Patent ID: 7634561

Claim:
A computer-implemented method for managing application usage, the method comprising: initiating, by a usage metering and billing (UMB) management module executing on a server via a network, discovery agents executing on one or more on demand platforms for interrogating one or more server resources each executing on one of the one or more on demand platforms; interrogating by the discovery agents the one or more server resources to discover a plurality of discrete server processes and associated discovery data for each process, the discovery data comprising a name and hierarchy information associated with each discrete server process; collecting the discovery data for the discovered discrete server processes in a centralized repository; accessing an application map associated with a particular customer, wherein the application map defines both services and processes associated with the particular customer; mapping one or more of the discovered discrete server processes to an application and the particular customer based on the collected discovery data by comparing a discovered path to the application map for the particular customer; and in the event of a match between the discovered path and the application map, associating the discovered path and its discovery data with the particular customer and storing an indication of the association; and generating a customer bill based on discrete server processes mapped to the particular customer.