“It is important to prioritise your efforts, as the chances are that upwards of 80% of the annual software spend goes on software from just a handful of vendors.” Tina Fruhauf, Practice Leader at Computacenter peels back the covers and explains what factors should be considered when prioritising vendors when starting a SAM program. I often get asked, ‘Where do I start?’, when... 

Matt Fisher is business development director at software asset management and license management tools company License Dashboard. As an industry spokesperson Fisher has been critical in the past of the BSA’s (BSA | The Software Alliance) so-called “attack dog” tactics, which it has allegedly employed in its fight to champion the cause of intellectual property enforcement. He questions the validity... 

What do people mean when they refer to a ‘SKU Catalogue’ for license management? In this article I hope to demonstrate why organizations utilise SKU catalogues, the difference between SKU catalogues and software recognition and the business value to SAM practitioners. Shopping for Coca-Cola Browse any supermarket around the world and you are likely to find a section of the store dedicated to Coca-Cola... 

An ITAM Review reader writes: Reader: In my organization, I face a problem that may take sometime to solve, but something that you may have come across earlier. We have users who speak in ambiguous language yet the service desk forces us to understand requirements and provide something. It is my firm belief that the user should know exactly what he wants. Another problem I have is with the users requesting... 

Andy Fisher examines the Software Asset Management (SAM) landscape on the road ahead and asks what 2013 is likely to bring.  In November 2012, we hosted a seminar for senior management around the future of Software Asset Management. The seminar included speakers from Gartner, Microsoft and PwC and threw up some key trends around what the SAM landscape is likely to look like in 2013. I am keen to share... 

Software Asset Management - The First Ninety Days I am in the process of writing a book on SAM with Simone van Sambeek and Kai van Hoeckel. Our book in entitled ‘Software Asset Management – The First Ninety Days‘. Our goal is to help new SAM professionals learn the territory and begin to plot their strategy. Book Objectives Highlight the benefits of SAM Allow the reader to assess... 

Rory Canavan: SAM in the City You’re not Corporate… These words were used to describe me over 12 months ago, mid-way through a SAM engagement for a global client.  I might have shrugged off such a comment; however this statement came from my boss at the time.  So whilst I felt disappointed that I wasn’t (in their eyes) the embodiment of commercial acumen, it did get me thinking –... 

"Software Asset Management (SAM) may be a small line item within a huge all-encompassing contract" Outsourcers are a major part of the IT landscape. Third party service providers and integrators are responsible for managing a large proportion of public and private sector infrastructure and systems. For outsource contracts to be profitable they usually have to encompass a vast array of IT... 

Click to Enlarge This is the third and final article digging into feedback from Partners and Suppliers for our research study with Stephen Mann from Forrester. See also: Which services do SAM Partners offer? and Business Drivers for SAM Adoption Blockers to SAM Progress For this section we asked: What are the biggest blockers to progress with SAM? Participants were asked to provide general feedback... 

Australian IT software asset management accolades don’t come along every week by and large, so good news this week comes from Filipa Preston who is CEO and founder of Software Optimisation Services, a boutique IT and Software Asset Management (SAM) consultancy practice. Preston has become the first SAM practitioner “outside of Europe” to meet all of the requirements of KPMG’s SAM Expert Assessment,...