Status Update: Six Feet Under
27 January 2012
By Stuart Dicken
Returning to work after Christmas is a challenge for everyone, but with the added pressure of increased software audits for 2012, the future can look very daunting! During a recent conversation with a friend we came to discuss the implications of unlicensed software. One question that popped up was “If the software deployed is unused, then why am I paying for the licence?”
While I could understand where they were coming from, it led me to realise that the gap in understanding SAM looks to be increasing. A scary thought, with so many prospective vendors out there considering audit proceedings! So, how do Enterprises achieve simple SAM? Investing in SAM solutions may be a simple way to reduce your IT expenditure, however without the knowledge and expertise to do this, then it isn’t so simple after all.
Last spring, the Experton Group asked corporate decision-makers about the state of licence management in their companies. Nearly 60% of the respondents at firms with 500 to 1000 employees said they hardly had any control over licence management, or no control at all. The percentage was still nearly a third for companies with 1,000 or more employees.
“There’s frequently no key staff member handling this issue within the company, in neither IT nor purchasing,” Experton’s said.
Not to mention that in highly dynamic IT environments and with the constant changes taking place in vendor license models, it’s nearly impossible to manage software licenses with manual processes. But the process which is much too often regarded as a headache is also a massive opportunity to optimise your software licenses and take hold of the advantages that Software Asset Management (SAM) delivers.
Enterprises should seize the opportunity to turn licence chaos into licence agility! Putting my Software Asset Management (SAM) hat on, isn’t SAM about understanding the contextual data i.e. On which devices is the software installed and/or running? Who is using them, how often and for what purpose? What are the license costs? What is the right cost for the software I need?
Without clear, accurate answers to these questions, your SAM Baseline exercise - to understand what software you use and what software you are entitled to use, will always take longer than it should, cost more and increase the risk of business disruption, frustrate users and restrict future plans.
Gartner research shows that the proper selection and implementation of a SAM Solution can reduce your IT budget requirements by up to 30% within the first year. SAM Baselines exercises carried out by Certero have proved that organisations who achieve an Optimised Licence Position (OLP) can significantly improve licence management processes and save thousands on unused licenses.
Because it’s based on detailed facts about number of software installed, software usage and entitlement, Certero SAM Services will ensure that you choose the best possible solution for your organisation
Understanding what you have in your software estate is the first step towards improved asset management and licence optimisation.
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