The monitoring software has helped Burlington Resources pinpoint which geological software is being used in which offices and by whom, says Shearer, and that has highlighted opportunities for savings. For example, prior to deploying Open IT, Burlington Resources was licensing geological software only on a local basis, he says. By shifting to a mix of regional and global software licenses, the company was able to reduce its software expenses by $5 million between 2002 and 2005.

"It was quite shocking," says Shearer. "No one was prepared for this [license-monitoring tool] to work as well as it did."

Burlington Resources has been able to channel all the savings into discretionary projects, including the development of an environmental health and safety system and a learning management system that was on the verge of being abandoned. "That project never would have made it if the dollars weren't available," says Shearer. "It was at the bottom of the queue."

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Waste not: Tips for maintenance savings