Authentic Venture developed tracking and asset management solutions using .NET and Azure to help companies manage IT assets and boost productivity. Their AsseTrax solution allows users to track stolen laptops, while their IT asset management application helps firms inventory software licenses and hardware. Authentic Venture also created eTrax to monitor employee internet usage and reduce unproductive time. Moving their applications to SaaS models on Azure provided benefits like lower costs and easier maintenance over on-premises options.

1. Microsoft .NET Framework
Customer Solution Case Study
Boosting staff productivity, IT asset
management through tracking solutions
Overview “The infrastructure for IT Asset Management and
Country or Region: Malaysia
Industry: Information Technology
AsseTrax, which was built on the .NET and Windows
Azure platforms, will be used by Authentic Venture as
Customer Profile
Authentic Venture Sdn Bhd is a Malaysian
the base to develop new SaaS solutions.”
software development firm focusing on Ir Aziz Ismail, CEO, Authentic Venture Sdn Bhd
asset management solutions as well as
online tracking and monitoring solutions.
Business Situation A leading Malaysian software development company, Authentic
Authentic Venture developed AsseTrax as a Venture Sdn Bhd’s suite of applications are designed to help
system that enables laptop owners to track
their stolen computers, and Online IT Asset companies of all sizes manage their assets, whether physical or
Management to help firms manage their IT information technology assets. Having made a name for its
assets more effectively.
Computerized Maintenance Management System (CMMS) and
Solution Asset Management applications, Authentic Venture is now forging a
Its online IT asset management application
as well as its tracking and monitoring reputation as a specialist in online tracking and monitoring
solutions were developed on the Microsoft solutions on the Microsoft .NET and Windows Azure platforms. To
.NET and Windows Azure platforms.
alleviate the growing problem of computer theft, Authentic Venture
Benefits developed AsseTrax, a system that enables laptop owners and the
 Effective IT asset management
 Cuts software audit costs
authorities to track stolen computers. Authentic Venture also
 Helps recover stolen laptops released the country’s first online IT asset management system as
 Enhances employee productivity
a Software as a Service (SaaS) solution and eTrax, which enables
employers to track their employees’ internet usage during working
hours.

2. Situation their laptops and computers, allowing the
Authentic Venture Sdn Bhd is a leading owners and authorities to track the
Malaysian software development company computers in the event it is stolen.
driven by creative IT professionals with strong
background in software development to The tracking technologies used in AsseTrax
produce asset management and enterprise had earlier been developed by Authentic
solutions that are used by customers from Venture to create online asset management
around the world. solutions. The company had released the first
online IT asset management system in
Authentic Venture is helmed by CEO Ir Aziz Malaysia as a Software as a Service (SaaS)
Ismail who founded the company in 2002 in solution, that helps organizations manage
the aftermath of the dotcom bust. With its their IT assets in a more effective and
technical excellence and innovation as well economical way. Online IT Asset Management
as its expertise in Microsoft technologies, is one of three solutions placed under the
Authentic Venture is counted among the new AssetCentral product brand, the others
leading Microsoft Certified Partners in the being Enterprise Asset Management and
country and in developing solutions on Computerized Maintenance Management.
cutting-edge technologies.
Authentic Venture also saw the potential of
The first product developed by the company software which could help boost productivity
was a maintenance management solution. in the workplace by reducing lost man-hours
Since then, Authentic Venture has helped as a result of employees engaging in
companies of all sizes manage their assets, computer games, online chatting and social
whether physical or information technology networking in the workplace.
assets, enabling them to focus on their core
business. With companies increasingly providing
Internet access to its employees, this
Though the MSC-status company is known for productivity loss was something bleeding
applications such as its Computerized many employers. “We knew that if we could
Maintenance Management System (CMMS) develop an application which could help
and Asset Management applications, companies reduce such crippling productivity
Authentic Venture is now forging a reputation loss, it could become a new growth area for
as one of the region’s foremost specialists in us,” Ir Aziz adds.
online tracking and monitoring solutions.
This was the motivation which saw Authentic
A growing problem faced by companies and Venture developing eTrax which enables
individuals around the world, especially with employers to track their staff’s internet usage
the proliferation laptop computers, is the such as surfing, chatting, social networking
theft of laptops and PCs. “People needed a sites, playing online games and so on.
way to track and recover their computers
even after it is stolen,” says Ir Aziz. Solution
To allow its customers, especially small and
Seeing the opportunity to help reduce the medium-sized businesses, a more cost-
impact of this scourge, Authentic Venture effective way to use its software without
developed AsseTrax, a system that enables incurring huge licensing costs and without
government agencies, companies and having to invest in expensive hardware and
organizations to register the ownership of infrastructure, Authentic Venture decided to

