in a major narrowing of ITAM / ISAM providers in the market ...Flexera's announcement would suggest that the "Joint offering and strengthened partner network will provide customers with more data and capabilities to understand their IT environments, manage cost and reduce risk", and interestingly (at least for now) state that they will "continue to innovate, enhance, maintain, and support both Flexera and Snow solutions". Now for those organizations that aren't flush with funds, and don't need a full FinOp's solution, but perhaps just want to get across their IT hardware and software landscape and garner control of those assets why not look at the niche solutions market here - including our own ComplianceWare product - you might well find that you can have a product at a much lower cost that meets your needs and solves the problems you have, without over investing in inflated platforms that are over-loaded, over-sold, and over-priced for what you actually need.
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Internal Audit Report highlights flaws in NASA's SAM Practices that many organizations will relate to.The OIG summary of their SAM audit says it all:
... with all of the above quantified in cost terms as:We estimate the Agency could have saved approximately $35 million ($20 million in fines and overpayments and $15 million in unused licenses) and moving forward could save $4 million over the next 3 years by implementing an enterprise-wide Software Asset Management program. All very compelling to implement improvements and progress NASA’s Software Asset Management from “basic” — the lowest of the four rating options in the Software Asset Management Maturity and Optimization Model developed by Microsoft — through the scale as per tiers and representations below:
The report is an insightful read for all SAM practitioners - and responsible management and executives - with clear language and succinct descriptions of the scope and challenges in the field of software asset management, and a pragmatic approach to the creation of an effective SAM Practice that applies to any size organization with a notable software inventory, not just those on the NASA scale. So, to the findings ...It was recommended that the Chief Information Officer: (1) establish enterprise-wide (institutional and mission) Software Asset Management policy and procedures; (2) implement a single Software Asset Management tool across the Agency; (3) align the Agency Software Manager position to report to the Agency Chief Information Officer; (4) establish formal legal representation and guidance for vendor software audits; (5) establish a software license awareness training ‘short course’ focusing on approvals, compliance, and other issues a general user might encounter; (6) implement a centralized repository for NASA’s internally developed software applications; and (7) develop an Agency-wide process for limiting privileged access to computer resources in accordance with the concept of least privilege. Additionally, to strengthen the financial aspects of NASA’s Software Asset Management it was recommended that the Chief Financial Officer: 8) implement a “penalty spend” classification in SAP to track license infractions and true-up payouts and 9) centralize software spending insights to include purchase cards. Nothing fresh there, just the usual (and often unheeded) advice.Insights from the latest Deloittes report following their global survey.
And of course the investment and value aspects are always front of mind: Deloittes rightly call out additional measures that organizations should factor into the value equation:
Given the challenges in collecting correct asset utilization data within the organization (29%) and recognition that a greater investment in ITAM tools and technology (25%) is required, it is not surprising that specialist third party support features in the report, in the main operating an on-premise ITAM tool (16%) or providing such as tool through a software-as-a-service (SaaS) platform (14%). Other key areas where external assistance is being sought includes software vendor-specific licensing expertise that is not often readily available in-house (27%), followed by ITAM tool maintenance (20%) or strategic advice to transform ITAM teams (20%) Lets not forget the ongoing bugbear that is audits ... what did respondents face in the past year: And finally, we wholeheartedly agree with Deloittes prediction "that the more progressive and astute organizations will increasingly recognize ITAM as a longer-term strategic investment that creates ongoing value across the entire organization going far beyond just their IT team." They also go on to say "this would be in sharp contrast to the more traditional (and increasingly fading) mindset that perceives this as a tactical one-off short-term fix, primarily aimed at minimizing costs related to IT assets." ... so if you're ready to get started with your SAM program - or want to move faster - we can help, just get in touch! |
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