Software asset management identifies what software is installed, where it is used, and by whom. It also involves monitoring software costs, ensuring compliance with licensing agreements, and eliminating redundant software!
Wondering if you need to implement SAM in your organization? Here are 6 reasons to implement software asset management:
1. Compliance
Ensuring compliance with software licensing agreements is crucial to avoid costly legal disputes. SAM helps organizations track software usage and ensure compliance with licensing agreements.
2. Cost savings
SAM can reduce software costs by identifying and eliminating unnecessary software licenses. It can also help organizations negotiate better deals with vendors by providing accurate data on software usage.
3. Inventory management
Today, up to 29% of IT organizations spend excess hours trying to reconcile inventory and assets or dealing with out-of-warranty policies. SAM helps organizations keep track of software inventory to ensure software is used efficiently. This can help reduce the risk of software under-utilization or misuse.
4. Increased visibility
Software asset management provides increased visibility into your software assets, allowing you to make informed decisions about software usage and costs. By performing regular software audits, businesses can ensure they are aware of all software assets, and their corresponding licensing agreements
5. Software Optimization
SAM helps businesses optimize their software usage by identifying underutilized or redundant software and eliminating it. This can save costs and improve organizational performance and productivity.
6. Security
Software asset management is an important aspect of IT security. By keeping track of software assets and keeping them up to date, businesses can reduce the risk of security vulnerabilities and breaches.
Getting started with SAM can seem daunting, but it doesn’t have to be. Here’s how to implement software asset management in three simple steps:
1. Assessment
To start, you will need to assess your current position and plan the scope of your SAM program, team, and budget. Take an initial inventory of your current software assets.
2. Define Requirements
Define your processes for software requests, procurement, and deployment. Then, you can begin to focus on processes for maintenance, redeployment, and retirement.
3. Launch Processes
Build out your required processes and plan for future audits and iterations. Create any templates your team may need and put together your SAM policy.
1 Assessment – To start, you will need to assess your current position and plan the scope of your SAM program, team, and budget. Take an initial inventory of your current software assets.
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2 Define Requirements – Define your processes for software requests, procurement, and deployment. Then, you can begin to focus on processes for maintenance, redeployment, and retirement !
3 Launch Processes – Build out your required processes and plan for future audits and iterations. Create any templates your team may need and put together your SAM policy!
A software asset manager plays a crucial role in the implementation and management of SAM within an organization. A software asset manager’s responsibilities include:
Identify software assets and track their usage
One of the primary roles of a software asset manager is to audit and track all software assets. This includes identifying all software installed on company devices, determining where it is used and by whom, and monitoring its usage. This information is then used to manage software inventory and costs.
Ensure compliance with software licensing agreements
In addition to tracking software usage, a software asset manager also plays a critical role in ensuring compliance with software licensing agreements. They are responsible for reviewing and interpreting software license agreements, identifying any potential compliance issues, and working to resolve them.
Manage software inventory and costs
Managing software inventory and costs is another important responsibility of a software asset manager. They are responsible for keeping track of software licenses and ensuring they are used and renewed efficiently. This includes identifying and eliminating unnecessary software licenses, negotiating better deals with software vendors, and implementing cost-saving measures.
Report on software usage and costs
...To ensure smooth implementation, it is best to have these tasks handled by a software asset manager. This person will oversee the implementation and management of SAM within the organization. .
Finally, a software asset manager is responsible for providing regular audit reports on software usage and costs. These reports help to provide visibility into software assets and can be used to make informed decisions about future software requirements.
Develop a software asset management policy
A software asset manager plays a critical role in developing and implementing a software asset management policy. They work to create a comprehensive policy that outlines how software is acquired, deployed, and tracked, as well as procedures for compliance, cost management, and inventory management.
What is a Software Asset Management Policy?
A software asset management policy is a set of guidelines for how an organization manages its software assets. A SAM policy should include details on how software is acquired, deployed, and tracked, as well as procedures for compliance, cost management, and inventory management.
A clear and comprehensive SAM policy can protect organizations from litigation, prevent unintentional overuse of licenses, and control the use of shadow software. As part of your software asset management policy, it is also recommended to document appropriate software usage guidelines for employees.
