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US 8,914,899 B2Granted
Directing users to preferred software services
AssigneeInternational Business Machines Corporation
InventorsKristina Beckley, Vincent Burckhardt, Yao P. A. Song, Smriti Talwar
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A mechanism is provided for directing users to preferred software services. An indication from a user for a software service that provides a function identified by the user is identified. One or more software services that provide the function identified by the user are identified and a determination is made as to whether an existing subscription is in place for a subset of the one or more software services. Responsive to the existing subscription being in place for the subset of the one or more software services, the subset of software services that have existing subscriptions are presented to the user.
Claims20
A method, in a data processing system, for directing users to preferred software services, the method comprising:
- receiving, by a hardware implemented processor in the data processing system, a request for a software service that provides a function identified by a user;
- identifying, by the hardware implemented processor, a plurality of software services;
- receiving, by the hardware implemented processor, usage data for each of the plurality of software services;
- for each software service of the plurality of software services:
- analyzing, by the hardware implemented processor, the usage data to determine a number of users associated with an enterprise utilizing a subscribed software service over a predetermined time period;
- determining, by the hardware implemented processor, whether the number of users in the enterprise utilizing the subscribed software service over the predetermined time period provides a positive return on investment (ROI) of the subscription to the subscribed software service;
- responsive to identifying a positive ROI of the subscription to the subscribe software service, providing, by the hardware implemented processor, a recommendation to keep the subscribed software service;
- responsive to a failure to identify a positive ROI of the subscription to the subscribed software service, determining, by the hardware implemented processor, whether there is another subscribed software service that that is substantially similar to the subscribed software service and has a positive ROI;
- and
- responsive to another subscribed software service existing that is substantially similar to the subscribed software service that also has a positive ROI, providing, by the hardware implemented processor, a recommendation to cancel the subscribed software service and keep the other subscribed software service;
- searching, by the hardware implemented processor, the plurality of software services for two or more software services that provide the function identified by the user by comparing the function identified by the user to a function provided by each of the plurality of software services;
- determining, by the hardware implemented processor, whether a subscription exists in a subscription data structure on the data processing system of the user for a subset of the two or more software services that provide the function identified by the user;
- and
- responsive to the subscription existing in the subscription data structure on the data processing system of the user for the subset of the two or more software services that provide the function identified by the user and responsive to the subset of the two or more software services each having a recommendation to be kept, presenting to the user, by the hardware implemented processor, the subset of the two or more software services that provide the function identified by the user, that have existing subscriptions, and that each have the recommendation to be kept.
11 more elements
A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable storage medium having a computer readable program stored therein, wherein the computer readable program, when executed on a computing device, causes the computing device to:
- receive a request for a software service that provides a function identified by a user,
- identify a plurality of software services;
- receive usage data for each of the plurality of software services;
- for each software service of the plurality of software services:
- analyze the usage data to determine a number of users associated with an enterprise utilizing a subscribed software service over a predetermined time period;
- determine whether the number of users in the enterprise utilizing the subscribed software service over the predetermined time period provides a positive return on investment (ROI) of the subscription to the subscribed software service;
- responsive to identifying a positive ROI of the subscription to the subscribed software service, provide a recommendation to keep the subscribed software service;
- responsive to a failure to identify a positive ROI of the subscription to the subscribed software service, determine whether there is another subscribe software service that that is substantially similar the subscribed software service and has a positive ROI;
- and
- responsive to another subscribed software service existing that is substantially similar to the subscribed software service that also has a positive ROI, provide a recommendation to cancel the subscribed software service and keep the other subscribed software service;
- search the plurality of software services for two or more software services that provide the function identified by the user by comparing the function identified by the user to a function provided by each of the plurality of software services;
- determine whether a subscription exists in a subscription data structure on the data processing system of the user for a subset of the two or more software services that provide the function identified by the user;
- and
- responsive to the subscription existing in the subscription data structure on the data processing system of the user for the subset of the two or more software services that provide the function identified by the user and responsive to the subset of the two or more software services each having a recommendation to be kept, present to the user the subset of the two or more software services that provide the function identified by the user, that have existing subscriptions and that each have the recommendation to be kept.
11 more elements
An apparatus, comprising:
- a processor, and
- a memory coupled to the processor, wherein the memory comprises instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to:
- receive a request for a software service that provides a function identified by a user;
- identify a plurality of software services;
- receive usage data for each of the plurality of software services;
- for each software service of the plurality of software services:
- analyze the usage data to determine a number of users associated with an enterprise utilizing a subscribed software service over a predetermined time determine whether the number of users in the enterprise utilizing the subscribed software service over the predetermined time period provides a positive return on investment (ROI) of the subscription to the subscribed software service;
- responsive to identifying a positive ROI of the subscription to the subscribed software service, provide a recommendation to keep the subscribed software service;
- responsive to a failure to identify a positive ROI of the subscription to the subscribed software service, determine whether there is another subscribed software service that that is substantially similar to the subscribed software service and has a positive ROI;
- and
- responsive to another subscribed software service existing that is substantially similar to the subscribed software service that also has a positive ROI, provide a recommendation to cancel the subscribed software service and keep the other subscribed software service;
- search the plurality of software services for two or more software services that provide the function identified by the user by comparing the function identified by the user to a function provided by each of the plurality of software services;
- determine whether a subscription exists in a subscription data structure on the data processing system of the user for a subset of the two or more software services that provide the function identified by the user;
- and
- responsive to the subscription existing in the subscription data structure on the data processing system of the user for the subset of the two or more software services that provide the function identified by the user and responsive to the subset of the two or more software services each having a recommendation to be kept, present to the user the subset of the two or more software services that provide the function identified by the user, that have existing subscriptions, and that each have the recommendation to be kept.
12 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.