> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.goguardian.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Overview

> GoGuardian Discover shows app usage, device activity, and license costs so your district can review adoption, manage contracts, and enforce policies.

GoGuardian Discover gives you data to review software license usage, manage vendor contracts, and identify apps that need policy attention.

<CardGroup cols={3}>
  <Card title="Getting Started" icon="play" href="/products/discover/understand-discover">
    Learn what Discover does and how it's organized.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Dashboard and Data" icon="chart-bar" href="/products/discover/filter-dashboard-data">
    Filter, read, and compare dashboard metrics.
  </Card>

  <Card title="App Catalog" icon="grid-2" href="/products/discover/browse-app-catalog">
    Browse apps, review fields, and check policy and terms.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Licenses and Contracts" icon="file-contract" href="/products/discover/manage-licenses">
    Manage licenses and upload contracts.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Admin Integration" icon="shield" href="/products/discover/block-app-in-admin">
    Block apps in GoGuardian Admin from Discover.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Troubleshooting" icon="wrench" href="/products/discover/fix-missing-data">
    Resolve missing data and failed uploads.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## Understand What GoGuardian Discover Does

Discover turns raw app usage data into strategic intelligence. Instead of guessing which tools students actually use, you get verifiable, continuously updated metrics that let you make confident decisions about your edtech budget, vendor contracts, and compliance posture.

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="AI-powered license usage analytics" icon="brain">
    AI identifies unused and underused licenses and recommends exactly which subscriptions to cut or renegotiate.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Identify unused and underused licenses" icon="magnifying-glass-chart">
    Easily generate reports showing licenses that were purchased but never used, so you can find savings before contract renewals.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Usage by grade, classroom, and subject" icon="chart-bar">
    Analyze app adoption down to the grade level, classroom, and subject area to guide targeted professional development.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Vendor contract negotiation intelligence" icon="handshake">
    Enter vendor meetings with precise usage patterns, adoption rates, and engagement data to negotiate better pricing and terms.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Unsanctioned app detection" icon="triangle-exclamation">
    Instantly surface applications being used by students that have not been approved by your district's IT policy.
  </Card>

  <Card title="App privacy and terms change alerts" icon="bell">
    Automatically track changes to app privacy policies and terms of service so you are notified when a tool's data practices shift.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Security gap identification" icon="shield-halved">
    Maintain a continuous, auditable inventory of all applications in use and identify tools that may introduce security risks.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Compliance verification for data privacy" icon="circle-check">
    Confirm that only properly vetted tools are in use across your district, supporting your data privacy compliance obligations.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## Save Money with GoGuardian Discover

Districts often carry unused or underused software licenses from year to year because renewal decisions happen before usage data is available. Discover solves this by giving you a clear picture of adoption before your contracts come up for renewal.

You can generate reports that show, for every application in your inventory, how many licenses were purchased versus how many were actually used — broken down by school, grade level, or classroom. This lets you go into budget conversations with concrete evidence rather than estimates.

<Note>
  Discover updates data once per day, during off-hours. Usage and license data in your reports reflects the most recent completed refresh cycle.
</Note>

## Generate Negotiation-Ready Reports

When a vendor contract comes up for renewal, Discover gives you the data you need to negotiate from a position of strength. You can pull reports on:

* Usage rates and adoption percentages across your district
* Which schools or grade levels are actively using a tool versus ignoring it
* Trends over time showing whether adoption is growing or declining

Presenting this data in a vendor meeting shifts the leverage. Vendors cannot dispute verified usage numbers, and districts consistently use this intelligence to negotiate lower per-seat costs or reduce license counts to match actual use.

## Manage App Inventory

Discover provides a continuous inventory of every application in use across your district, not just the ones your IT team officially sanctioned.

When a student or teacher uses a tool that is not on your approved list, Discover flags it so you can investigate and make a policy decision. This protects your district from tools that may collect student data without proper vetting, violate district security policies, or create compliance gaps.

Discover also identifies changes to app privacy policies and terms of service over time. If an approved tool changes how it handles student data, you will know — so you can review the change and act before it becomes a compliance issue.

<Warning>
  Unsanctioned apps may collect student data in ways that violate FERPA, COPPA, or your district's data privacy agreements. Use Discover to identify and block these tools before they become a liability.
</Warning>

## Connect with GoGuardian Admin

Discover data works directly with [GoGuardian Admin](/products/admin) to close the loop between visibility and enforcement.

License utilization metrics and app inventory data inform your filtering policies. When Discover identifies an unsanctioned or high-risk application, you can immediately create a blocking rule in GoGuardian Admin. This means the insights you generate in Discover translate directly into action without requiring manual coordination between tools.

## Frequently Asked Questions

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="How do I justify EdTech spending to the board?">
    Discover provides verifiable data on application usage and adoption rates. You can generate reports showing which applications are highly utilized and delivering instructional value, giving you the evidence you need to justify renewals and budget proposals to school board members and district leadership.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can Discover help with vendor contract negotiations?">
    Yes. Discover identifies underused or unused licenses and applications before renewal deadlines. This gives you critical leverage in contract discussions — you can negotiate for better pricing based on actual utilization or cut costs on tools with low adoption. Vendors cannot dispute usage data pulled directly from student activity.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="How does Discover handle unsanctioned apps?">
    Discover tracks every application in use across your district and flags tools that have not been approved by your IT policy. It identifies unsanctioned applications that may pose privacy risks or violate your security policies, so you can investigate and block them immediately through GoGuardian Admin.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="How often is data updated?">
    Discover updates data once per day, during off-hours. Usage and license data in your reports reflects the most recent completed refresh cycle.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Does Discover help with privacy compliance?">
    Yes. By identifying all applications in use — including unsanctioned ones — Discover helps you ensure that your district is only using tools that have been properly vetted for data privacy compliance. This supports your obligations under FERPA, COPPA, CIPA, and applicable state laws.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>