Connectivity software specialists WRQ has acquired Express Systems, a company that has made a name in metering and management software.
Brian Conte, development group manager for WQR, said managing and metering software could save companies large sums of money.
'We treat the software as an asset and we can save companies a lot of money by minimising the licensing,' he said.
Many companies had no idea how much they were spending on software licensing.
A company with 100 computers, for example, might think it had to buy a licence for 100 copies of Microsoft Word. An analysis by WRQ's software might show that no more than 50 were needed because no more than 50 people were ever using the software at the same time.
Mr Conte said WRQ had a good working relationship with Microsoft and that Microsoft often referred people to them.