Application discovery helps IT teams identify and manage the business applications used across their organization. Instead of relying only on manual reporting, procurement records, or user requests, SysAid can automatically discover supported applications and add them to License Manager.
This gives IT Agents a clearer view of the organization’s software landscape, including which applications are being used, who is using them, and where there may be opportunities to reduce risk, improve governance, or optimize license spend.
Available for:
Customers using SysAid Spaces.
Customer who purchased License Manager Advanced. You can go to License Manager > Applications to get a 14-day free trial.
How it works
SysAid discovers supported applications using connected data sources. When a supported application is detected, it is automatically added to the Applications tab in License Manager.
Each discovered application can then be reviewed, categorized, enriched, approved, denied, ignored, or managed as part of your organization’s software inventory.
SysAid currently supports two automatic discovery methods:
Microsoft Entra ID sign-in logs
SysAid Browser Extension
You can use one or both methods, depending on how your organization manages applications and where you want to improve visibility.
You can also annually add applications or upload a contract. To learn more, see Linking contracts and applications.
What IT Agents see after applications are discovered
After an application is discovered, it appears in License Manager > Applications.
From there, IT Agents can review application details such as:
Application name
Discovery method
Discovery date
Application state
Category
Active and inactive users
License and utilization data
Cost and potential savings information, when available
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AI application enrichment
SysAid Copilot automatically enriches discovered applications with structured metadata. This gives IT teams immediate context about newly discovered or unfamiliar applications, helping them quickly understand what an app does and whether it requires further review, without the need for manual research.
When an application is discovered, SysAid Copilot enriches it with key details such as the application logo, short description, category, official website URL, and compliance indicators like SOC 2, ISO, and GDPR. You can see all the data in the AI enrichment panel:
Managing discovered applications
Discovered applications appear under the Applications tab of the License Manager. Each application includes key details such as its state, discovery method, discovery date, category, license metrics, and utilization data.
App states
Each application can have one of several statuses that reflect its review or approval progress:
State | Description |
|---|---|
Pending review | The application has been discovered and is ready for your review. |
Under review | The application is being assessed by IT or procurement. |
Optimization opportunity | The application may have unused licenses. |
Requested | The application has been submitted for approval by users or departments. |
Approved | The application is approved for usage. |
Denied | The application was not approved for use within the organization. This helps you monitor the usage of unapproved applications. |
Ignored | The application is excluded from reporting and monitoring. This lets you filter out discovered apps without removing them from the list. |
By default, each discovered application has a “Pending review” state, prompting you to manage the applications. Changing an application’s state helps IT teams track which SaaS tools are allowed, which are being reviewed, and which should be removed or consolidated.
In the Applications table, you can also see detailed metrics for each application, including the total number of licenses, active and inactive users, utilization rates, total costs, and estimated annual savings. These insights make it easy to spot inefficiencies and take informed actions.
Managing application cost currencies
You can view and manage application costs in different currencies to better reflect your organization’s financial data.
You can set the currency for each application cost. When multiple currencies are used, the Total Estimated Savings KPI converts all savings to USD and displays the total in USD. Exchange rates are refreshed once per day (at 00:00 UTC), and each contract’s value is recalculated accordingly before being summed into the total. You can see a list of supported currencies here.
When sorting the applications table by currency, the currencies are sorted alphabetically for easier review. If no currency is selected, USD is used by default.
Discovery methods
Microsoft Entra ID
SysAid can discover applications by connecting to Microsoft Entra ID and reading application sign-in activity.
This method is useful when your organization uses Microsoft Entra ID as an identity provider, and users access business applications through SSO. After the initial discovery process starts, SysAid scans sign-in data from the last 30 days, so IT teams can quickly see a broader picture of recent application usage.
After the initial scan, the data is refreshed daily.
For setup instructions, see Discovering Applications with Entra ID.
SysAid Browser Extension
The SysAid Browser Extension discovers usage of supported business applications from managed Chrome and Microsoft Edge browsers. It helps IT teams uncover shadow IT by identifying web-based applications that employees use, including applications that may not be accessed through Microsoft Entra ID SSO.
The extension only detects applications from the supported applications list below. It uses the user list in SysAid to identify business usage, based on business emails or business domains associated with users in SysAid.
Please note:
The extension does not track personal application usage. It also does not track logins to supported applications when users sign in with personal email accounts that are not associated with users in SysAid.
After the extension is deployed and active, data starts to populate as users access supported business applications through managed browsers.
End Users may see the SysAid Browser Extension installed in their browser, depending on their browser settings and how the extension was deployed. The extension does not require End Users to sign in or configure anything.
To see which deployment methods are available, see the Setting up application discovery section.
Supported applications
The SysAid Browser Extension currently supports discovery for the following applications.
Microsoft Entra ID discovery works differently. It discovers applications based on Entra ID sign-in activity, so it can detect applications users access with SSO through Microsoft Entra ID, even if they are not listed here.
