License Entitlement Optimization for Cost Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional distribution systems face challenges in optimizing license entitlement assignments due to ambiguity in license types and frequent changes in usage constraints, leading to impractical cost management for organizations accessing electronic resources.
Innovation Solution
An access permission system that employs a provisioning optimization technique to determine the optimal combination of access permissions, such as instance-based and user-based licenses, to minimize total costs by generating lists of instances and users to be provisioned, thereby efficiently managing access requests.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If conventional distribution systems process millions of consumption demand requests with multiple license types, then the system can handle high volume requests, but the ability to optimize license entitlement assignments deteriorates due to ambiguity and frequent changes in usage constraints
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the license entitlement assignment problem into distinct components: consumption demand requests are processed individually, and license types are categorized (instance-based vs. user-based). This segmentation allows the system to handle high volumes of requests while applying specific optimization logic to each segment, resolving the contradiction between processing volume and optimization capability
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically changes parameters based on usage constraints and agreement terms. When usage constraints or agreement terms change, the system adjusts the optimization criteria and re-evaluates license assignments. This parameter flexibility enables the system to maintain optimization effectiveness despite frequent changes in usage patterns and agreement terms
2Adaptability or versatility
If organizations provision multiple license types to cover various usage scenarios, then the system provides greater flexibility and coverage, but the cost management and optimization exercise becomes impractical due to the large number of possibilities
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by pre-establishing agreement terms, usage constraints, and optimization criteria before consumption demands arise. License entitlements are pre-configured with their characteristics and cost structures. This preliminary setup enables rapid automated optimization when requests come in, eliminating the need for time-consuming manual optimization exercises while maintaining flexibility across multiple license types
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements self-service automation where the distribution system automatically performs the optimization exercise by evaluating consumption demands against pre-configured license options and agreement terms. This automated self-service approach handles the complexity of multiple license type combinations without requiring human intervention, resolving the contradiction between versatility and optimization time
3Reliability
If the system assigns license entitlements based on multiple possible variations and types, then the system provides comprehensive coverage for all usage scenarios, but the cost effectiveness deteriorates due to inability to optimize assignments
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements feedback mechanisms where consumption demand requests provide information about actual usage patterns, and this feedback is used to continuously optimize license entitlement assignments. The system monitors which license types are being consumed and adjusts assignments to achieve cost effectiveness while maintaining complete coverage. This feedback loop ensures both comprehensive coverage and optimal cost utilization
Data Source
AI summary
The disclosure is directed to an access permission system that manages provisioning of access to an electronic resource through various types of access permissions. The access permission system provisions access by provisioning a license entitlement of a specified type. A provisioning optimization technique determines a combination of different types of license entitlements to be provisioned according to an optimization criterion associated with an attribute of a license entitlement. For example, the optimization criterion can based on a “unit cost” associated with a license entitlement, and the provisioning optimization technique can determine various types of license entitlements to be obtained (and therefore to be provisioned) in order to minimize a total cost of the license incurred in satisfying the consumption demand requests.