Optimization Automation

Zluri is building an Optimization Automation module which allows you to periodically review and take action on underutilized licenses automatically without any manual intervention.

The below images depict how this feature is expected to work.

You can navigate to the optimization tab under applications.

It gives you a summary of total optimizable licenses ( Sum of undeprovisioned, unused, underused licenses), Estimated wastage of last month, Potential savings, & Relalized savings for the application.

Configurations

The optimizable licenses are identified based on the configuration that you choose to have in the settings tab. To detect unused licenses, you can select to have the configuration at 30/60/90 days since last use and to detect underused licenses. You can select to have configuration at 30/40/50 percent of usage.

You can also select which licenses and which accounts are to be optimized for which bucket. For example, you might not want to revoke a free license if it is not being used. However, you would want to revoke a free license if the user has left the organization.

Zluri will identify the unused & underused licenses based on these configurations and populate them in the dashboard.

You can also select an offboarding playbook for each of the 3 buckets. And pick with what frequency the playbook has to run to remove/downgrade the licenses of the users.

Slack Notification

A Slack notification to the admins can also be configured, which will send the list of optimizable licenses to the admin.

Playbooks & Actions:

A playbook is a set of actions that can be run on a single/set of users.

Automated Actions: 

With directly integrated applications, you can perform the actions directly in the application through APIs.

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Manual Tasks

Manual tasks are a workaround where no direct integration is available between the Zluri and the application or the application does not have relevant APIs. Here a mail/slack notification is triggered to the assignee of the task, and they can mark the task as completed. This task will also be available in the task dashboard.,

Custom HTTP Request:

A custom HTTP request can also be sent to an API and Webhook.

Jira Actions:

The task can be assigned to someone through Jira, and once the task is marked as completed, it will show up in Zluri.

Request to forego

You can also ask users whether they want to keep a license or let go of a license and, based on that, take action. The user receives a notification on Slack, and they can choose if they want to keep or forego a license. You can configure other actions based on the user’s response to the message. You will be able to see the user’s response on the platform.

App license optimization reports and data are valuable tools for organizations to manage their software licenses effectively, reduce costs, and ensure resources are used efficiently. Zluri offers an Optimization Automation module that streamlines the process of reviewing and acting on underutilized and unused licenses without manual intervention. In this guide, we will explain how to read these reports and how to utilize the insights they provide.

User Flow Steps

Understanding the Optimization Reports

Zluri's App Optimization feature provides you with a user-friendly interface to access and analyze license optimization data. To get started, follow these steps:

• Access the App Optimization Tab: 

1. Log in to your Zluri account,

2. navigate to your Application's Overview page, and 

3. click the Optimization tab.
   
   

• Summary Overview: 
  Within the App Optimization tab, you will find a summary that includes the following key metrics:
  
  

• Optimizable Licenses: This is the sum of 'undeprovisioned', 'unused', 'underused', and 'unassigned' licenses.

• Wastage: An estimate of the potential cost savings based on detected optimizable licenses.

• Potential Savings: You can achieve potential savings by optimizing licenses.

• Realized Savings: Actual cost savings achieved through previous optimizations.

• Configurations: Configurations to identify the required unused, underused, unassigned, and undeprovisioned licenses.

• Optimize Now:  The button opens a side tab displaying the list of users. You can select playbooks for multiple users and click 'Optimize' to run the playbooks for the selected users.

Configurations for License Optimization

Before diving into the details of the reports, it's essential to understand the configurations that determine how Zluri identifies 'undeprovisioned', 'unused', 'underused', and 'unassigned' licenses. 

To access 'Optimization Settings' for the App, click Configuration on the App. Next, the 'Optimization Settings' pop-up appears with configuration options for the application.

• Unused License Detection: Configure the period of inactivity to identify unused licenses (e.g., 30, 60, or 90 days since last use).

• Underused License Detection: Set the threshold for usage to detect underused licenses (e.g., 30%, 40%, or 50% of usage).

• Unassigned License Identification: Define the criteria to identify unassigned licenses, specifying which licenses have not been allocated to users.

• Undeprovisioned License Detection: Configure criteria to detect undeprovisioned licenses, which are licenses that have not been removed when users have left the organization.

• Customize License and Account Selection: Select which licenses and accounts you want to optimize based on your specific needs.

For instance, you may choose not to revoke a free license if it's not being used, but you would want to revoke it if the user has left the organization.

Onboarding Playbooks

You can configure onboarding playbooks for each license optimisation category (unused, underused, unassigned, and undeprovisioned licenses). A playbook consists of a set of actions that can be run on one or more users. Here's how to set up and configure onboarding playbooks:

1. Select Playbook Actions: 
   Choose actions that should be executed when optimizing licenses. These actions can be automated, manual, custom HTTP requests, or integrated with Jira.
   
   

2. Automated Actions: 
   If your application has direct integration with Zluri, you can perform actions directly through APIs.
   
   

3. Manual Tasks: 
   In cases where direct integration is unavailable, Zluri can trigger mail or Slack notifications to assignees who can mark tasks as completed. These tasks will be visible in the task dashboard.
   
   

4. Custom HTTP Request: 
   Send a custom HTTP request to an API or webhook for further actions.
   
   

5. Jira Actions: 
   Assign tasks to Jira, and completed tasks will be synchronized with Zluri.

6. Request to Forego: 
   Zluri can ask users whether they want to keep a license or release it based on their responses. You can configure actions based on their choices and monitor user responses in the platform.
   
   

7. Set Playbook Frequency: 
   Define how frequently each playbook should run to remove or downgrade licenses for users.

Slack Notifications

For scheduled playbooks for continuous optimisation, you can enable Slack notifications to inform administrators about the list of optimizable licenses. This helps keep the app users informed and engaged in the optimization process.