3. “We were among the develop its applications including Online IT relevant data from the PC, bypasses the
first ISVs in Malaysia to Asset Management and AsseTrax as SaaS
solutions delivered through the “cloud”.
firewall and goes to the cloud at high speed.
Most people don’t have that technology,” he
push our products to the says, adding that the infrastructure which
Azure cloud.” Firstly, the SaaS model means that was built on the .NET and Windows Azure
companies need not fork out a large sum of platforms will be used by Authentic Venture
Ir Aziz Ismail, CEO, Authentic Venture Sdn Bhd
money upfront to acquire software licenses. as the base to develop new SaaS solutions.
“Instead, companies just pay a small monthly
subscription fee to use the service. If it is not Benefits
up to expectations, you can discontinue it
IT Asset Management
unlike the conventional software acquisition
Authentic Venture’s Online IT Asset
process where a company would have paid
Management system helps to companies to
upfront hundreds of thousands for new
manage IT assets, such as software licenses
software,” says Ir Aziz.
and computer, in a more cost-effective and
efficient way. “When you have over 100
Secondly, he adds, the SaaS model benefits
computers, you will be wasting time if you use
customers in that they don’t need to invest in
pen and paper to keep track of your IT
new hardware and infrastructure for their
assets,” says Ir Aziz, adding that manually
new systems, and having to allocate funds
keeping track of such information and
and IT resources to manage and maintain the
licenses was both impractical and an IT
system.
administrator’s nightmare.
After deciding to go the route of cloud
Starting from procurement to disposal, Online
computing, Authentic Venture opted to build
IT Asset Management manages the life-cycle
its SaaS applications on the Windows Azure
for an organization’s IT assets, both hardware
platform. In the process, it became one of the
and software. Using AssetXplorer, which is a
first companies in Malaysia to release
software that comes together with IT Asset
commercially available software on Windows
Management, all information such as the
Azure. “We were among the first ISVs in
serial numbers, version, brand, license and
Malaysia to push our products to the Azure
so on will be grabbed automatically. This
cloud,” says Ir Aziz.
information will then be sent to be stored in
the Azure cloud.
He adds that Authentic Venture opted for
Windows Azure because its software offerings
Management is made easy since managers
were already all on the Microsoft .NET
and company owners can monitor their IT
platform and the learning curve for its
assets from anywhere in the world. “The
developers to move to Windows Azure would
managing and monitoring process is made
be less steep given their familiarity with
mobile. All the information will be at their
Microsoft technologies such as the Microsoft
fingertips. With just a click, organizations can
.NET Framework and the Visual Studio
retrieve whatever information they desire
development platform.
automatically.The automated system saves
up to a whopping 95% for auto-registration
Ir Aziz says the company spent millions of
and auto-audit,” states Ir Aziz.
ringgit on developing the infrastructure for its
tracking software like Online IT Asset
By keeping track of the a company’s software
Management and AsseTrax. “It costs us a lot
licences through AsseTrax, companies can
of money to develop it. It picks up the

4. easily comply with software audits Employee Tracking
requirements and ensure they are not held While the Internet is a blessing in many ways
liable for not being able to account for any but when abused by staff engaging in
software used within the organisation. unproductive activities, it can be a major
problem for employers. “Studies by IT
AsseTrax Laptop Tracking System research firm Gartner have revealed that
AsseTrax is an advanced laptop tracking many companies suffer a 40% productivity
software that enables those who have loss from non-work related Internet surfing,”
registered, for free, to track their laptops says Ir Aziz.
anywhere in the world and essentially
provides a chance for those whose laptops The survey also showed that companies with
have been stolen to recover it. “Laptop theft an average workforce of 100 employees who
is a big problem worldwide. According to spend just 20 minutes per day on
statistics, one is stolen every 62 seconds,” inappropriate Internet use would suffer a
says Ir Aziz. US$32,000 loss per month, or US$384,000
a year, Ir Aziz points out.
He says the registration process is important
to reduce computer theft as previously, most That’s where Authentic Venture’s eTrax
people could not distinguish their computers comes to the fore – in helping organizations
to others when stolen and resold to stem serious productivity loss by tracking
unsuspecting buyers. “With AsseTrax, laptop employees’ Internet usage such as surfing,
crime will become more risky for the thieves. chatting, accessing social networking sites
The system provides a solution to the like Facebook, playing online games and so
increasing incidence of computer theft both on. Companies can also use eTrax to track
in Malaysia and worldwide,” adds Ir Aziz. work-at-home employees and overtime
employees.
While computer owners can now track the
location of their laptops/computers with “You can even view back the computer
AsseTrax, this is complemented by Authentic screen of your staff if you need to. For an
Venture developing a platform for the police employee, that’s a scary thought! In most
to track the location of the stolen computers cases, companies will see a significant
and to nab the culprits. The solution is increase in productivity after installing eTrax
expected to play a part in helping the police because now your staff knows they are being
force and the government to reduce crime tracked.”
nationwide, says Ir Aziz. “It does not matter if
you have one laptop or 1,000, AsseTrax will “In fact Gartner research reveals that the
help you track them until recovery,” he moment you install an employee tracking
reiterates. software, employers can see immediate
improvement in productivity, by more than
He says that AsseTrax users are now found in 50%, because they know that the boss is now
45 countries around the world, and growing. monitoring what they are doing online,” Ir Aziz
The increasing popularity of AsseTrax is says. By having the capability to track your
evidenced by it being at the top of the search employees' daily computer activities,
list on “laptop tracking” on Google, says Ir employers can also know who their top
Aziz. employees are and who the less productive
ones are.

5. For More Information Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5
.NET provides you with a comprehensive and
To access information using the World consistent programming model and a
Wide Web, go to: common set of APIs across all tiers of your
www.microsoft.com/en/my application. .NET helps you to build
applications that work the way you want, in
For more information on Authentic the programming language you prefer, across
Venture’s products and services, call software, services, and devices. .NET helps
(+603) 8941 2739 or visit the Web site at: developers move quickly from idea to the
www.ventures.com.my creation of rich, responsive applications that
people want to use.
.NET Framework 3.5 SP1 expands and
improves offerings in the .NET Framework
and Visual Studio 2008. .NET Framework 3.5
SP1 introduces the ADO.NET Entity
Framework and ADO.NET Data Services,
which simplify data access code in
applications by providing an extensible,
conceptual model for accessing data from
any source.
For more information about the .NET
Framework 3.5, please go to:
www.microsoft.com/netframework
Software and Services
 Windows Azure
 Microsoft Visual Studio
 Technologies
− Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5
This case study is for informational purposes only.
MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR
IMPLIED, IN THIS SUMMARY.
Document published: August 2010