BMC Helix ITSM and Discovery licensing covers the user-based licensing of BMC Helix ITSM (the Remedy product line) and the asset-based licensing of BMC Helix Discovery. ITSM runs on BMC Helix Innovation Suite (AR System), and its Service Management suites share that licensing.[2][3] Older versions of Discovery were named BMC Atrium Discovery and Dependency Mapping.[8] New contracts for these products are with “the BMC Helix contracting entity set forth on the applicable Order”. The BMC Helix Cloud Services Master Agreement governs them, including On Premise Subscriptions.[6] BMC’s unit-of-measure page on docs.bmc.com still defines the measures and restrictions that Helix Orders use.[1] See BMC Software licensing for the wider context.
Editions
Helix Service Management Suite model. This licensing model includes licences for BMC Helix Innovation Suite, AR System server-based applications, BMC Helix Innovation Studio-based applications, BMC Helix ITSM and all Service Management applications. It has two suites, Standard and Advanced, each sold per Named User and per Concurrent User.[2] Catalog rows: Standard - Named User, Standard - Concurrent User, Advanced - Named User, Advanced - Concurrent User.
| Suite | Included users | Exclusions |
|---|---|---|
| BMC Helix Service Management – Standard | Up to 100 BMC Helix Digital Workplace users for each user, and up to 50 Self-Registered users[1] | Digital Workplace Studio; ITSM Release Management; Business Workflows Facilities Management, HR Service Management and Security Incident Response[1] |
| BMC Helix Service Management – Advanced | Up to 100 Digital Workplace users for each user, and up to 100 Self-Registered users[1] | None listed |
The suite model is opt-in. Classic licences are converted by BMC SaaS Operations or, on premises, by the Suite Licensing Opt-in Utility. The conversion produces a report of the users affected and the recommended licences.[2][4] Catalog proof: The Helix Service Management Suite (2023) model is opt-in.
Classic ITSM subscriptions. A BMC Helix ITSM subscription entitles up to 100 named users of BMC Helix Digital Workplace Basic for each ITSM named user, and up to 250 for each ITSM concurrent user. Subscribing to Digital Workplace Advanced surrenders the Basic right.[1] The on-premises BMC Helix ITSM OnPrem Service Desk licence carries the same 100 and 250 ratios.[1] Catalog proof: Helix ITSM includes Digital Workplace Basic users.
BMC Helix Discovery is ordered as one of two line items: “BMC Helix Discovery” per asset, or “BMC Helix Discovery – Resource Unit” per resource unit.[5] Catalog rows: BMC Helix Discovery (per asset) and BMC Helix Discovery – Resource Unit.
Metrics
| Measure | Catalog row | BMC definition (summary) |
|---|---|---|
| per named user (Fixed) | per named user; SaaS: per named user - SaaS | Every individual granted access, typically through a unique ID, “regardless of whether the individual is actively using the Product at any given time”[1] |
| per concurrent user (Floating) | per concurrent user; SaaS: per concurrent user - SaaS | The maximum number of individuals with simultaneous access[1] |
| per asset | per asset | For Discovery, a set number of unique server OSIs, “effectively, this means hosts”[5] |
| per resource unit | per resource unit | Highest monthly average of weighted Resource Units[5] |
| Cloud Resource | per managed asset - cloud resource | Highest monthly average of Cloud Resources monitored, managed or discovered[5] |
AR System assigns a licence type to each user. Read lets users create, search and display requests. Fixed adds modifying requests the user did not submit, and is reserved for one user name. Floating gives the same write capability, shared “one user at a time” on a first-come, first-served basis. Restricted Read cannot modify any request, including the user’s own.[3] The FAQ links the unit of measure for a Fixed licence (“per named user”) and for a Floating licence (“per concurrent user”) to BMC’s EULA page.[4]
Counting / floors
Free licence types. Read and Restricted Read licences are free: “There is no additional charge regardless of how many BMC Helix Innovation Suite user licenses are used”.[4] Catalog proof: Read and Restricted Read licences carry no charge.
Fixed licences. AR System administrators and sub-administrators must have a Fixed licence. A Floating-licensed user cannot be given administrative rights.[3][4] “A user cannot be assigned the same Fixed license more than three times in a week”. After that, a week must pass from the first assignment.[3] Catalog proof: Administrators must hold a Fixed licence; A Fixed licence cannot be assigned to the same user more than three times a week.
Floating licences. A Floating user logs in with Read access. The user takes a Floating licence on a search, modify or submit operation and keeps it until it is released.[3] The default release timeout is two hours and cannot be set below one hour.[4] License pools can reserve Floating licences for a group.[3] The FAQ states that the Fixed to Floating ratio “in the price list is usually 1:3”. For sizing, it gives a general recommendation of one Floating licence for every 2.5 concurrently connected users in a shift-based organization.[4] Catalog proof: Floating licences are shared first come, first served, with optional pools.
Exchanging named and concurrent licences. For BMC Helix ITSM Service Management Products, the customer may exchange 3 named user licences for 1 concurrent user licence of the same Product, or 1 concurrent for 3 named. There is no extra charge within the Licensed Capacity. The customer must give written notice and sign a new Order, and may make the exchange no more than once per year. BMC Helix IT Service Management Suite Products use a 5:2 ratio instead.[1] Catalog proof: Helix ITSM named and concurrent licences can be exchanged 3:1 once a year.
