The Two-Minute business case for SAM
As part of our ongoing review of our content to ensure it is up-to-date, this blog has been updated on 10/07/2016.
There is an argument that we’re in something of a ‘perfect storm’ at the moment: there has never been more awareness about Software Asset Management (SAM); there has never been a greater need for it (thanks to the combination of ever-increasing licensing complexity and greater pressures on spend) and there have never been better SAM technologies or expertise available.
There’s no shortage of documentation, either! Whether that’s technical advice on how to achieve SAM goals, or how to select the right technology. In fact, we have recently created a number of e-Books to help you cut costs on major vendors such as Microsoft, Oracle, IBM & SAP. There is, of course, also no shortage of business arguments. But where many of these documents fall short is brevity. You shouldn’t need a 100-page document to sell the benefits of SAM to your colleagues across the organization.
In short, SAM needs an elevator pitch, especially for Senior Management and C-Level Execs, as experts predict SAM will be their number one priority in the coming years. So with that in mind, here’s my two-minute business case for investing in Software Asset Management: Why invest in SAM? SAM is important because it offers:
- Control over risks, complexity of software assets and costs.
- Optimization with the use of software assets.
- Growth of on-premise or cloud infrastructure to meet business needs.
Who benefits from SAM? In short, everyone! Better management of software assets has a wider impact across the organization:
| Department | How they benefit |
| Human Resources | They ensure employee compliance by corporate regulations and policies that minimize security and legal threat. With SAM, the intake and outflow of employees and their software assets are better organized. |
| Procurement | Better understanding of their licensing position enables more effective procurement and contract negotiation. SAM enables effective centralized control and offers procurement simplified procedures, reporting and budgeting. |
| Legal | They are better prepared for compliance audits initiated by software vendors. SAM offers complete documentation of compliance. |
| Business | They ensure better budget planning of projected spends and acquisitions making their IT spending visible |
| IT |
Simplification of the IT footprint and gain control by knowing what they have. They can efficiently streamline procedures, upgrades, and deployments.
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How can I implement an effective Software Asset Management strategy? A SAM action plan can be broken down into four key stages:
| Plan | Check |
| 1. Perform an initial software inventory | Capabilities, limitations, and expectations regarding SAM technologies. |
| 2. Match installed software with licenses owned or subscribed to | Understand licensing metrics. Software licensing rules revolve around multiple metrics such as users, cores, processors, and devices. |
| 3. Review and set policies and procedures | How to automate manual processes and centralize control |
| 4. Develop and maintain a SAM Action Plan | Set roles and responsibilities for the administration of the software. Maintain a process for ongoing inventory control, including the disposal of software and hardware. |
So there you have it, the business value of SAM explained in two minutes flat! Of course, in reality, there is a lot more detail behind this plan, but use the points above as a guideline and you won’t go wrong.
To learn more about how to build a business plan for Software Asset Management within your organization, get in contact with Snow Software and book a test drive today!