Managing Rarely Used Applications and Setting Asset Exposure Alerts in Saner CVEM

Overview

Managing application usage across your IT environment is key to maintaining security, optimizing costs, and ensuring compliance. Saner CVEM provides insights into software usage patterns, including the identification of rarely used applications, and allows you to set up alerts for various asset-related activities.

This article provides guidance on:

• Understanding what “rarely used applications” are and why they matter

• Cleaning up these applications to reduce unnecessary overhead

• Configuring asset exposure alerts to monitor application and device changes in real time

1.What Are Rarely Used Applications?

Rarely used applications are software programs installed on endpoints that are infrequently used or not accessed for a significant period. Saner CVEM Asset Exposure automatically tracks application usage and flags those that show minimal or no activity over time.

Understanding and acting on this information allows you to:

• Optimize software license usage by identifying unused licenses

• Reduce operational costs by uninstalling non-essential applications

• Improve security by removing dormant software that may be outdated or vulnerable

• Maintain compliance with internal software usage policies
  
  

By regularly reviewing and managing rarely used applications, organizations can streamline their IT environment and reduce their attack surface.

2.How to Set Up Alerts for Asset Exposure in Saner CVEM

Saner CVEM allows you to configure automated alerts for changes in your asset environment. This helps IT administrators stay informed about new devices, software installations, rarely used or blacklisted applications, and potential license violations.

Steps to Configure Asset Exposure Alerts:

1. Log in to the Saner CVEM console.

2. Navigate to Alerts > Asset Exposure.

3. Set the Subscription Status to On.

4. Enter the email address where alerts should be sent.

5. Select the types of alerts you want to receive:

   • New Devices – Notifies when a new system is added to the network.

   • Rarely Used Assets – Alerts when applications have not been used for a prolonged period.

   • Blacklisted Assets – Alerts when blacklisted applications are detected on a device.

   • Software License Violations – Notifies when usage exceeds the licensed limits.

   • Outdated Applications – Alerts when an application is outdated or unsupported by the vendor.

   • New Assets – Alerts when new applications are installed on devices.

6. Click Update to save your settings.
   
   

3.Best Practices for Managing Rarely Used Applications

• Review Regularly: Periodically audit the list of rarely used applications across your devices.

• Take Action: Uninstall or restrict access to software that is no longer required.

• Correlate with Licensing: Match rarely used applications with active license counts to identify reclaimable resources.

• Strengthen Policies: Use this data to refine your organization's application approval and usage policies.

Conclusion

Proactively managing rarely used applications not only helps in optimizing software spend but also plays a vital role in reducing security risks and maintaining system hygiene. Saner CVEM equips you with the visibility and automation needed to act on these insights effectively.

For further assistance in configuring alerts or cleaning up rarely used software, please reach out to the SecPod support team.