OpenIT

Open iT, Incorporated

Meter IT, Optimize IT!
Type	Private
Industry	Computer software
Founded	1999
Founder(s)	Eistein Fosli
Headquarters	Houston, TX, USA
Number of locations	4 (2011)
Area served	North America, South America, Europe, and Asia.
Products	Reporting Server, Analysis Server
Owner(s)	Employees hold more than 60% of the shares in the company.
Employees	54 (2011)
Website	www.openit.com

Open iT, Incorporated is an independent software vendor that specializes in metering, analyzing, and optimizing usage of critical IT assets. It was founded in 1999 by Eistein Fosli, who obtained his Masters of Science in Information Technology from the University of Oslo.

Open iT originally started in Oslo, Norway, and has offices in Houston (Texas), Oslo and Stavanger (Norway), and Lucena City (Philippines). The company’s main operations are in North America, South America, Europe, and Asia.

Products

Open iT’s products were envisioned to create better IT metering tools, particularly in the area of Software License Management. The company’s products have now become an established standard for usage metering, competence planning, and cost allocation management.

Open iT software meters and reports on how individuals or groups use applications, servers, storage, databases, and services across an enterprise. Web-based reports document usage and identify when resources have been over- or under-purchased. The generated reports can also be used to assist in planning and auditing IT expenditures.

Modules

The Open iT Software Suite has 6 modules. These are LicenseAnalyzer, LicenseOptimizer, ApplicationTracker, SystemAnalyzer, StorageAnalyzer, and UsageAnalyzer.

LicenseAnalyzer

Open iT LicenseAnalyzer is a software tool used for managing software licenses. This module provides an enterprise-wide view of software license usage, allowing companies to align purchases and maintenance with user needs. Some of this module’s primary functions include the following:

• builds information about trends and usage patterns across an organization
• meters license usage across an enterprise
• optimizes deployment of expensive license resources
• minimizes the cost of purchasing licenses

LicenseOptimizer

Open iT LicenseOptimizer monitors several applications’ activity levels on Windows, UNIX, and Linux platforms. Some of this module’s primary functions include the following:

• optimizes license usage by disabling unused applications
• disables and recalls licenses for others to use
• allows a license to be reinstated into the program when a license becomes available

ApplicationTracker

Open iT ApplicationTracker monitors several applications’ activity levels of Windows, Unix and Linux platforms, enabling comprehensive reporting of active/inactive software usage independent of licensing methods.

Technically, ApplicationTracker is a subset of LicenseOptimizer. It allows users to record an application’s activity conditions without using LicenseOptimizer’s methods for automatic license and application management.

SystemAnalyzer

Open iT SystemAnalyzer is a software module for those who require better control of their software and hardware resources. Some of this module’s primary functions include the following:

• provides necessary computer usage statistics, e.g. what applications are running, how long an application is running, who is running the application (user), and what the application’s host(s) is/are.

StorageAnalyzer

Open iT StorageAnalyzer delivers an overview of disk and backup data so managers can improve data storage management. Some of this module’s primary functions include the following:

• provides valuable information about disk usage
• shows how full each device is
• delivers storage trend reports
• plans storage management
• enables the accounting of NetApp files’ setup and use of quotas

UsageAnalyzer

Open iT UsageAnalyzer tracks each user’s keyboard and mouse activities enabling personalized user training. Some of this module’s primary functions include the following:

• collects data on keyboard and mouse activities
• provides information on whether an application is really being used or just kept open
• helps analyze an application based on its User Interface components

Development

Open iT Software Suite supports almost all Windows and UNIX platforms. These include AIX (Advanced Interactive eXecutive), Solaris, HP-UX, IRIX, Linux, Digital UNIX, Windows NT, Windows 2000, Windows Server, Windows XP, and Windows 7.

Supported 3rd Party Programs

Open iT Software Suite supports several third-party programs. These include IBM Tivoli Storage Manager (TSM), IBM-LUM, FlexNet (FLEXlm) License Manager, Elan, Sentinel RMS, Reprise, Abaqus License Manager, Oracle Database, Sybase, Sun Grid Engine (SGE), Portable Batch System (PBS), and Netapp.

Clients

Most of Open iT’s customers are listed Fortune Global 500 companies. These include Marathon Oil Corporation, BHP Billiton, Statoil, ConocoPhillips, Oshkosh Corporation, Goodrich Corporation, Mazda Motor Corporation, Shell Oil Company, Maersk Oil, Seagate Technology, Calsonic Kansei, El Paso, Plains Exploration & Production, Avio, Landmark Graphics Corporation/Halliburton, Anadarko Petroleum Corporation, Autoliv, Cairn Energy, Pemex, Elpida Memory, Nexen, Newfield Exploration, Ecopetrol, TNK-BP, Lockheed Martin/US ArmyARL, Pluspetrol, HighMount, Woodside Petroleum, and Mitsubishi.

See also

• Software Asset Management
• IT Asset Management

References

• Hoffman, T (2006). "Squeezing Dollars from Maintenance", http://www.computerworld.com.au/article/171131/squeezing_dollars_from_maintenance/?pp=3
• Kristiansen, T (2010)."Lean and Green IT", http://www.itassetmanagement.net/2010/05/06/lean-green/
• Kristiansen, T (2010)."Six Strategies for Sustainable IT", http://www.itassetmanagement.net/2010/11/18/strategies-sustainable-it/
• Stenseth, Signe Marie (2009). "Cost Optimization Programs in Software Asset Management",
• Society of Petroleum Engineers, http://www.onepetro.org/mslib/servlet/onepetropreview?id=SPE-123357-MS&soc=SPE

External links

• Open iT Official Website