Workflow Manager 2016
Edition • This feature is available for users who have purchased Workflow Manager in conjunction with the FlexNet Manager Suite.
Software is now used ubiquitously throughout the workplace, and the installation and usage of applications varies constantly and rapidly. Moreover, software vendors are ever more insistent that use of their applications complies with the licensing agreements they have in place. Increasingly, enterprises are looking for a way to compile data from many different business systems, while also dynamically tracking and monitoring the use of hardware assets.
FlexNet Manager Suite forms the cornerstone of your IT compliance initiative. It integrates with strategic business systems to reconcile the software you own against what is installed and used, on what hardware, and subject to what contracts and agreements. This allows you to optimize your software investment and ensure enterprise-wide license compliance. For more information about FlexNet Manager Suite, refer to the FlexNet Manager Suite Operations Guide.
What is a FlexNet Manager Suite Workflow?
FlexNet Manager Suite is a complex product, which frequently offers you a number of different ways to perform your daily work. In some cases, it might be of benefit if there was a known method for you to follow to achieve a goal, so that you can guarantee a reliable outcome. A Workflow Manager workflow is precisely that - it is an ordered series of steps, grouped into phases, that a person using Workflow Manager follows to complete a task. Because the phases and steps are defined using a template, workflows are completely configurable by an administrator of Workflow Manager. And as a workflow can be set up to manipulate most of the common entities in FlexNet Manager Suite (such as contracts, end-users, computers, and so on), you should find it possible to define workflows for all of the major processes in your company.
Consider the following scenario. Sally is a salesperson in your organization. She owns both a desktop computer and a laptop, and would like to install an expensive piece of software, SalesPro, on her laptop, which she will need to present her sales pitch at client sites. She sends a request through to Lucy, the license manager, specifying the software that she needs and why she needs it. Lucy logs in to FlexNet Manager Suite and checks the available licenses for SalesPro, discovering they are all assigned to other employees. However, she also notices that one of the other salespeople, Sam, has not used SalesPro for several months. Lucy decides to ask Sam if she can harvest his license and assign it to Sally, rather than needing to purchase an extra entitlement. Sam realizes that his role in the company has changed in recent months to be less client-facing, so he tells Lucy to go ahead. Lucy then contacts Colin, the configuration manager, passing on Sam’s license key and asking him to transfer the installation to Sally’s laptop. Once Colin is done, he informs Lucy, who ensures that the SalesPro license now correctly records Sally’s installation in FlexNet Manager Suite.
This process is one that will be repeated many times throughout your enterprise, particularly if you employ a large number of people. As you can see, a significant amount of manual intervention is required, to find the relevant information in FlexNet Manager Suite and ensure all people involved are notified and complete their assignments. Using Workflow Manager, you can create a software request workflow template to model this process. Then, whenever an employee submits a new software request, each person in the chain knows at a glance what he or she should be doing, and will be automatically notified by email when new actions are required. As each person completes their tasks, Workflow Manager routes the software request on to the next step in the process, improving efficiency while ensuring that no step is overlooked.
See Also
Workflow Manager 2016 / AdminStudio Enterprise Server 2016 Help Library12 July 2016 |
Copyright Information | Flexera Software |