Fri, 12 Sep 2008 HSTracker v 1.1.8 (Standard) review

In small to medium-sized businesses it's common for different departments to have a mix of old and new software, each with licensing that needs to be accounted for. As an individual user, it's unlikely that you'll ever have the Federation Against Software Theft knocking on your door, but businesses can't afford to be lax with licensing. Trading Standards could pay a visit to your premises and, using existing copyright legislation, even institute criminal proceedings.

That's where HSTracker comes in. Best described as a niche product, HSTracker enables you to keep records of all the hardware in your company, who is responsible for it and what software is running on it. Most importantly, you have instant access to licensing records – so you know exactly what's legitimate and what isn't, how many copies of a specific application are in use within your organisation and what needs upgrading. It's a great idea for start-ups that need to keep an eye on expenditure – and the level of detail HSTracker enables you to enter and cross-reference is more than adequate to the task.

HSTracker doesn't just record data either – it handles it smartly. For example, it interfaces with Apple's support site to report the latest specs on your hardware. You can even control listed hardware remotely from within the program.