1. To enable Slack notifications, click Configuration to open 'Optimization Settings' pop-up, 

2. User the required category, click 'CONTINUOUS OPTIMIZATION' and make sure the 'Receive Notification' checkbox for 'via Slack' is checked.
   
   

Utilizing Optimization Reports

Once you've configured your settings and playbooks, you can utilize the insights from the optimization reports to take action:

• Identify Underutilized Licenses: Review the 'Optimizable Licenses' to see the number of licenses that can be optimized across all four categories.

• Estimate Potential Savings: Use the 'Wastage' to estimate the potential cost savings.

• Review Realized Savings: Check the 'Realized Savings' to see the actual cost savings achieved through previous optimizations.

• Execute Playbooks: Utilize the playbooks to take automated or manual actions on identified licenses, such as revoking, downgrading, reassigning, provisioning, or de-provisioning them based on the specific category.

• Monitor Results: Regularly review the optimization reports to track the impact of your actions and make necessary adjustments to configurations and playbooks.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. How can I address the "Optimizable Licenses" report?

The action prompted by this report is to review and categorize these licenses based on their optimization potential, which can involve reassignment, revocation, provisioning, or deprovisioning, depending on the specific category.

2. How can I address the "Wastage" report?

This report calls for setting up playbooks to take action on licenses that are identified as underutilized. Actions may include revoking licenses, downgrading subscriptions, or reassigning them to more active users.

3. How can I address the "Realized Savings" report?

This report calls for reviewing the success of past actions and using these insights to refine your future optimization strategies. You can learn from these savings to make data-driven decisions on how to manage licenses more effectively.

4. How can I address the "Undeprovisioned License" report?

Take actions to de-provision licenses for users who have left to avoid unnecessary costs. Automated actions or playbooks can be set up to streamline this process.

5. How can I track the impact of optimization actions over time?

You can track the impact of optimization actions by regularly reviewing the "Realized Savings" report and comparing it to previous months. This will help you understand the effectiveness of your actions and make necessary adjustments to achieve ongoing cost savings.

6. How can I receive App license optimization notifications through Slack?

To receive notifications via Slack for App license optimization, click Configuration and on the 'Optimization Settings' pop-up, make sure the 'Receive Notification' checkbox for 'via Slack' is checked.

You can now exclude certain users from Optimization using the ‘Optimization Inclusion’ option. This option will allow users to prevent optimization from running on specific roles or users.

You can add ‘Optimization Inclusion’ as a column under the App Users and Users table to exclude users. 

This column will not be available by default in the Main view. It can be added and saved as a Custom view.

Once added as a column, we will have four options available:

1. Exclude for Unused 

2. Exclude for Undeprovisioned

3. Exclude for all optimization

4. Include for Optimization

Users can select the type of optimization from where they want to exclude the users. Users will be Included for Optimization by default.

You can also bulk update the Optimization inclusion status of the users in the UI.

App Users

• If changes are made to this section for any user, the flag will be considered, and the changes will be effective only for this application.

Users table

• If changes are made in the Users section, the flag will be considered and changes will be effective for all the licenses assigned to the user for all applications.

Questions

1. If I exclude a user for Unused optimization, will it have any impact on the Undeprovisioned optimization for that user?

No, the user will still show in the undeprovisioned optimisation user list  if identified. The user will only be excluded for Unused optimization.

2. Will users be able to set exclusion separately for 30/60/90 days for Unused licenses?

No, selecting unused licenses will exclude it from unused licenses for 30, 60, or 90 days. You cannot select the days' criteria separately.

3. For Continuous Optimization, what happens to the past runs data?

There will be no changes to the past runs data. If a user was identified as optimizable before being excluded from optimization, past run data will still reflect their details. Changes will be effective from the next run onward.

4. What happens to Request to Forego Reminders/notification?

If a user is excluded from optimization after a Request to Forego notification or Reminder notification has been triggered, these reminders will continue to be sent as per the configured settings. 

The user will be excluded from future runs, but ongoing reminders will not be affected.

5. How are Scheduled/Future Continuous optimization runs impacted?

If an optimizable user is excluded from optimization, they will be excluded from all upcoming runs. Optimization rules and triggers will not apply to them.

6. Will I be able to update the Optimization inclusion status after redirecting from Optimization summary?

Yes, we can update the user’s Optimization Inclusion status when redirecting to the user list from the Optimization Summary for an app. These changes will apply only to the specific app and user(s) for whom the modifications are made. The updates will be visible in the UI after the next view refresh.

7. In the Users module, a user is Excluded for all Optimization but in App users (for a specific app), it is changed to only 'Unused licenses'.

1. What happens to the exclusion behavior in that app?

The changes made in the App users table for the specific user will take precedence and the user will be excluded for only Unused licenses optimization for that app.

2. What happens to the other apps where user is detected as Optimizable?

For the other apps, the user will continue to be considered as ‘Excluded for all Optimization’. No changes.

3. What happens if I make changes again to the Optimization Inclusion status for the user at the User level after updating at the App level?

If changes are again made to the optimization inclusion status at the User level, it will override the status at the App level (the latest status will be taken into consideration).

The status set at the User level will reflect at the App user level and it will be applicable for all the user apps. 

8. If a new app is detected and a user is part of that app, how will the behaviour work?

If a new app is detected and the user is part of that app, then the status set at the User level will be considered for the app. If there’s no specific status set at the User level, then the user will be considered Included for Optimization by default.

9. Will the savings data be automatically updated once changes are made to the Inclusion status?

Yes, the potential and realized savings data will be updated based on the Optimization inclusion status set and will reflect in the UI once the views are refreshed.