AWS License Manager

AWS License Manager simplifies the management of software licenses across AWS and on-premises environments. It helps organizations track, control, and enforce compliance with software vendors while reducing licensing costs.

This study guide covers: ✔ Why AWS License Manager? ✔ Key Features & Capabilities ✔ How It Works ✔ Use Cases ✔ SecureCart Use Case: Managing Software Licensing ✔ Best Practices & Common Mistakes

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🔹 Why Use AWS License Manager?

✔ Prevent license overuse and non-compliance penalties. ✔ Automatically track license consumption across AWS, hybrid, and on-premises environments. ✔ Reduce manual tracking and avoid unnecessary licensing costs. ✔ Enforce licensing rules to prevent exceeding limits.

🔹 When to Use AWS License Manager?

✅ Managing Microsoft Windows Server, SQL Server, SAP, Oracle, and other third-party licenses. ✅ Enforcing BYOL (Bring Your Own License) rules in AWS environments. ✅ Tracking hybrid cloud licenses (AWS and on-premises). ✅ Controlling software usage across multiple AWS accounts.

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🔹 Key Features & Capabilities

Feature	Description
License Tracking	Monitors license usage across AWS and on-premises.
Automated Rules Enforcement	Prevents exceeding license limits by stopping new deployments.
Integration with AWS Services	Works with AWS Systems Manager, EC2, and Organizations.
Hybrid Licensing Support	Tracks licenses across AWS, VMware Cloud, and on-premises environments.
BYOL (Bring Your Own License)	Helps customers use existing licenses while complying with vendor agreements.
Cross-Account License Management	Allows centralized licensing enforcement across multiple AWS accounts.

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🔹 How AWS License Manager Works

1️⃣ Define License Rules

• Set up license types (per-core, per-instance, per-vCPU).

• Specify license limits and enforcement policies.

2️⃣ Attach Rules to EC2, RDS, or On-Prem Workloads

• Track usage across AWS and on-premises.

• AWS will enforce compliance automatically.

3️⃣ Monitor and Report Usage

• View real-time license consumption in the License Manager Dashboard.

• Receive alerts if licenses exceed limits.

4️⃣ Enforce Compliance

• Stop deployments if license limits are reached.

• Generate reports for audit and compliance.

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🔹 SecureCart Use Case: Managing Software Licensing

SecureCart, an e-commerce platform, runs multiple licensed enterprise applications across AWS and on-premises environments.

✅ SecureCart’s Licensing Needs: ✔ SecureCart uses Microsoft SQL Server on Amazon RDS. ✔ Enforces BYOL rules to ensure compliance with vendor licensing agreements. ✔ Tracks Windows Server and Oracle DB licenses across EC2, on-premises, and VMware Cloud on AWS. ✔ Uses AWS License Manager to prevent unauthorized license overuse.

🔹 How SecureCart Implements AWS License Manager: ✔ Defines licensing rules for SQL Server, Oracle DB, and Windows Server. ✔ Integrates License Manager with AWS Organizations to apply licensing policies across multiple accounts. ✔ Monitors compliance in the License Manager Dashboard to prevent financial penalties.

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🔹 Use Cases for AWS License Manager

Use Case	Scenario
Prevent Overuse of Microsoft Licenses	An enterprise has 100 Windows Server licenses. AWS License Manager stops deployments after the limit is reached.
Track SQL Server Licenses Across AWS and On-Prem	A company tracks its SQL Server Standard Edition usage across Amazon RDS and on-premises data centers.
Control Oracle Licensing in Multi-Cloud	A business uses Oracle databases across AWS and on-premises. License Manager ensures compliance with vendor rules.
Simplify SAP License Audits	A financial institution running SAP HANA on AWS tracks per-core licensing to avoid audit risks.
Centralized License Tracking Across AWS Accounts	A large enterprise uses AWS Organizations to enforce licensing rules across multiple AWS accounts.

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✅ Best Practices for AWS License Manager

✔ Define clear licensing rules before deploying workloads. ✔ Use AWS Organizations to enforce licensing policies across multiple AWS accounts. ✔ Monitor licensing reports to identify potential overuse. ✔ Use automated enforcement to prevent non-compliant deployments. ✔ Integrate with AWS Systems Manager for on-premises tracking. ✔ Regularly audit and review licensing consumption.

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⚠️ Common Mistakes & How to Avoid Them

Mistake	Impact	Solution
Not setting up automated enforcement rules	Unintended license overuse and penalties	Define strict license usage limits in License Manager
Failing to monitor hybrid licensing	Untracked licenses can lead to non-compliance	Use AWS Systems Manager for on-premises tracking
Assuming AWS automatically enforces BYOL compliance	Licensing violations due to incorrect configurations	Set explicit BYOL rules in License Manager
Not integrating AWS License Manager with AWS Organizations	Difficult to track and enforce compliance across multiple accounts	Use AWS Organizations for centralized control

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✅ Summary

✔ AWS License Manager automates tracking and enforcement of software licenses. ✔ Supports hybrid, BYOL, and AWS-native licensing across accounts. ✔ Prevents non-compliance by stopping deployments beyond licensed limits. ✔ SecureCart uses License Manager for SQL Server, Oracle, and Windows Server licensing. ✔ Best practices include defining strict rules, monitoring usage, and enforcing policies across AWS Organizations.