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Creating a Blueprint for Software Asset Management

04 May 2012

By Laura Stevens

In our previous Blog entry we discussed the challenges unused software can create and since writing this we have been asked to delve deeper into the aspects of preparing for a SAM Programme and to offer our experiences in this area. For every IT organisation, IT asset management (ITAM) is truly a “need to have” these days for reasons including compliance and cost containment. A fundamental part of ITAM is Software Asset Management (SAM). In the eyes of some, it's a strategic IT initiative. In the eyes of others, it's seen a time consuming and costly task. In my view, Software Asset Management is a valuable concept to those who take the time to truly define it and relate it to the practical IT challenges they face today.

Over the last few months we have helped a number of customers to create the foundations for SAM by implementing, managing and evaluating current and potential strategies to achieve their business objectives. Here are some tips for getting started and a taster for next week’s webinar:

Understand your current environment in detail before you decide where to take it
Advanced Inventory to track all hardware and software inventory and accurately reconcile 95% of the Top 10 Vendors – AssetStudio® can do this for you! With the right software tools, it is possible to discover your assets, extract the inventory information on your software deployment and save this vital information to a SAM database. Unique automation capabilities can ease this process, maintaining an ELP without the unnecessary administration intervention, thus removing complex processes and associated risks, and ensuring SAM critical information is available in real time.
Virtual Harmony - Software licensing can be a complex area due to the fact that software is licensed and not owned, and it is a complexity that is compounded in a virtualised environment, where there is an increased probability that organisations will violate their existing licence agreements. According to research firm Forrester, 69% of companies questioned recently stated that Virtualisation would be a major part of their IT strategy in the next 12 months. AssetStudio® allows you to control the licence management and report on compliance for Virtual environments:

o Automatic ‘best fit’ assignment of licenses at the click of a button

o Warning if Microsoft’s 90 day licence policy is violated

o Provide evidence of compliance and licensing

Terminal Services – Identify software usage by device. With a structured and organised view of your IT estate, avoiding the ‘You can’t manage what you don’t know’ scenario, delivering substantial cost avoidance, and better control of its Citrix environment can become a reality. For example, if an organisation has published Microsoft Project then all devices (both PCs and Thin Clients) that can access Microsoft Project would have to be licensed regardless of actual requirements. Even though the users of a device might not be able to access a published application (software), the device itself still needs to be licensed. By denying access to the device, licenses are no longer required, and, as a result, can be released.
Take your ELP to an OLP Prevent unnecessary licence purchases. Why stop at an Effective License Position (ELP) , when you can reach an Optimised License Position (OLP)? After identifying what you have, the next logical step is to identify what you are using. One scenario could be; an organisation may well have 2,000 Microsoft Project licences, but only be using 1,800 of them. WithSoftwareMetering For Decision Makers® you can remove and re-harvest these unused licences.
Provide usage evidence to present to negotiate contracts with software vendor. Licence entitlements are essential pieces of information and there are many entitlements to collate. All types of licenses need to be collated, but how do you know if you have them all? Aside from talking to procurement, looking in cupboards and filing cabinets and talking to vendors, it’s undoubtedly a difficult task, as is making sense of them, if you find them all. This information forms an integral part of your SAM database, and from a volume licensing point of view, the information can be easily drawn up with a reconciliation tool. This allows you to create usable license information including key data such as upgrade/downgrade rights. Certero Customer NHS Wiltshire was above to complete all of the above which enabled them to provide usage evidence to present to software vendors which saved thousands on licensing expenditure.

Whether you are charting your future SAM Strategy or looking for ways to accelerate near term projects such as removing access to unauthorised software, you will come away with insights you can put to work right away.