SAM Starter Kit: A fast track guide to. Software Asset Management

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2 SAM Starter Kit: A fast track guide to Software Asset Management 2

3 Legal You must not publish, sell, distribute or reproduce this book or any part of the starter kit without permission of the author. You can request permission for reproduction from The information contained in this book has been compiled from years of experience working with clients, software publishers, vendors and software asset management tools. Therefore please note: The contents of this book and included templates are intended to provide your organization with guidance with respect to reducing potential liability for failing to obtain and make use of the proper software licensing requirements. The author does not provide any guarantee that purchasing this kit will prevent any organization from failing a software audit. Should the customer be found subsequently liable for any software licensing violations after the implementation of this advice, The author shall not bear any liability or be required to indemnify the customer for any losses sustained or arising thereof. Notwithstanding the aforementioned and in the event the author may be found liable to the customer for services provided, the amount of liability shall not exceed the value of the purchase of this book and the customer should request in writing an appropriate refund for this purchase from the author, prior to the commencement of any legal proceeding. This publication is Copyright 2010 to Sandi Conrad All Rights Reserved Worldwide. First published by The ITAM Review in July The ITAM Review provides Independent News, Reviews and Resources for ITAM, SAM and Software Licensing Professionals. 3

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5 About the Author Sandi Conrad has been in the software business since 1991 and was one of the first Software Contract Administrators in Canada. She has been providing consulting services since 1996, helping hundreds of clients to understand their obligations and rights under a myriad of contracts and comparing licensing programs to find the most advantageous options for her clients. In 2005 she started her own company where she has provided auditing, asset management, purchase verifications and contract renewal services as well as providing general reseller services as required. Her credentials include certified software manager with SIIA, certified software practitioner with IBSMA, certified hardware asset management professional (CHAMP) with IAITAM, Microsoft Certified Software Asset Management Specialist, Microsoft Certified Volume Licensing Specialist, and holds several technical sales and sales certifications with various software publishers. She is based out of South Western Ontario, Canada. Sandi at sandi@conradassociates.com 5

6 SAM Starter Kit Inventory In this kit you will find the following items to help you get started: þ Software Asset Management Guide þ Project Charter template þ Return on investment calculator þ Corporate Anti- Piracy Policy template þ Employee Code of Ethics Template þ Employee Home Use Sign- off Sheet Template þ Employee Education video þ Microsoft Open License request for license information form þ Autodesk request for license information form 6

7 Introduction Over the years many of my clients who require assistance from a quick gap analysis to implementation of a full asset management plan have one feature that seems to stand out. Many companies, from the small to the very large, all complain that it is difficult to know where to start when it comes to setting up an asset management plan. Numerous helpdesk people over the years have revealed that by the time they finished their inventory, much of the information was out of date, no longer relevant and there was no way to truly know what was still accurate. In other cases, excel spreadsheets seem to work just fine, but they don t rely on them too heavily for compliance or budget requirements, and update them minimally due to the dynamic nature of IT assets. Throughout this book, as I refer to the software asset management (SAM) practice, I m referring to an internal practice within your company. If setting up a consulting practice, there are additional education and certification recommendations in addition to the benefits of several years of experience. Setting up a SAM practice requires full time focus and a commitment to achieving and maintaining compliant status. It involves setting up controls, safeguarding the software and managing all aspects of your IT assets. Hardware is not directly mentioned in this guidebook, but in setting up the tools for an effective SAM practice, hardware will be discovered and tracked, and software process changes will naturally include hardware in the processes. Starting down this road may also stir up interest among your software publishers, so in cases where you are asking questions of the publishers and where there is concern about your state of compliance, be prepared to act quickly to resolve issues as they are discovered. In most cases, publishers will be patient in letting you finish your self- audit, but that patience will only last so long. Creating an effective SAM practice has its rewards: overall the budgeting process is easier and more accurate, there is a greater ability to save money by redeploying assets and the power of negotiation is stronger by having all information at your fingertips. This guide will provide you with a process to set up your practice, templates to quickly create your business case, calculate ROI, create antipiracy statements and a video to educate your employees. The Starter Kit should get your practice up and running quickly so you can start down the road to compliance. If you have any questions or comments, I d love to hear from you at Sandi@conradandassociates.com. 7

8 Objective Risks of non- compliance In applying the strategies in this Software Asset Management (SAM) Starter Kit, your company will begin to effectively manage IT assets with a dynamic inventory list of hardware and components as well as software licenses. This will provide your organization with a repeatable, scalable solution to manage assets today and well into the future. An effective SAM practice will allow your organization to: } Quickly initiate a software asset management strategy } Redeploy assets wherever possible to save money } Minimize impact or avoid costly software audits } Improve budget process with both speed and accuracy } Understand product usage to better negotiate new licenses, support & maintenance } Reduce liability of license non- compliance } Improve data security } Improve your organization s efficiency, productivity and performance } Quickly communicate SAM policies to stakeholders and employees } Monitor and potentially reduce support costs By following the steps outlined in this document and using the templates and tools suggested your organization can have a formal software asset management practice in place in just a matter of weeks. If time is of a premium and a team or action items cannot be put in place immediately, portions of this process can be outsourced to an expert in the field of software asset management. Throughout this book, you will notice some repetition in asking you to document various steps. This is in keeping with ISO requirements and helps to provide solid business continuity. Organization such as BSA and SIIA have been granted the right to fine companies for non- compliance with the fines calculated at 3 times the retail price of each instance of non- licensed software. These fines do not include the price of purchasing the licenses. The additional purchase of software will then be negotiated between the software publisher and the company in violation of the licensing agreement. Software publishers retain the right to request audits should they feel there is reasonable cause. Many of their contracts state that the cost of the audit will be the responsibility of the end user company if they are found to be out of compliance. Software publishers also retain the legal right to determine the terms and conditions surrounding the purchase of compliance licenses. In some cases, mandatory maintenance, back- dated licensing and support are also included in the price of compliance. 8

9 SAM Starter Kit Preview This document is a preview of the SAM Starter Kit. Full details regarding the kit and to purchase a copy please visit: starter- kit/ If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact me: Martin Thompson The ITAM Review Martin.Thompson@itassetmanagement.net 9