With new management capabilities and the ability to recognize similarities in code, Protecode System 4 was released last week. The server-based solution for open-source license management aids organizations in identifying open-source content in source code, as well as determining licensing obligations for that code.
Installed as an overlay on existing design, development and testing environments, System 4 enables multiple users to access and connect to the enterprise server from anywhere. “This is especially helpful for distributed teams to share information and results, and to communicate and exchange with each other through the workflow,” said Protecode CEO Mahshad Koohgoli.
Since multiple users can access the server, new capabilities enable management to define roles, policies and courses of action if violations are detected during analysis, he said. “For example, management can determine who can view what from reports or who can accept, reject or comment on analysis.”
Source code is run against the Protecode reference database of 450,000 open-source software projects. However, “one downside to having a large database is a lot of noise is created and several similarities can be found in code,” Koohgoli said.
To reduce the amount of false positives, Protecode added “intelligent” algorithms to sift through the similarities of code structure. “This improves the relevance of data to the users and eliminates having to do anything manually,” he added.
The browser-based user interface was revamped for ease of use and efficiency, the company said. System 4 is available now with pricing based on the volume of software analyzed.
