OpenLM

500 Autodesk licenses purchased. How many are actually open?

Most IT and SAM teams can answer the first question instantly — but rarely the second. That gap between licenses owned and licenses understood is where software budgets go up.

License usage visibility isn't a reporting exercise. It's the foundation of every decision around software spend: what to renew, what to cut, and how to allocate access before engineers start queuing for tools.

This blog breaks down what real visibility looks like, what it costs to operate without it, and how to build a data-driven case before the next renewal conversation.

Why license usage visibility matters — and how to achieve it 🔗 https://www.openlm.com/blog/license-usage-visibility/

Are your software licenses actually being used — or just being held?
In many environments, licenses get checked out and left idle for hours. Meanwhile, other engineers are stuck waiting, workflows slow down, and productivity drops. The cost stays the same regardless.

License Harvesting automatically detects idle sessions and returns those licenses back to the pool in real time.

Drop a 🙋 if your team has ever been stuck waiting on a license that someone left open and walked away from . Explore the full feature here 👉 https://www.openlm.com/features/license-harvesting/

A question for IT and operations professionals across engineering, energy, defense, and creative industries — if you could fix one thing about software licensing at your organization tomorrow, what would it be?

Whether you're managing CAD tools at an automotive firm, simulation licenses at a defense contractor, or creative suites at an animation studio — the licensing complexity is real.

Vote below and share your answer in the comments. Every industry has a different answer, and we'd love to hear yours. 👇

If you could fix one software licensing problem at your org tomorrow, what would it be?

🔍 No visibility into who's actually using licenses
💸 Too many unused licenses eating up budget
🚨 Constant denials blocking engineers mid-work
📋 Compliance gaps & audit risk keeping us up at night