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Many companies invest a huge amount of money on software, but lack the capability to manage their software assets properly. This could result in security, wastage, and legal issues. Therefore, an increasing number of organisations are putting a proper software asset management (SAM) system in place. This guide is created based on our experience helping our clients out with SAM. Of course, our list maynt be complete nevertheless its a start.
Prevents over-licensing Your purchasing department may be unaware of unused excess software licences available in your company. They could be buying additional licences upon end-users requests needlessly. Avoids payment for maintenance of software no longer in use There could be software products that are no longer in use, and your company could still be paying your vendors for them to be supported. SAM would be able to help you identify which those software products are. Minimises security risks Some of your colleagues could be downloading file sharing software applications and they pose security hazards. An effective software inventory system can deter them. Reduces pilferage of software licenses Sometimes, employees leaving the company may take along with them software licences that belong to the company. Regular, proper software audit would help reduce such instances. Ensures regulatory compliance SAM helps your company get adequately licensed for your software use, thereby complying with the copyright law. As a result, your company wont be caught using pirated software and sustain damage to its public image.
1 Do you know the actual number of desktop PCs, notebook PCs, pocket PCs, and servers currently in use by your organisation? 2
Do you know whether you have a licence for all the software programmes installed on your systems?
Are you confident no employee has installed any unauthorised software programme in your company?
Did you acquire all your software products from trustworthy sources?
Does your company have a written policy for installing and copying software programmes and/or purchasing software licences?
Does the person responsible for software licence compliance or your IT vendor have specialised knowledge of software licensing issues?
8 Do you conduct regular checks to ensure the software youve installed is adequately licensed?
If youve answered either No or Unsure, your company is at risk you should have a proper SAM system in place.
1. Administe r
2. Audit
4. Acquire
3. Assess
Do we have a Use of Personal Computer Software agreement that any new employee must acknowledge upon joining the organisation?
Audit
Keeping an inventory of software used and licences acquired so as to determine whether your organisation is compliant, and ensuring you dont purchase excess licenses.
PLANNING ITEMS Yes DONE No Unsure REMARKS
Have we nominated a software asset manager responsible for maintaining our software asset management system?
Have we made a list of all desktop PCs, notebook PCs, pocket PCs, and servers being used by our company?
Have we identified the software programmes installed on all hardware? Record the product name, version number, and serial number for all software loaded. Do we use a software inventory and asset management tool for data gathering?
Have we matched the number of software installations we have made and the licences obtained?
Assess
Acquiring adequate software licences required by your business.
PLANNING ITEMS Yes DONE No Unsure REMARKS
If installations are found to be more than licences acquired, shall we uninstall the software programme from PCs that no longer require it or transfer the software licence from a non-user to a user? If our company is still underlicensed after the appropriate uninstallations or transfers have been done, have we set a timeline to acquire the licences required? If we are over-licensed, do we have procedures to ensure we do not purchase additional licences?
Are we working with a software licensing specialist who can advise us on the correct licensing option to acquire for our business needs?
Acquire
Obtain genuine software products.
PLANNING ITEMS Yes DONE No Unsure REMARKS
Have we compiled a list of software supported by our company that our employees may request to use?
Do our employees need to get special approval before downloading software from the Internet?
Aggregate
Maintain a list of software products acquired and find a secure place to store them.
PLANNING ITEMS Yes DONE No Unsure REMARKS
Have we consolidated all software licences (comprising licence and proof of ownership/purchase documentation), installation media, and product serial numbers acquired and kept them in a safe place? Do we regularly update our software licence inventory records?
Does the software inventory list help us in making clear software purchase decisions?
Do we review our hardware, software, and licence registers periodically (minimum once a year)?
Contact Us
If you need help with software asset management, you may contact one of us in these countries:
Singapore
Nick Tham Software Exchange (Singapore) Pte Ltd Tel +65 6883 1411 Fax +65 6883 1410 Email nick@swxone.com
Malaysia
Sarah Yap Software EXC (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd Tel +60 3-2145 1280 Fax +60 3-2145 1282 Email sarah@swxone.com
Vietnam
Truong Hoang Lam Tel +84 8 3511 9465 Fax +84 8 3511 9470 Email lam@swxone.com
This document is for informational purposes only. SOFTWARE EXCHANGE MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED.