Transforming Software Management in Higher Education with LabStats

November 16, 2024 |  Budget, Data, Track Usage
2 min

With accurate software usage data, IT teams can optimize licensing, streamline operations, and significantly reduce costs.

Software renewals are notoriously challenging in higher education, often involving labor-intensive processes and substantial expenses. High-demand programs like SPSS, Mathematica, AutoCAD, and Adobe further complicate this landscape due to fluctuating needs and frequent requests from faculty and students. As a result, many IT leaders default to site-wide licenses—an approach that often overspends without truly meeting demand.

It’s time to shift this paradigm. With accurate software usage data, IT teams can optimize licensing, streamline operations, and significantly reduce costs. LabStats empowers universities to take a data-driven approach, offering actionable insights that transform software management in higher education.

Harnessing LabStats for Smarter Software Management

LabStats enables institutions to:

  • Evaluate software usage both in real time and across historical trends.
  • Reduce waste by identifying underutilized licenses.
  • Make informed decisions for contract renewals.

Here are some key strategies for improving software licensing and deployment using LabStats.

1. Conduct Regular License Audits

Periodic license audits are essential to avoid over-purchasing and underutilizing software. LabStats simplifies this process by providing detailed reports and Power BI dashboard templates to track trends in software usage.

Key Metrics to Analyze:

  • Max Concurrent Usage: The peak number of simultaneous users for a particular software.
    • Low Usage: When the max concurrent usage is significantly below the total licenses, reduce the number of licenses to free up budget resources.
    • High Usage: If usage consistently approaches total licenses, dig deeper into specific labs and classrooms to identify high-demand areas.
  • Usage Concentration: When high usage is limited to certain labs or machines, use LabStats tools like LabMaps or the Remote Access Dashboard to direct users to underutilized resources.

2. Virtualize Low-Usage Software

For applications with minimal usage or high resource requirements, virtualization is a cost-effective alternative to individual installations.

Virtualizing software:

  • Reduces maintenance and deployment costs.
  • Ensures accessibility for students and faculty without requiring physical installations.

For example, IT teams can confidently justify reducing software installations to department heads by ensuring that resources remain available through virtualization.

3. Enhance Application Discoverability

Optimizing software distribution must be paired with tools that help students and faculty find the software they need, when and where they need it.

LabStats Tools for Discoverability:

  • LabMaps: Show real-time availability of software and hardware across campus.
  • Remote Access Dashboard: Allow users to connect to virtualized resources or less-utilized labs remotely.
  • Custom Apps: Use LabStats’ expanded API endpoints to integrate navigation tools into your institution’s mobile app, providing seamless access to resources.

4. Prepare for Software Renewal Negotiations

LabStats data equips IT teams with the insights needed to negotiate favorable contracts. By presenting usage trends, institutions can secure terms that better align with actual needs.

Ready to Optimize Your Software Management?

LabStats doesn’t just provide data—it empowers institutions to act on it. Start with a free trial and discover how LabStats can revolutionize your approach to software licensing and deployment.


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