Perform periodic automated scans of employee workstations to inventory installed applications is correct. This approach directly discovers what is installed on each endpoint and creates an auditable inventory that you can use to spot unauthorized software and reconcile licenses.

Automated workstation scans provide comprehensive visibility because they enumerate installed applications and versions across the estate and they can run on a schedule to catch new or changed installations. The inventory data can feed software asset management processes and license reconciliation tools to reveal overdeployment or unlicensed copies. Scans also support remediation workflows so IT can remove unauthorized applications or adjust licensing to match actual usage.

Enforce diskless thin client workstations is not the best answer because changing endpoint architecture is an operational and cost decision and it does not by itself detect existing license violations on standard desktops. Thin clients can reduce local installs but they are not a detection mechanism for software already present on employee machines.

Cloud Asset Inventory can be useful but it may not capture all locally installed applications unless each workstation reports into the cloud inventory service. Relying only on cloud inventory may miss offline devices or applications that are not integrated with the cloud collector so it is less directly effective than performing automated scans on the endpoints themselves.

Deploy software metering on the corporate network helps monitor usage patterns and can inform license optimization, but metering often tracks execution rather than presence and it may not reveal all unauthorized installed copies. For full detection of license violations you need an inventory of installed applications in addition to usage data.

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