How Software Asset Management (SAM) Tool helps minimize IT risk and optimize cost

Managing software assets requires careful planning and monitoring; least the whole process becomes challenging. There are a lot of activities to consider and understudy to achieve the required aim which is ultimately to reduce cost and achieve efficiency in your IT estate.   

The activities range from understanding and choosing which licensing agreements to sign up with, which vendor to settle on, which management style when adopted will serve your best interest to the user access controls you need to implement.   

Regardless of how well your organization is managing its IT infrastructure and software usage, there is always room for improvement. One way to optimize the process is using Software Asset Management (SAM) tools. These tools offer a range of benefits that can help increase visibility, improve monitoring, cut costs and streamline your operations.     

Software Asset Management, processes and use 

Software Asset Management (SAM) is putting together various processes that will help your organization maintain an inventory of software assets. The goal is to ensure that all your software acquired and in use, works in accordance with the licensing agreements and is utilized efficiently.    

SAM involves tasks such as…   

• Tracking software usage   
• Analyzing purchasing patterns   

• Ensuring compliance with regulations and audits.    

What to do prior to the implementation of the Software Asset Management (SAM) Tool 

 There will be the need to adopt and implement a tool that can track your software licenses adequately. Before the implementation:   

• Understand what the needs are in your organization and how you want them met. Be sure the tool adopted works in proximity with your roadmap leaving no or little room for guess work. Remember there are savings to be made and not incurring extra costs with a poor delivery tool will be much appreciated by management.  
• The tool implemented should capture information about software installed, products and services usage in your organization both on Cloud and on-premises. The tool should also record license agreements, the number of licenses purchased, the number of licenses in use, licenses not in use and ways to exploit savings avenue.   

Once you have this information, you can begin analyzing your software usage and identifying inefficiencies.   

What Software Asset Management adds to your operations as an organization   

It may look possible to manage your software assets without SAM tool but before you know it, there are significant drawbacks to doing so. For example, you may purchase licenses with the anticipation that each of your users or devices will need one to proceed with work.    

A SAM tool will be able to tell you which past licenses bought are idle in the system that will only require a re-allocation and not buying a new one entirely. Great savings to be made there!   

Again, you can have an inventory list of when all licenses commenced, renewal dates as well as expiration periods. This allows you visibility to track license use in your organization to avoid unexpected renewal dates, compliance related fines, poor reporting mechanism and you are also well informed and empowered with what purchasing decisions to make.   

You also cut down on unnecessary costs and totally avoid situations where you may not be aware of compliance issues resulting in hefty fines. SAM tools help monitor usage and determine if you are getting the most out of your software investments.   

What link exists between Software Asset Management and compliance?   

Yes, there is a strong link between SAM and compliance. Many organizations are subject to audits to ensure that they are compliant with licensing agreements. These audit procedures are triggered by Microsoft essentially to build on revenue mobilization and make sure licenses are used in accordance with agreements between the parties.   

Without SAM tools, it can be difficult to provide accurate information about the software you are using, which can result in penalties or fines. What SAM tools do is that they give you sure support to see and understand the software license use and happenings within your organization to avoid charges.   

Aspects of Software Asset Management and what they solve  

There are aspects of SAM that you will need to consider and try to understand. It is one thing getting information and another knowing how to interpret what you gather. The various aspects of SAM include:   

• Understanding your licensing agreements: As an organization, there is the need to appreciate what is involved with the terms of the agreement you sign to. You should know what the user rights are and what your license says when it comes to maintenance and support. You should also have a clear-cut roadmap when it comes to how you purchase, use and dispose of licenses.
• Tracking software usage: This does not come off as a walk in the park even with the use of SAM tool talk less of not having one implemented. There is the need to get experts who understand what it is they are looking for or at; ultimately to cut down on costs. A SAM tool, most importantly, automates and simplifies the tracking process to save time, improve accuracy, reduce the risk of non-compliance and save on cost.  
• Analyzing software purchasing patterns: This process involves closely examining data related to software purchases made by your organization over a specific period. Analysis is made to identify trends, patterns, and variances in purchase behavior. This provides insight into the current state of software asset management and helps optimize future purchasing decisions. The SAM tool uses sophisticated algorithms to analyze this information and generate reports that highlight areas where the company may be over or under-licensed.   
• Ensuring software compliance: SAM tools assist in generating reports that provide a comprehensive view of software license compliance status. These reports go further to highlight any non-compliant software installations and identify potential licensing gaps.   

Q-Advise experts assisting you to achieve a successful Software Asset Management process   

Our team of SAM experts can assist you start by successfully deciding how to choose a third-party SAM tool that can help track your on-premises licenses and Cloud services.  With this in place, you can gather the correct information to analyze your software usage to identify areas where you can cut costs and improve efficiency.    

You also get to ensure that you are compliant with all licensing agreements and Microsoft requirements. We further assist with how you can regularly review your SAM process to ensure it is still meeting the needs of your organization.   

Why consider Q-Advise SAM tool to manage and optimize your software  

• Q-Advise SAM tool helps guard an organization’s software assets and manage licenses efficiently.  
• It delivers up-to-date information on software licensing and usage, ensuring compliance to avoid costly penalties.  
• It provides insights to help make informed decisions on software procurement and deployment.  
• Q-Advise uses the SAM tool to change the work for business to optimize software assets.  

The valuable insights, i.e. software usage, identifying inefficiencies that are costing your organization money can all be avoided starting with implementing or improving your organization’s Software Asset Management process.

Contact us to start you on the path of achieving actionable results.