Use software metering in Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager 2012 to monitor and collect software usage data on Configuration Manager 2012 clients.
To collect this usage data, configure software metering rules or allow these rules to be automatically generated by using Configuration Manager 2012 inventory. The software metering client agent on Configuration Manager 2012 client computers evaluates these rules and collects metering data to send to the site. The client continues to collect usage data when there is no connection to the Configuration Manager 2012 site and sends this information when the connection is re-established.
After you collect usage data from Configuration Manager 2012 clients, you can view the data in different ways, which includes using collections, queries, and reporting. This data, combined with data from software inventory, can help your organization to determine the following:
- How many copies of a particular software
program have been deployed to the computers in your organization.
Among those computers, you can determine how many users actually
run the program.
- How many licenses of a particular software
program you need to purchase when you renew your license agreement
with the software vendor.
- Whether users are still running a particular
software program. If the program is not being used, you might
consider retiring the program.
- Which times of the day a software program is
most frequently used.