This guest post is by Rashed Khan
It is only natural for an organisation which is doing well to attempt to expand the business but as this happens, it becomes increasingly difficult to oversee all processes within the organisation and unfortunately overseeing the Software licences which the business has is one factor which is commonly overlooked. This challenge is something that good Software Asset management software can help to overcome but to fully understand why many organisations are now embracing Software Asset Management as a necessary addition to their organisation, let us have a look at some of the benefits of using SAM software:
1. Cost benefits
One of the benefits which Business owners find most attractive about Software Asset Management software is that it can help improve their bottom line by reducing costs in fact it is not uncommon for companies to see cost savings of around 10% per annum after using Software Asset Management software for a few years. Software Asset management software can track the organisations software licences and ensure that the organisation does not purchase licences which it does not need. Each SAM manufacturer’s software does this in different ways to varying levels of success but typically, good Software Asset Management software should be able to effectively carry out the following:
- Ensure all licences are being used and that no money is being wasted on licences which are not necessary
- Allow organisations to better plan for the future by identifying software requirements as well as identifying updates to software that the organisation has purchased.
- The system is error free and does not allow surprise fines to occur.
2. Security benefits
Software Asset management Software tracks all the software within the company which means that if a member of staff downloads some unauthorised software the Software Asset Management software will record it and the managerial staff will be able to take appropriate action if this occurs. This not only reduces the security risks by preventing virus plagued software from being downloaded but it has also reportedly improved productivity as staff are no longer able to download socialising programs such as MSN Messenger.
3. Productivity benefits
A sign of a good Software Asset Management system is that it improves overall employee productivity which will help make the business run smoother due to happier staff who able to carry out their daily task more efficiently. A good Software Asset management system will typically improve productivity in two ways:
- It will manage a vast array of documentation such as software user manuals, reference material and product support documentation. Having these documents in a safe and organised place means that staff can easily get access to these documents as and when they are required which helps to make staff work more productively.
- Most Software Asset management systems will automatically update all software when a new version is released. This ensures that all the version of software being used throughout the organisation is consistent thus preventing troublesome problems due to file conflicts and compatibility issues. Removing any chance for errors to occur is the first step to improving productivity within an organisation.
4. Legal benefits
The main benefit of using Software Asset management software is the legal benefits that it brings in the sense that if a ‘surprise’ software audit takes place you can sit back and relax safe in the knowledge that your Software Asset management system has got your back covered. A SAM system will track the licences that a company has and will notify the correct authorities if a piece of software is found lurking around which the organisation does not have a licence for and appropriate action can then be taken. Further to this, most good Software Asset Management programs will print out a list of all the licences that a company has with all the relevant details that a software auditor would require thus helping to make the software audit a very simple and stress free process. A large number of companies have praised their Software Asset management system for protecting them from potential software licencing related fines. In addition to helping organisations stay on top of their software licences, SAM also ensures that they are complying with Government regulations in terms of licencing but also in terms of the proper treatment of their software assets.
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This guest post is by Rashed Khan. Rashed is not an employee of nztechie.com and the views expressed do not represent those of nztechie.com
