, MS Dynamics, Sharepoint and MS Office products and desktop tools, and can help youkeep your licenses up to date and, if needed, migrate you to alternative solutions.

The MS Azure Cloud doesn’t necessarily make life any easier. Some updates can be applied automatically; however, you should proceed with caution as this could break applications without testing them in lower environments first. With some Azure services/instances you are required to perform your own updates. Without a software update policy you could fall foul of running out of date software. We’re more than happy to provide consultation on the development of a suitable policy to help you manage your software license portfolio.

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