Introducing automated license reclamation

The cost of unused licenses

A renewal or true-up is six weeks out, and procurement asks IT teams how many seats they actually need. Software asset management (SAM) modules in legacy ITSMs can find unused licenses, but reclaiming them takes a working connector, rules, and setup for each application. For less common apps, teams fall back to exports, spreadsheets, and removing access by hand, while unused seats keep billing.

Reclamation as a standing process

To help organizations control license spend, we built reclamation directly into Serval's access management. There is no add-on SAM module to pay for, no connector catalog to check, and no reclamation integration to stand up per app.

Removing license access runs through the same method that granted it: an identity provider group or the app's own API.

It works like this:

1. 1.Serval syncs last login data, from your identity provider or through a custom workflow for apps outside it.
2. 2.A reclamation policy sets the inactivity threshold, for example 30 days since someone last logged in. Serval either removes the seat automatically or sends it to a reviewer first.
3. 3.Reviewers get a notification in email, Slack, or Microsoft Teams, with a clear audit trail of every decision.

Write a "reclaim after 30 days, reviewed by IT admin" policy once, and attaching it to the next app takes seconds. Seats are reclaimed as soon as they go unused, not at periodic renewals, cutting both license spend and attack surface.

Designed to fail safely

An automation that takes access away has to earn more trust than one that grants it, so we spent much of the build on the failure cases.

Last login sync stays off unless you turn it on, so Serval only ingests login activity for the apps where you use reclamation. Even then, missing data never triggers a reclaim. If Serval has no last login record for an application, the sweep skips it rather than treating silence as inactivity.

And a policy with no reviewers, which will revoke seats automatically, asks for an explicit confirmation.

Get started now

Stop paying for a dedicated SAM module or waiting for renewal.

Automated license reclamation is available in Serval today.

Read our docs to set up your first policy, or book a demo to see it live.

Frequently asked questions

How does Serval reclaim unused licenses?
Serval syncs last login data and applies a reclamation policy to each app. When someone hasn’t logged in within the policy’s threshold, Serval removes the seat or sends it to a reviewer first.

Can Serval remove access after a set time window?
Yes, in two ways. A reclamation policy removes seats after a set period of inactivity, such as 30 days without a login. A time-bound access policy grants access for a set duration, and the access expires when that time is up.

When should I use a reclamation policy instead of a background agent?
Use a reclamation policy for a predictable, auditable rule, such as 30 days without a login. Use the Proactive License Reclamation background agent when the decision needs more context, such as skipping people on leave. You can have the agent flag seats for review or remove them through your deprovisioning workflows. Learn more.

Do I need a separate SaaS management platform to find unused licenses?
No. Reclamation is part of Serval’s access management. It uses last login data from your identity provider, or from a custom workflow for apps outside it.