Software Asset Management General Information

The general information article section is designed to provide an introduction into the various topics and issues of Software Asset Management. As this information is introductionary, it would be most useful for people who are new to a Software Asset Management role, are thinking about a career in Software Asset Management or for people wanting to understand what is Software Asset Management. These articles are written from a Software Asset Management practitioner's point of view of managing a Software Asset Management program from within an organisation, which means that the articles are based on the pragmatic approach to Software Asset Management from many years of day to day real world experience.  

There is a brief description of each article list below and there is a link to each individual article that maybe of interest to you. The Topic Specific articles are designed to provide a step by step approach in Software Asset Management. These articles will be exposing the deeper Software Asset Management issues, the approaches needed in addressing these issues and what are the major Software Asset Management capabilities that are required to build an enduring Software Asset Management capability.

SAM Data Integrity - Data integrity of the Software Asset Management information that is gathered through automatic and/or manual methods is paramount in understanding the software licensing position. Data integrity is achieved through the rigorous application of data controls and the verification through auditing activities of the completeness and quality of the data.  The SAM data integrity article is available here.

SAM Record Keeping - Record keeping is an important activity that needs to be continuously undertaken by the SAM team. There will always be a requirement to obtain records from a previous time.  The SAM record keeping article is available here.

SAM Maturity model - A SAM maturity model provides guidance on the capabilities that should be displayed and evidenced at a certain maturity level. A SAM maturity model would typically identify best practices and evidence of the best practice at a maturity level. A SAM maturity model provides a benchmark; it can help to identify future goals, process improvements and priorities of the numerous SAM activities that your team undertakes.  The SAM Maturity model article is available here.

Software Leasing - Software leasing provides an alternative option in financing the use of software. A software lease provides the opportunity to spread the cost of the use of software over the lease period and removes the requirement for a large upfront payment for access to use the software.  The Software leasing article is available here.

SAM Cloud Software - If your organisation will be utilising Cloud Services, then an analysis of the Software Asset Management responsibilities will need to be undertaken. Policies, processes and procedures need to be implemented with the use of Cloud Services, to ensure that the software being used is approved and compliant to the software licensing agreement. The SAM Cloud Software article is available here.

SAM Team Restructure Overview - At some point in time, there will be a need to revisit how your SAM team is structured. This restructure will include the teams roles and responsibilities, its engagement with other teams and internally within the team, its charter within the organisation, its performance and reporting capabilities. There will be many triggers that could potentially initiate this review. The overview article on restructuring the SAM team is available here.

Software Contract Planning - The time and effort spent on software contract planning will provide benefits many times over from the investment made into planning. Software contract planning will consider a number of important factors that are required for the management of the contract. The planning activity is designed to ensure that all possible software contract benefits are identified and that a plan on how to deliver the outcomes from those benefits can be achieved The article on software contract planning is available here.

Software Disputes - Software disputes can occur at any time, often without any forewarning. Disputes with the software vendor can escalate quite quickly if left unattended. These unattended disputes than can become quite costly and require a significant amount of time to resolve. Good relationship management techniques will resolve most disputes quite quickly without damaging the relationship.  The article on software disputes is available here.

Software Contract Administration - Software contract administration is an important role to be undertaken within an organisation. Software contract administration relies on good documentation to provide a solid foundation to the administration of software contracts. Good documentation is part of good record keeping practices, where records should be available to be accessed to properly authorised personnel.  The article on software contract administration is available here.

Relationship Management - The management of the relationship between your organisation and the software vendor is very important. The relationship should meet both your organisation and the software vendors outcomes. A good relationship with a software vendor can be most beneficial to your organisation in gaining access to knowledge and information that may not be readily available.  The article on relationship management is available here.

Server Software Management - The management of software installed on servers is challenging when there are few or no controls in place. The administrators of these servers are primarily focused on server availability and will seek to have the highest capacity server with the most robust and feature rich software. This can be counter productive to SAM goals.  The article on how to implement server software management is available here.

Centralised Software Purchasing - How: Part Two - Following on from Part One on how to implement centralised software purchasing, there are a number of additional requirements when determining how to implement Centralised Software Purchasing. This article provides a number of those important practical steps. The ability to control the purchasing of software will have a direct bearing of the effectiveness of SAM in your organisation.  The article on how to implement centralised software purchasing is available here.

Centralised Software Purchasing - How: Part One - There are a number of requirements when determining how to implement Centralised Software Purchasing, this article provides a number of those important practical steps. The ability to control the purchasing of software will have a direct bearing of the effectiveness of SAM in your organisation.  The article on how to implement centralised software purchasing is available here.

Centralised Software Purchasing - Why - There are many reasons why Centralised Software Purchasing should be undertaken, this article provides a number of those important reasons. The ability to control the purchasing of software will have a direct bearing of the effectiveness of SAM in your organisation.  The article on why to implement centralised software purchasing is available here.

Software Asset Management Challenges - There are many challenges to Software Asset Management that occur on a daily basis. This article addresses a few of the most common challenges that face an existing SAM program. The ability to identify and to assess your approach in how you will address these challenges in a systemic and continual fashion, will have a bearing of the effectiveness of SAM in your organisation.  The article for the challenges of Software Asset Management is available here.

Starting or Improving Software Asset Management - To start or improve Software Asset Management takes a significant investment in time, resources and effort. There are a number of key activities that need to be undertaken to ensure that the key achievements of Software Asset Management is known to a wide range of people. Your and your team members will need to have specific personal characteristics to be successful in SAM.  The starting or improving the Software Asset Management capability article is available here.

Software Asset Management Information and Professionalism - The management of Software Asset Management information and the professionalism displayed by staff are key issues for Software Asset Management. These key issues are greatly influenced by your organisations code of ethics. The code of ethics is a guidance set of rules for staff to reference when they interact with other people within or external to the organisation.  The Software Asset Management Information and Professionalism article is available here.

Software Asset Management Vendor Relationship Management - Vendor Relationship Management is a key capability that can provide your organisation with a number of benefits in supporting the business. Like all relationship management activities, there is a considerable investment required by both your organisation and the vendor’s organisation. The Software Asset Management Vendor Relationship Management article is available here.

Software Asset Management Benefits - There are numerous benefits that can be achieved from Software Asset Management that contribute to a wide range of IT capabilities. These benefits include financial, reputational, service management, operations, standardisation and many more. The Software Asset Management Benefits article is available here.

Software Asset Management Risks - One of the main purposes of a Software Asset Management program is to reduce financial and reputational risks from not being compliant with the software terms and conditions. Whilst a lot of attention is paid in addressing these risks there are a number of other risks that a Software Asset Management needs to also address, to ensure that there is a systemic approach to risk reduction. The Software Asset Management Risks article is available here.

Software Asset Management Product Life Cycle - The active involvement by the software asset management team in the Software Asset Management Product Life Cycle is a key capability to any Software Asset Management capability. The lifecycle commences at the architecture stage and flows through all the various Software Asset Management Product Life Cycle until the decommission stage many years later. Only through the ongoing management of the Software Asset Management Product Life Cycle can the risks to Software Asset Management at a software product level be treated before they become an issue. The Software Asset Management Product Life Cycle article is available here.

Software Asset Management Complexity to Manage - The management complexity of Software Asset Management can be quite daunting, however like all good challenges with the right amount of planning, the right attitude, the willingness to try, succeed, learn from failures the Software Asset Management complexity can be managed. Software Asset Management requires skills and knowledge across a broad range of business and IT disciplines. The Software Asset Management Complexity To Manage article is available here.