The categories below are provided to make the list easier to scan. Some applications may fit more than one category.
Category | Supported applications |
|---|---|
AI applications | ChatGPT, Claude, Fireflies.ai, Gemini, GitHub Copilot, Grammarly, Microsoft 365 Copilot, Notion AI, Otter, Perplexity AI, Read AI |
Analytics, BI, and planning | Anaplan, ArcGIS Online, Microsoft Clarity, Power BI, SAP Analytics Cloud, Snowflake, Tableau |
CRM, customer success, sales, and marketing | Engage Hub Portal, HubSpot, LinkedIn, Microsoft Ads, Salesforce, Zendesk |
Design, diagramming, and creative tools | AutoCAD, Bluebeam, Canva, CorelDRAW, diagrams.net, Figma, Lucid |
Education, research, and data analysis | ATLAS.ti, Canvas, EndNote, GraphPad Prism, IBM SPSS Statistics, Intelliboard, Kahoot!, Learn365, MATLAB Online, Minitab, Mobius (DigitalEd), Moodle, NVivo, Primal Pictures Anatomy, QuestionPro, SAS, Wolfram Cloud |
Finance, ERP, and procurement | Amazon Business, NetSuite, Oracle Fusion ERP, Sage Intacct, SAP Concur |
HR and workplace management | bob, Ceridian Dayforce, Culture Amp, Envoy, Gallup, Microsoft StaffHub, Workday |
IT, security, identity, and infrastructure | 1Password, Abnormal Security, Apple Business Manager, AWS, BeyondTrust Remote Support, Cato Portal, Cisco Duo, Citrix Cloud, CrowdStrike, FastTrack, Go Daddy, Jamf Pro, Keeper, Lansweeper, Meraki, Microsoft Azure, Microsoft Cloud App Security, Microsoft Entra ID, Office 365 Secure Score, PagerDuty, PDQ Deploy & Inventory, RiskIQ, Scans for PaperCut MF, ServiceNow, ShareGate Migrate, Sophos, SysAid, TeamViewer, Veeam Data Cloud, Zscaler Private Access (ZPA) |
Productivity, communication, and collaboration | Adobe Document Cloud, Airtable, Atlassian Cloud, Box, Cisco Webex, Clipchamp, Dialpad, DocuSign, Edison Mail, Egnyte, Foxit, Gmail, Google Workspace, HP Inc., Microsoft 365, Microsoft Forms, Microsoft Loop, Microsoft OneNote, Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft Power Automate, Microsoft Stream, Microsoft Teams, Miro, Office Delve, Office Timeline, OneDrive, reMarkable, RingCentral, Rocketbook, Skype for Business, Smartsheet, Staffbase, Sway, Veeva, Visual Studio Code, Yammer, Zoho One, Zoom |
Scheduling, forms, workflow, and operations | AddEvent, Bing Places, Calendly, Doodle, Greetly, Jotform, Livestorm, MileIQ, OptiSigns, Workato, Yodeck, YouCanBook.me, Zapier |
The list of applications supported by the SysAid Browser Extension may expand over time.
Choosing the right discovery method
Use Microsoft Entra ID discovery when you want to quickly populate License Manager with applications accessed through SSO. This method is especially useful as a first step because it can provide recent historical usage from the last 30 days.
Tip!
For broader application coverage, we recommend using both Microsoft Entrra IS and Extension discovery methods together.
Discovery method | Best for | Main benefit | Things to consider |
|---|---|---|---|
Microsoft Entra ID sign-in logs | Organizations that use Microsoft Entra ID SSO for business applications | Provides a strong starting point by scanning the last 30 days of sign-in activity during initial discovery | Requires Microsoft Entra ID configuration and only discovers applications that appear in Entra ID sign-in logs |
SysAid Browser Extension | Organizations that want broader visibility into web-based business application usage across managed Chrome and Edge browsers | Can discover applications that may not use SSO, giving IT teams a more comprehensive view of browser-based application usage | Requires extension deployment to managed browsers and starts collecting data only after deployment |
Use the SysAid Browser Extension when you want broader application visibility, especially for web-based business applications that may not be managed through SSO. This method may take more time to populate, but it can help uncover applications that Entra ID discovery might miss.
For the most complete view, use both methods together. Entra ID discovery gives you a fast starting point based on recent SSO activity, while the Browser Extension expands visibility over time as users access supported business applications through managed browsers.
Setting up application discovery
Microsoft Entra ID
To set up application discovery via Entra ID, see Discovering Applications via Microsoft Entra ID.
SysAid Browser Extension
To set up application discovery via the SysAid Browser Extension, select the relevant guide/s:
Deploying the SysAid Browser Extension in Chrome via Microsoft Intune (Windows)
Deploying the SysAid Browser Extension in Chrome via Microsoft Intune (macOS)
Let us know what you think
We’re continuously working to improve application discovery, and your feedback plays a big part in shaping what comes next. You can share your thoughts at any time by clicking the Give Feedback button in the top-right corner of the page.
