Four Key Challenges Associated with Software Asset Management

Discovery systems also find many unwanted details or "noise" in the form of all software installed on devices instead of the relevant software that needs to be tracked. This extra noise is unnecessary and burdens the IT team or the SAM team, which has to sort through the information manually.

Fremont, CA: Software Asset Management (SAM) is associated with controlling, managing, and leveraging the assets and costs of the software of an organization. According to ITIL (Information Technology Architecture Library), "All infrastructure and processes are necessary for the effective management, control, and protection of software assets within the organization throughout all phases of the life cycle." In certain situations, the Chief Information Officer (CIO) or Software Asset Manager is responsible for SAM.

Let's take a look at the five major pain points that commonly appear with SAM.

Unwanted Noise Discovery

Discovery is the initial stage of SAM in which the relevant software assets are identified. Unfortunately, discovery systems also find many unwanted details or "noise" in the form of all software installed on devices instead of the relevant software that needs to be tracked. This extra noise is unnecessary and burdens the IT team or the SAM team, which has to sort through the information manually.

Changing the IT environment

The complexity and flux of the organization's environment compound the challenges associated with SAM. License evolves when software updates are changed to make things more complicated. Cloud apps and services generate their own collection of complexities in handling several SaaS (Software as a Service) application licenses and monitoring their use and compliance. As a result, even though an organization manages to get a clear view of their compliance status, their IT configuration has probably already shifted, leaving their compliance status questionable.

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Blacklisted software

In several companies, workers can download and install unauthorized software that poses potential risks and can adversely affect employee productivity. Typical non-authorized software includes gaming applications, pirated music players, and so on. If blacklisted software is in use, you are not in control of your IT estate.

Reactive Approach

The majority of the organizations struggle to prepare for audits at the least minute instead of being audit-ready. This reactive strategy will lead to an unpleasant surprise when audits are carried out. Penalties for non-compliance of licenses with the terms of the contract can cost organizations thousands or even millions of dollars. A proactive strategy that keeps a company audit-ready in advance mitigates risks and penalties.