Bundles. Under the GA Blue bundled and Suite models, “The ITSM Suite license bundle is intended to be used as a whole by a single user”. One user may not use part of a bundle while another user uses a different part.[4] Catalog proof: An ITSM Suite licence bundle is used by one person.
Non-production and disaster recovery. BMC Helix ITSM OnPrem may be used without additional fees on instances used only for development and test. A non-production instance may not be configured with a higher concurrent user limit than the largest production instance. Concurrent usage is measured by adding the peak usage of all production instances.[4] Purchased licences may be applied to disaster-recovery systems at no additional cost, provided those systems are not used at the same time as production.[4] Catalog proof: Helix ITSM OnPrem may run on non-production instances without extra fees; Disaster recovery systems may use purchased licences at no extra cost.
Discovery hosts. Discovery licensing “is based on the lifetime of a Host averaged over the days in the month”. A host found by four scanners, or by a scanner and a consolidator, uses one licence. Network devices, printers and other network-connected devices do not count. Desktop OSIs are not discovered by default and “do not count towards licensing totals”. There is no limit on the number of Discovery appliances.[5] Catalog proof: A Discovery host counts once however many scanners find it; Network devices, printers and desktops do not consume Discovery asset licences.
Discovery Resource Units. Under the resource unit measure, a subscription covers the highest monthly average of RUs. The weights are 1 RU = 1 Server; 5 client devices, network devices, PaaS resources, storage ports or telecommunication devices; 20 container resources (software pods); 10 IoT devices; or 1 undocumented asset.[5] BMC’s example: 100 servers, 200 Kubernetes pods and 50 network devices equal 120 RUs.[5] The general BMC definition of per resource unit counts containers at 5 per RU. Its example is 100 Servers, 50 containers and 50 network devices, also 120 RUs.[1] The two container ratios differ, so the Order’s reference matters. Catalog proof: Discovery Resource Units weight assets against a server.
Discovery inclusions and add-ons. Discovery includes three named user licences for BMC Helix CMDB administration only. They do not cover administering other AR System or BMC Helix ITSM applications. Sync for ServiceNow CMDB and Discovery for z/OS are separately licensed add-ons; Discovery for z/OS is licensed on MIPS. Storage discovery is available for per asset licensing only and must match the base licence count one-to-one.[5] Catalog proof: BMC Helix Discovery includes three CMDB administration users; The Discovery storage add-on must match the base licence count; Discovery for z/OS is licensed by MIPS.
Virtualization & partitioning
User-based ITSM licences do not depend on hardware. On older AR System versions, a server licence key generated from the host ID was needed for each installed server in a server group. From version 21.x, a key generated from the database ID covers all servers in the group.[4] For Discovery, host licences are consumed only for server OSIs. They are not consumed for virtual hosts running in the cloud, or for physical hosts that form part of the cloud infrastructure.[5] An on-premises virtual machine does not count towards a cloud resource licence.[5]
Cloud / BYOL
Discovery’s cloud discovery is an add-on for per asset licensing. It is charged on the highest monthly average of Cloud Resources monitored, managed or discovered.[5] A cloud VM incurs a single cloud licence whether or not its host is scanned. A scanned host associated with a cloud VM incurs neither a cloud nor a data-center licence. Each software instance running in the cloud also consumes a cloud licence.[5] Catalog proof: A cloud VM consumes one Discovery cloud licence; on-premises VMs do not. BMC Helix SaaS subscriptions are provided up to the Capacity in the Order for internal business operations. Service providers and outsourcers are excluded as Users unless BMC Helix authorizes them in writing.[6]
Programs
- Helix Service Management Suite licensing model (2023). An optional conversion from classic application licences to the Standard and Advanced suites.[2]
- Usage Reporting. ITSM/Remedy and ADDM (Discovery) are named in the non-Enterprise usage-reporting program.[9] For ITSM, customers return the Licensereport.txt file from each active AR System server, together with the server’s version, function and grouping.[7] Discovery 11.2 and later produce a digitally signed licence report.[8] Catalog proof: AR System usage reports come from each active server; Discovery 11.2 and later produce a digitally signed licence report.
Audits and compliance
The BMC Helix Cloud Services Master Agreement lets BMC Helix or its agent monitor the Subscription Services. If Capacity has been exceeded, the customer executes an Order for additional Capacity through the end of the term.[6] For On Premise Subscriptions, BMC Helix may request usage reports once a year, including SCRT reports, delivered within 30 days. On ten days’ notice, it may audit the installation locations. Excess capacity is invoiced through the end of the Order term.[6] Catalog proof: BMC Helix may monitor subscriptions and require an Order for excess Capacity; BMC Helix on-premises subscriptions carry an annual report and audit right. See BMC Software agreements, audit and compliance.
Out of scope
This page does not cover BMC Helix Operations Management, Continuous Optimization, the ITOM suites, Digital Workplace Advanced connectors, Remedyforce or BMC Helix iPaaS. Their measures (Server Endpoints, Log Data, Integration Tasks and others) and restrictions appear on BMC’s unit-of-measure page.[1] BMC Helix Discovery SaaS entitlements, and prices for any Helix product, are not in the retrieved documents.