# Software Metering Installed is not the same as used. **Software Metering** measures which programs are actually running on your Windows PCs, so you can find licenses that nobody uses and plan renewals on real data. ## How it works At the frequency set in the agent configuration, the CyberGuard agent records which programs are running. Each time a program is seen counts as one **detection**; the **usage hours** are estimated as detections multiplied by the interval between two collections. With a 3-hour interval, a program seen in 10 collections counts as about 30 hours. The estimate is approximate: a program open for ten minutes at the moment of a collection counts as a full interval, one opened and closed between two collections is not counted. Shorter intervals give more precise figures. Only programs opened by a person are counted. Windows components, services, drivers, updaters and background helpers are left out, and so is the CyberGuard agent itself. Data older than 30 days is deleted. To collect metering data, enable it in the [agent configuration](https://wiki.cyberguard.srl/dim/agents.md#software-metering) and deploy the new `config.dat`. Software metering is available on Windows only. ## The Software Metering page  | Card | Content | | --- | --- | | **Detected Software** | Distinct programs seen. | | **Total Detections** | How many times programs were seen. | | **Unique Devices** | Devices that sent metering data. | | **Usage Hours** | Estimated hours of use, all programs together. | Filter by **Software or Vendor**, **Vendor** and **Period** (last 7, 14 or 30 days). The list shows for each program the vendor, version, number of devices, usage hours and last time it was seen. Click a program to see the devices that use it, with the hours on each device and the last user, and a chart of usage day by day. ## Reading the data - Programs used on few devices and for few hours are candidates for removing a license. - The list also includes Windows components and background services (for example *Memory Compression* or security services), which run all the time: filter by vendor to focus on business applications. ## On the device page The **Software Metering** tab of a device shows the programs used on that device. See [Apps, Updates & Drivers](https://wiki.cyberguard.srl/dim/devices/device-details/software.md#software-metering).