SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR SOFTWARE ALLOCATION BASED ON FORECASTS AND CALENDARS

• US 20140052610A1
• Filed: 08/15/2012
• Published: 02/20/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/15/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Aggarwal, Vijay K., Herger, Lorraine M., McCarthy, Matthew A., Pickover, Clifford A.
• Granted Patent: US 10,592,887 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/39
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/00 Security arrangements for protecting computers, components thereof, programs or data against unauthorised activity
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/105 Arrangements for software license management or administration, e.g. for managing licenses at corporate level
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/22 Payment schemes or models

Abstract

Systems and methods provide at least one software application to users from a software monitor computer server. The software application requires a license grant for use. The software monitor computer server tracks usage of the software application to develop historical use patterns. The software monitor computer server also receives calendar input from electronic calendars of the users and analyzing the calendar input to identify future calendared uses of the software application. This allows the software monitor computer server to predict the future license grant needs of the software application based on the historical use patterns and the future calendared uses of the software application. The software monitor computer server also provides substitute software applications to the users when an insufficient number of license grants are available to meet the future calendared uses of the software application.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

providing a software application to users from a software monitor computer server, said software application requiring a license grant for use;

tracking, by said software monitor computer server, usage of said software application to develop historical use patterns;

receiving, by said software monitor computer server, calendar input from electronic calendars of said users;

analyzing, by said software monitor computer server, said calendar input to identify future calendared uses of said software application; and

predicting, by said software monitor computer server, future license grant needs of said software application based on said historical use patterns and said future calendared uses of said software application.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising obtaining, by said software monitor computer server, a number of license grants for said software application corresponding to said future license grant needs.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising obtaining, by said software monitor computer server, a number of license grants for said software application corresponding to a maximum number of users predicted to simultaneously use said software application based on said future license grant needs.

4. The method according to claim 1, said future grant license needs comprising a schedule of future times and dates when said users are predicted use said software application.

5. The method according to claim 1, said obtaining comprising providing payment to a software vendor for said license grants.

6. The method according to claim 1, said users comprising computerized devices separate from said software monitor computer server operated by different individuals, said users being operatively connected to said software monitor computer server.

7. A method comprising:

providing a software application to users from a software monitor computer server, said software application requiring a license grant for use;

tracking, by said software monitor computer server, usage of said software application to develop historical use patterns;

receiving, by said software monitor computer server, calendar input from electronic calendars of said users;

analyzing, by said software monitor computer server, said calendar input to identify future calendared uses of said software application;

predicting, by said software monitor computer server, future license grant needs of said software application based on said historical use patterns and said future calendared uses of said software application; and

providing, by said software monitor computer server, substitute software applications to said users when an insufficient number of license grants are available to meet said future calendared uses of said software application.

8. The method according to claim 7, further comprising obtaining, by said software monitor computer server, a number of license grants for said software application corresponding to said future license grant needs.

9. The method according to claim 7, further comprising obtaining, by said software monitor computer server, a number of license grants for said software application corresponding to a maximum number of users predicted to simultaneously use said software application based on said future license grant needs.

10. The method according to claim 7, said future grant license needs comprising a schedule of future times and dates when said users are predicted use said software application.

11. The method according to claim 7, said obtaining comprising providing payment to a software vendor for said license grants.

12. The method according to claim 7, said users comprising computerized devices separate from said software monitor computer server operated by different individuals, said users being operatively connected to said software monitor computer server.

13. A method comprising:

providing a software application to users from a software monitor computer server, said software application requiring a license grant for use;

tracking, by said software monitor computer server, usage of said software application to develop historical use patterns;

tracking, by said software monitor computer server, network communication speeds of a network connecting said software monitor computer server and said users to develop historical network speed patterns;

receiving, by said software monitor computer server, calendar input from electronic calendars of said users;

analyzing, by said software monitor computer server, said calendar input to identify future calendared uses of said software application;

analyzing, by said software monitor computer server, said historical network speed patterns to predict future network speed patterns;

adjusting said future calendared uses to accommodate said predicted network speed patterns to produce adjusted future calendared uses; and

predicting, by said software monitor computer server, future license grant needs of said software application based on said historical use patterns and said adjusted future calendared uses of said software application.

14. The method according to claim 13, further comprising obtaining, by said software monitor computer server, a number of license grants for said software application corresponding to said future license grant needs.

15. The method according to claim 13, further comprising obtaining, by said software monitor computer server, a number of license grants for said software application corresponding to a maximum number of users predicted to simultaneously use said software application based on said future license grant needs.

16. The method according to claim 13, said future grant license needs comprising a schedule of future times and dates when said users are predicted use said software application.

17. The method according to claim 13, said obtaining comprising providing payment to a software vendor for said license grants.

18. The method according to claim 13, said users comprising computerized devices separate from said software monitor computer server operated by different individuals, said users being operatively connected to said software monitor computer server.

19. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium readable by a computerized device, said non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing instructions executable by said computerized device to perform a method comprising:

method comprising;

providing a software application to users from a software monitor computer server, said software application requiring a license grant for each use by each of said users;

tracking, by said software monitor computer server, usage of said software application to develop historical use patterns;

receiving, by said software monitor computer server, calendar input from electronic calendars of said users;

analyzing, by said software monitor computer server, said calendar input to identify future calendared uses of said software application; and

predicting, by said software monitor computer server, future license grant needs of said software application based on said historical use patterns and said future calendared uses of said software application.

20. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium according to claim 19, further comprising obtaining, by said software monitor computer server, a number of license grants for said software application corresponding to said future license grant needs.

21. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium according to claim 19, further comprising obtaining, by said software monitor computer server, a number of license grants for said software application corresponding to a maximum number of users predicted to simultaneously use said software application based on said future license grant needs.

22. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium according to claim 19, said future grant license needs comprising a schedule of future times and dates when said users are predicted use said software application.

23. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium according to claim 19, said obtaining comprising providing payment to a software vendor for said license grants.

24. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium according to claim 19, said users comprising computerized devices separate from said software monitor computer server operated by different individuals, said users being operatively connected to said software monitor computer server.

25. A method comprising:

providing a software application to users from a software monitor computer server, said software application requiring a license grant for use;

tracking, by said software monitor computer server, usage of said software application to develop historical use patterns;

tracking, by said software monitor computer server, network communication speeds of a network connecting said software monitor computer server and said users to develop historical network speed patterns;

receiving, by said software monitor computer server, calendar input from electronic calendars of said users;

analyzing, by said software monitor computer server, said calendar input to identify future calendared uses of said software application;

analyzing, by said software monitor computer server, said historical network speed patterns to predict future network speed patterns;

adjusting said future calendared uses to accommodate said predicted network speed patterns to produce adjusted future calendared uses;

predicting, by said software monitor computer server, future license grant needs of said software application based on said historical use patterns and said adjusted future calendared uses of said software application;

planning to provide, by said software monitor computer server, substitute software applications to said users when an insufficient number of license grants are available to meet said future license grant needs of said software application.