Software Asset Management Program

Eracent IT Management Center (ITMC) is a Software Asset Management tool that collects the hardware configuration and software inventory from computer devices to support life cycle management, software compliance, deliver data to IT, other business initiatives, and financial management programs, and support informed decisions about sourcing and funding.

Eracent ITMC is a key component of OIT’s Software Asset Management program which aims to optimize the university’s software investments and minimize potential compliance risks related to deploying and using software. ITMC’s data and compliance reporting enables SAM to identify opportunities to consolidate software titles, reclaim or share unused licenses, and react to compliance risks. Eracent ITMC also supports the Secure Computing Standards for Computers policy by providing the means to, “Gather and send hardware and software information to central inventory for vulnerability tracking, network identification, and audit preparedness.”

For maximum effectiveness, a software asset management tool needs to have full visibility of an organization’s computing environment, including servers and desktops. This is important to identify opportunities for license reuse, cross departmental sharing, and campus compliance. Therefore, OIT’s strategy is to have the Eracent ITMC agent installed on every university owned computer. Understanding that some computers operate in secure environments or hold sensitive data, the ITMC installed agent is configured to send and receive encrypted information only from an on-campus collection server that is operated by OIT.

The Eracent ITMC application is already running in the OIT datacenter, and a data collection server is set up to communicate with the ITMC agent. OIT is planning a phased rollout of the agent, beginning with its own computers. Once the agent’s deployment and operation are verified and the ITMC application is configured to analyze the software commonly deployed on campus, OIT will continue rolling out the agent to campus computers to support the Secure Computing Standards for Computers policy.

After the ITMC agent is installed on the computer, it runs a full hardware and software inventory and sends the data encrypted to an on-campus collector server which passes the information on to the ITMC server where it is stored. After the initial inventory, the agent analyzes changes to the computer’s configuration and updates ITMC when changes are detected.

The information is used to help OIT support the lifecycle of your computer (e.g., is it time to replace your computer) and to confirm that your software is updated and properly licensed. By knowing where software is deployed, OIT can compare the inventory against purchase records to identify either surplus licenses that can be reused elsewhere, avoiding new purchases, or a shortage of licenses, allowing OIT to address the issue before it becomes a university liability.

No, the ITMC agent will not monitor web browsing or similar activities on your computer, its function is to report your computer’s hardware and software inventory.

The installation and daily operation of the Eracent ITMC client should be completely transparent to you. The client uses very little of your computer’s resources so it shouldn’t interfere with other software that is running.

If you believe that the Eracent ITMC client may be causing problems with your computer, you should contact your local IT support team or the IT Service Center.

Any software installed on your computer can be a security risk. However, OIT has taken precautions to ensure that the ITMC application and client operate within the standards set by the OIT IT Security team. These actions include operating the Eracent application completely within the on-campus network and allowing the client to send or receive information only if your computer is connected to the secure Cisco AnyConnect VPN.