5 Stages to Software Asset Management Program Bliss
Whether you’re just starting Software Asset Management (SAM) or well on your way to managing your software and licenses, you need goals to get to the next step.
We can help you at any stage.
FAQ: Why use a SAM Program Maturity Model?
The SAM program maturity model provides benchmarks to track the progress of your organization’s overall SAM goals. SAM program maturity refers to running a strategic ITAM endeavor that guides key business decisions across multiple departments.
Although software license compliance and cost savings were once considered the focus of a Software Asset Management program, these benefits are now just the beginning of your journey. Use the SAM program maturity model to assess your current position, identify challenge areas, and determine next steps.
What is your level of SAM Maturity?
1. SAM Education
Tracking company-wide software is labor-intensive. Software costs are unchecked. The license inventory is incomplete. Where do I begin?
2. Starting SAM
You’re implementing a discovery tool to collect software usage data and capture a full software inventory. Get started with license management.
3. Gain Compliance
You’ve laid the ground work to determine your company’s software compliance position using a SAM technology and dedicated staff. You’re ready to automate license reconciliation and processes. Start Proactive SAM.
4. Optimize and Save
Ensuring compliance and responding to audits is routine for your SAM program. You’re ready to review the most beneficial licensing scenarios and recommend the next level of cost-saving decisions. It’s time to optimize.
5. Strategic SAM
Aligned with business goals and always at the ready, your SAM program is ready to strategically guide daily and upcoming infrastructure and architecture decisions. Get Strategic SAM.
Make the decision to start a SAM program
You may know what software you’ve installed and licenses you’ve purchased but the information is unorganized and incomplete. Anything beyond a 1:1 desktop-to-license comparison is not tracked. With unplanned software costs and your inventory in chaos you are at risk for a software audit.
Chaos Phase:
- Uncheck software spend
- Disorganized software inventory
- Labor-intensive, incomplete processes
Learn everything you need to know about Software Asset Management (SAM)!
Keep up the momentum
A SAM program begins by implementing a discovery tool that collects software usage data and helps capture your current software inventory. However, this tool delivers only half of the SAM puzzle. It’s time to get your license inventory figured out. Start by nailing down your purchasing processes.
Reactive Phase:
- Initiate SAM governance and related processes
- Collect software license and raw inventory data
- Automate data normalization
- Gain static view of hardware and software inventory
The free SAM Program Guide provides an overview of what you need to consider and do, to launch an enterprise SAM program:
And talk to your stakeholders to get ready for automated SAM:
Automation and reporting to track progress
This is a major milestone! You have a SAM program in place to reduce audit risk. A proactive approach to SAM is now underway to determine a software compliance position, including dedicated SAM staff.
Now you need a comprehensive SAM technology firmly in place to reduce manual efforts and automate processes from license purchasing to software deployment. Automated reporting and reconciliation of license entitlements to your software inventory ensures transparency and continuous compliance.
Compliant Phase:
- Deploy SAM governance
- Manage software from request to deployment
- Automate reporting
- Reconcile software apply license intelligence (product Use Rights)
- Achieve baseline compliance position
Implement a platform for SAM that grows with you.
Big(ger) savings are on the horizon
Now it’s time to get deeper savings and contract negotiating power.
Look to extend your SAM program with tools that uncover the best optimization scenarios to help your organization optimize finances, right-size contracts and leverage existing inventory.
With high quality data and minimal manual effort, your SAM staff can recommend new strategies to lower costs and deliver peace of mind.
Optimized Phase:
- Negotiate improved contracts
- Analyze license trends
- Harvest/redeploy inventory
- Compare potential licensing scenarios
- Recommend optimal server configurations
- Attain transparent send chargebacks
Start with your biggest vendor:
Amplify your team's successes
A SAM program goes well beyond the SAM department. Software is the lifeblood of every company, so when you turn SAM into a strategic endeavor it guides key business decisions across multiple departments.
Your SAM now feeds into 4 key groups: Procurement, Data Center Architecture, Portfolio Management and Vendor Management – yet literally touches everyone in the company.
Find out how Strategic SAM can guide infrastructure or architectural decisions with the ability to simulate “what if” scenarios and more.
Strategic Phase:
- Drive business decisions with SAM program
- Share SAM data across company
- Influence infrastructure and architectural changes
- Identify savings by simulating IT environments
- Align IT portfolio with software licensing options
- Shift to results driven SAM strategy
Step into the future of SAM
Looking for advice?
At Aspera, we’ve done this a hundred times. Just contact us for help or more information: