Licence audits

A licence audit uses an auditing program to scan the computers owned by an organisation and compare what it finds. It looks for inconsistencies between different computers, such as one machine running an older version of a program than another, or a program appearing on a computer where it should not be. The audit produces a report that IT staff can act on.

What the report lists

For each computer, the auditing program records which programs are present, which version of each one is running, when it was installed and whether a licence is held.

This gives a full picture instead of just a count of copies. The report highlights where computers differ, so staff know which ones need attention.

Acting on the audit

The audit leads to remedial action: updating software to the latest version, purchasing a licence, or uninstalling software. For example, a theatre company's audit finds six box-office PCs still running version 2.3 of its ticketing program while the rest run 2.5, so those six are updated. It also finds a video editor on a backstage laptop with no licence record, so the company buys a licence or removes it.

An organisation normally buys permission to install and use a program on an agreed number of installations. Exceeding that number breaks the agreement, so the organisation must buy more licences or uninstall copies. A licence audit helps identify software installed without a licence, so the organisation can act and avoid legal action or fines.