Companies are finding it increasingly difficult to maintain a sufficient overview of the software they use. This is due to increasingly comprehensive license models, terms of use and license agreements from software manufacturers. Miscalculations can result in serious financial losses. In order to remain legally and audit compliant, considerable time and personnel resources are required, as well as appropriate tools for managing software licenses.
Software Asset Management (SAM) refers to the strategic management, control and protection of software and hardware assets in all phases of the lifecycle.
It aims to optimize the license budget and minimize expenses through enabled control, automated acquisition, use and deployment of software licenses. SAM includes many components, allowing you to stay on top of things.
Contact us nowBetter visibility of software as an asset of the company.
Software, or more precisely the rights to use it, represents a high value in the company. It is often - besides personnel - the largest cost factor in IT. These assets must be managed and used efficiently. However, this is only possible through transparency and comparison of current and desired (and audit-proof) software usage.
From implementation to uninstallation. All phases of usage are assessed and documented.
Software assets in the enterprise go through various phases, from planning, purchasing, deployment, maintenance to decommissioning. These phases and their monitoring is important as it significantly affects the value of the software in the enterprise. Over-licensing - if planned - can therefore provide a useful "buffer" instead of unnecessary additional expenditure.
Transparency enables risks to be identified and measures to be taken in good time.
The rights to use software are subject to the manufacturer's licensing terms, as well as general copyright law. An infringement - no matter how unintentional - represents a financial risk, sometimes to a considerable extent. Those who know and minimize this risk do not have to fear unexpectedly high costs due to an audit.
How can the software be used efficiently? We illuminate all aspects of your software usage.
A core task of Software Asset Management is cost optimization. Optimal licensing goes further than "just" ensuring compliance. It is about choosing the most cost-efficient licensing, taking into account technical and administrative requirements.
Continuous evaluation of the software in use ensures compliance with licensing regulations.
Software Asset Management also places high demands on data security and data protection. In some cases, it is also necessary to involve the works council - especially when it comes to user-related software and its evaluation (keyword metering). The goal is always to process as little data as possible, but as much as necessary. This results in improvements for organizations in data transparency and in the central availability of information, e.g., through integration into a SAM tool.
Processes and responsibilities must be clearly defined so that no risks arise from errors or ignorance.
Software Asset Management is itself a continuous process, in which roles and responsibilities are defined and information is passed between people, systems and interfaces. Often, all relevant information for effective SAM is already available, it just needs to be identified, shared and interpreted correctly.
When implementing Software Asset Management, the following steps have become established at our company:
Protect your company from the risk of license violations and minimize the risk of economic impact due to possible underlicensing. Our Software Asset Management (SAM) consultants will support you with their expertise and many years of experience.