By Don Retallack [bio]
Posted: Jul. 21, 2008

The following is an illustration accompanying an article published by Directions on Microsoft, an independent research firm focused exclusively on Microsoft strategy & technology. More samples of our content, as well as a list of upcoming articles and reports are also available.

The Asset Inventory Service (AIS) feature of Microsoft's Desktop Optimization Pack (MDOP) uses agents on client computers to collect inventories of Microsoft and third-party software on a regular basis and send them over the Web to the System Center Online service, where authorized users can generate reports on software assets as well as reconciliation with purchased licenses.

An agent on the client PC (bottom left) collects information about installed software by examining the Microsoft Installer (MSI) database, the Add/Remove Programs (ARP) Registry information, the Program Files folder, and the PC's Startup menu. The inventory information is consolidated and forwarded to Microsoft's online service where it is checked against Microsoft's dynamic software catalog for naming rationalization, categorization, and transformation into the appropriate format for addition to the database of the organization's inventory.

Users authorized to access the AIS service can generate a wide variety of reports about the software assets, including grouping by software type (grouped according to the software classification defined by Microsoft librarians), by PC location, or by software version, among other options. In addition, the user can compare the inventoried software against the organization's Microsoft Volume Licensing Service (MVLS) database to see if too many or too few licenses have been purchased.