11.0.2 License type and software category

This topic lists down all license types and software categories that are available under reports, such as Software Classification, Products & Metrics, and Software Installations. Using License Type option, you can track the software installations and categorize them according to the license type. Software Category and Software Subcategory allows you to group similar software components together. The categories are mentioned here.

Note: The data is powered by AI, which is then manually corrected to achieve an accuracy of about 90%. BigFix Inventory has manually verified the accuracy of the data with vendor data and corrected discrepancies. Any comments or recommendations are welcome.

License Type

License Type is a column or filter available in different reports. The column allows you to sort the licenses associated with software products, which further helps in tracking the licensing compliance and optimizing license usage.
Note: License Type column is shown by default in Software Classification and Products & Metrics reports. In Software Installations report, the License Type column is not default. You can select the column from the 'Configure View' dialog box.

In BigFix Inventory, license types are categories as follows:

  1. Proprietary Software

    Software that is owned by an individual or company and is protected by copyright. Users usually need to purchase a license to use the software and do not have access to the source code.

    Examples: Microsoft Office, Adobe PhotoShop, Autodesk AutoCAD etc.

  2. Freeware and Open-Source Software (FOSS)

    Software that is licensed in a way that allows users to use, modify, and distribute the software and its source code freely.

    Examples: Linux operating system, Visual Studio Code, Mozilla Firefox web browser, LibreOffice suite, Git etc.

  3. Shareware

    Software that is initially shared by the owner for trial use at little or no cost. Often the software has limited functionality or incomplete documentation until the user sends payment to the software developer. It should have different packaging and installation media than the commercial version and/or it should be registered in the operating system under a distinct name that indicates that this is a shareware version.

    Examples: Norton Antivirus software, CorelDRAW graphics editor, McAfee Antivirus software etc.

Software Category

A software category refers to the classification of software components within the catalog, making it easier to understand the nature and purpose of installed software. This categorization helps with organizing and reporting on the types of software in use.

Note: The Software Category and Software Subcategory columns are shown by default in the Software Installations and Software Components reports. In Software Classification report, the Software Category and Software Subcategory columns are not default. You can select the columns from the 'Configure View' dialog box.
In BigFix Inventory, there are the following software categories:
  1. Operating System: Software that manages computer hardware and provides basic services like memory management and file handling.

    Examples: Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, and Android etc.

  2. Productivity software Software that help users with everyday tasks like creating documents, presentations, spreadsheets, etc.

    Examples: Microsoft Word, Google Docs, Microsoft Excel, LibreOffice Calc, Microsoft PowerPoint, Google Slides etc. The examples are further categorized as follows:

    • Document Processing Software: Microsoft Word, Google Docs, LibreOffice Writer
    • Spreadsheet Software: Microsoft Excel, Google Sheets, LibreOffice Calc
    • Presentation Software: Microsoft PowerPoint, Google Slides, LibreOffice Impress
    • Note-taking Software: Evernote, OneNote, Simplenote
    • Task Management Software: Trello, Asana, Todoist
    • Time Management Software: RescueTime, Harvest, Toggl
    • PDF Editing Software: Adobe Acrobat, Foxit PhantomPDF, Nitro Pro
    • Desktop Publishing Software: Adobe InDesign, Microsoft Publisher, Scribus
    • Personal Information Management (PIM) Software: Microsoft Outlook, Mozilla Thunderbird, AnyTime Organizer
    • Mind Mapping and Brainstorming Software: MindMeister, XMind, FreeMind
  3. Network and Security Software: Software designed to protect systems and data from threats, including antivirus software, firewalls, and encryption tools.

    Examples: McAfee Antivirus, BitLocker, Norton 360, Kaspersky Internet Security, OpenVPN, ExpressVPN etc. The examples are further categorized as follows:

    • Antivirus Software: McAfee Antivirus, Norton Antivirus, Kaspersky Antivirus, Avast Antivirus
    • Firewall Software: Windows Defender Firewall, McAfee Firewall, Norton Firewall, ZoneAlarm
    • Virtual Private Network (VPN) Software: ExpressVPN, OpenVPN, NordVPN, CyberGhost VPN
    • Encryption Software: BitLocker, Veracrypt, TrueCrypt, FileVault
    • Intrusion Detection and Prevention Systems (IDPS): Snort, Suricata, OSSEC, Cisco IPS
    • Network Security Scanner Software: Nmap, Nessus, OpenVAS, Qualys
    • Password Management Software: LastPass, 1Password, KeePass, Dashlane
    • Endpoint Security Software: Carbon Black, CrowdStrike Falcon, Microsoft Defender Advanced Threat Protection
    • Secure Erase and Data Destruction Software: DBAN, KillDisk, Eraser, WipeFile
    • Network Monitoring and Management Software: Nagios, SolarWinds, PRTG Network Monitor, Wireshark
    • Identity and Access Management (IAM) Software: Okta, Auth0, Microsoft Azure Active Directory, Google Identity Platform
    • Penetration Testing and Vulnerability Assessment Software: Metasploit, Burp Suite, ZAP, Core Impact
  4. Internet and Communication Software: Software used to browse the web and to communicate.

