LIS Service Levels

Overview

Matrix42 License Management is one of the leading tools on the market for software asset management solutions. It helps companies to capture, manage and optimize their software licenses. One of the key routine tasks in dealing with the tool and the raw data that arises in operations is the identification and normalization of installed applications as well as purchased licenses.

The License Intelligence Service (LIS) supports organizations in this task, providing a comprehensive base of reference data that is regularly updated and extended. At its core, the reference data contains a standardized "software repository", which forms the structure of the license balance in the SAM tool. This repository contains approximately 9,000 software publishers and over 130,000 software products (as of April 2023). In addition, there are nearly hundreds of license models, which can be used to calculate the license requirement.

Figure: Number of records per type and service level as of April 1, 2023

Depending on the service level, detection patterns for installed applications (fingerprints) are provided in addition to this master data. This data is used to evaluate detected applications in terms of licensing law and assign them to the appropriate entry in the software repository (software detection or normalization). The differences between the service levels with regard to the scope of software detection are explained in the chapter "Service Levels".

In addition, LIS supplies catalog items for purchased licenses in order to identify them via their manufacturer item number (SKU) and also assign them to the software repository (license detection). The scope of this data is also determined by the respective service level.

In addition to the supply of reference data, since January 2020 the LIS has included extended metadata for software products, an online library with license conditions, individual assistance with questions about software licensing, and support in using the SAM tool. However, these additional services are not available in all service levels. For more details, see the "LIS Premium" chapter.

Workflow 

Maintenance of data provided with the service is handled by a dedicated team in-house at Matrix42. The addition of data to the inventory is initiated through various channels:

• Customers submit application signatures (fingerprints) and licenses not recognized in their SAM tool to the central LIS database via LIS Online Update.
• Publishers update their price lists and license terms
• Customers request extension, adjustment or correction of the database in defined details.

The Matrix42 LIS team sifts through the new records or requests and adds the required information to the dataset after a thorough review and any additional research required. At the end of each calendar week, a new version of the dataset is published, which eligible customers can download according to their service level.

If customers request assistance with licensing issues or the use of the SAM tool, a member of the LIS team will contact the respective customer to clarify the open questions.

Levels of Service

Data Privacy

Within the scope of the LIS Online Update, unrecognized applications as well as unassigned licenses can be transferred to the central LIS database. You can restrict or completely disable this transmission by configuring the data provider in your SAM tool.

After checking and processing, the transmitted data is added to the database by Matrix42 and made available to all connected customers according to their service level. This data contains neither personal nor company-related information.

If, as described above, you restrict or prevent the transmission of your data to be clarified, you accept that Matrix42 may not be able to process information that is important specifically for you. You then participate only passively and indirectly from the data updates made for other customers.

The following is a list of all attributes that are transferred to Matrix42 as part of the Online Update:

Questions & Answers

Are there any requirements for the use of LIS Premium and what would they be?

You must meet the following requirements:

• Eligibility for Service Level Standard
• ESM version 9.1.3 or higher 
• For the TERMS-option, application server must be able to communicate over HTTPS to the internet

What does it mean for us that for legal reasons we are not allowed to automatically download and process data from the Internet?

You can manually download the LIS data from the Marketplace and import it into the SAM tool.

However, the scope of the data is limited to the Service Level Standard. The data contained in the Service Level Premium is currently only available via an online update. If we will support an offline connection is unfortunately not yet foreseeable.

Another disadvantage of offline updating is the fact that you can't submit your undetected applications and unassigned licenses to the LIS team.

We use LIS standard. What are the consequences for me if we do not choose LIS Premium?

The guaranteed benefits in the Service Level Standard have not changed. Out of fairness to those customers who have booked LIS Premium, we adhere to the definitions of the service level, though.

Unlike before, data updates therefore no longer contain any data that is outside the service level. This adapted handling also applies to customer enquiries via Matrix42 Support regarding the addition of certain catalog items (SKU) to the data. We ask for your understanding.

We have always received updates for software and license detection for other publishers. Why not anymore?

The warranted scope of service has always included a limitation to the delivery of this data for the 10 listed publishers. In the past, customers who wanted to have fingerprints from other publishers assigned to them purchased paid services. These updates were provided by Matrix42 voluntarily and free of charge to all other customers.  

We want to offer the comprehensive classification of fingerprints to every customer at a significantly lower cost. Therefore, we have integrated the previous service into a standardized product and offer it - together with extended data on the software products - as LIS Premium. 

Out of fairness to those customers who pay money to receive more data for software and license recognition, we unfortunately have to refrain from sharing this data with all customers in the Service Level Standard voluntarily and free of charge. 

Can we test LIS Premium for a limited period of time before we decide?

LIS Premium is not a product, but a standardized service. It corresponds in essence as well as in the technical delivery to the free "Standard" service level. If you would like to get to know the License Intelligence Service, we recommend that you use this free option until you have gained an idea of the potential benefits for your license management. 

We want to opt for LIS Premium. What's it is going to cost me?

Talk to your Matrix42 sales representative or visit the Matrix42 Marketplace and find out about the details and prices of the subscriptions offered. 

What is the minimum subscription period for LIS Premium?

LIS Premium must be licensed for a minimum period of 12 months. Once this period has elapsed, the subscription is automatically renewed for another 12 months.

What to do, if I have consumed all credits?

As a preliminary remark, it should be said that the credits granted were designed in the amount to be sufficient for normal operation. Nevertheless, it may happen that the volume of use exceeds these credits. In such cases, you basically have two options:

1. You purchase additional credits on the Matrix42 Marketplace.
2. You wait until your subscription renews. At that time, your credit account will be filled-up automatically.

For more information about the Credit System in LIS Premium, refer to this article.

What happens if we cancel our premium subscription?

There will be no changes to your local LIS dataset. However, with further updates to the software and license recognition, you will only receive data that has been assigned to the prioritized publishers.

Also, if these options were part of your subscription, you will no longer have access to the licensing library, receive support for licensing terms or coaching with tool usage.