Software ID Tags to Aid Inventory

Microsoft will support the ISO/IEC 19770-2:2009 standard for software identification (SWID) tags, becoming the largest vendor to date to do so and increasing the standard’s chances for broad adoption. SWID tags are XML files placed on devices where software is installed. They store information such as product title, version, and vendor in a standardized format. Broad adoption promises to increase the accuracy and reduce the overall burden of software inventorying. However, tags address just a portion of the overall license compliance challenge, and Microsoft has yet to elaborate which products will support tags, when, and to what extent.

Inconsistency Plagues Software Inventorying

Software inventorying is the process of detecting and tabulating what software is installed on devices such as desktop PCs, laptops, and servers. Besides playing a key role in IT functions such as patch management and deployment planning, software inventorying is a key enabler of software asset management (SAM), which entails translating software installations and usage patterns into licenses required, tracking license purchases and entitlements, and reconciling the two in an effort to assess license compliance.