    Examples: Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Microsoft Edge, WhatsApp, Telegram, Skype, Slack, Microsoft Outlook etc. The examples are further categorized as follows:

    • Web Browsers: Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Microsoft Edge, Safari
    • Instant Messaging (IM) Software: WhatsApp, Telegram, Facebook Messenger, Signal
    • Video Conferencing Software Skype, Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams
    • Email Clients: Microsoft Outlook, Mozilla Thunderbird, Apple Mail, Gmail
    • Social Media Software: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram
    • Online Meeting and Collaboration Software Slack, Microsoft Teams, Asana, Trello
    • Content Management System (CMS) Software: WordPress, Blogger, Medium, Ghost
  5. Development Software: Software used by developers to create, debug, maintain, and support other software.

    Examples: Visual Studio, IntelliJ IDEA, Git, Maven, Gradle, Postman, Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio, MySQL Workbench, Docker etc. The examples are further categorized as follows:

    • Integrated Development Environments (IDEs): Visual Studio, IntelliJ IDEA, Eclipse, NetBeans
    • Version Control Systems: Git, Subversion, Mercurial, Perforce
    • Build Automation Tools: Maven, Gradle, Ant, Make
    • Debugging and Profiling Tools: GDB, LLDB, Valgrind, Visual Studio Debugger
    • API Design and Testing Tools: Postman, Swagger, SoapUI, API Gateway
    • Database Management Systems: Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio, MySQL Workbench, Oracle Enterprise Manager
    • Containerization and Virtualization Tools: Docker, Kubernetes, VirtualBox, VMware
    • Code Review and Collaboration Tools: GitHub, Bitbucket, GitLab, Crucible
    • Testing and Quality Assurance Tools: JUnit, TestNG, Selenium, Appium
    • Agile Project Management Tools: Jira, Trello, Asana, Microsoft Teams
    • Cloud Development Platforms: AWS Cloud9, Google Cloud Shell, Microsoft Azure DevOps, Heroku
  6. Entertainment Software: Software designed for entertainment purposes like Video games, media players etc.

    Examples: Windows Media Player, Prime Video, Netflix, Minecraft, FIFA etc.

  7. Business Software: Applications used for business operations, such as accounting software, CRM (Customer Relationship Management), ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning), and Human Resource Management (HRM)

    Examples: Salesforce, Oracle ERP Cloud, SAP ERP, Zoho CRM, Workday, Power BI, and Tableau etc. The examples are further categorized as follows:

    • Accounting and Financial Management Software: QuickBooks, Xero, SAP Financial Management, Oracle Financial Management
    • Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Software: Salesforce, Zoho CRM, HubSpot CRM, Microsoft Dynamics 365
    • Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Software: SAP ERP, Oracle ERP Cloud, Microsoft Dynamics 365, Infor ERP
    • Human Resource Management (HRM) Software: Workday, BambooHR, ADP Workforce Now, Oracle HCM Cloud
    • Business Intelligence (BI) and Analytics Software: Power BI, Tableau, QlikView, SAP BusinessObjects
    • Supply Chain Management (SCM) Software: SAP SCM, Oracle SCM Cloud, Manhattan Associates, JDA Software
    • Marketing Automation Software: Marketo, Pardot, HubSpot Marketing, Adobe Campaign
    • Project Management Software: Asana, Trello, Microsoft Project, Jira
    • Time Tracking and Attendance Software: Harvest, Toggl, Time Doctor, ADP Time and Attendance
    • E-commerce Software: Shopify, Magento, WooCommerce, BigCommerce
    • Business Process Management (BPM) Software: Pega BPM, Appian BPM, IBM BPM, Oracle BPM
    • Compliance and Risk Management Software: Thomson Reuters Compliance, Wolters Kluwer Compliance, SAP GRC, Oracle GRC
  8. Graphics and Multimedia: Software used for creating and editing images, videos, and other multimedia content.

    Examples: Adobe Premiere Pro, Final Cut Pro, Adobe Illustrator, Inkscape, Adobe Audition, GarageBand etc.

  9. Utility Software: Software to optimize, maintain, and manage computer systems and their resources.

    Examples: WinRAR, 7-Zip, Total Commander, CCleaner, EaseUS Partition Master, WinMerge, DiffMerge etc.

  10. Middleware: Middleware software acts as an intermediary layer between different applications, systems, or services, enabling them to communicate, exchange data, and facilitate transactions.

    Examples:

    • Message-Oriented Middleware (MOM): Apache Kafka, RabbitMQ, IBM MQ
    • Enterprise Service Bus (ESB): Apache Camel, Mule ESB, Oracle ESB
    • Transaction Processing Monitors: IBM CICS, Oracle Tuxedo, Microsoft Transaction Server
    • Web Servers: Apache Tomcat, Microsoft IIS, Nginx
    • Application Servers: IBM WebSphere, Oracle WebLogic, JBoss EAP
    • Data Integration Middleware: Talend, Informatica PowerCenter, Microsoft SQL Server Integration Services
    • API Management Middleware: Apigee, MuleSoft Anypoint Platform, AWS API Gateway
    • Cloud Middleware: AWS Lambda, Azure Functions, Google Cloud Functions
    • Business Process Management (BPM) Middleware: Pega BPM, Appian BPM, IBM BPM
    • Messaging and Queuing Middleware: Apache ActiveMQ, IBM MQ, Microsoft Message Queuing
    • Security and Identity Middleware: Okta, Auth0, Ping Identity
    • Data Virtualization Middleware: Denodo, Informatica PowerCenter, IBM InfoSphere Federation Server
    • Event-Driven Middleware: Apache Kafka, Apache Storm, IBM Event Streams
    • Microservices Middleware: Istio, Linkerd, Kubernetes