This is a contributed comment to the ITAM Review written by Filipa Preston, CEO of Software Optimisation Services. The ongoing parliamentary committee investigation into the alleged over-pricing of software in Australia has raised an interesting debate – are Australians being treated unfairly when it comes to the price of software? Australians are more than aware of the premium they pay for many... 

"...the spread of ‘fear, uncertainty and doubt’ (FUD) is still the preferred choice of weapon by major software vendors" This article has been contributed by Noel Unwin of Discount-Licensing.com Part One – Industry Dynamics Part Two -Demystifying the Mist Part Three – The Legalities Part 3 of 3: The Legalities Whilst all secondary suppliers (in any marketplace) should... 

Demystifying the Mist Surrounding Second-hand Software This article has been contributed by Noel Unwin of Discount-Licensing.com Part One – Industry Dynamics Part Two -Demystifying the Mist Part Three – The Legalities Part 2 of 3: Demystifying the Mist Having taken a look at the dynamics of the second hand software industry in Part 1 of this story, we can start to see how this market... 

"Some statements from software vendors in this space may seek to cloud your judgement and paint a shady tone of grey" This article has been contributed by Noel Unwin of Discount-Licensing.com Part One – Industry Dynamics Part Two -Demystifying the Mist Part Three – The Legalities Part 1 of 3: Industry Dynamics Over the past decade, you may have come across articles relating... 

The BSA - The Police of the Software Industry? The following article is based on a recent conversation with an ITAM Review reader. Reader – Q. Who are the BSA?  The Business Software Alliance (BSA) are an international body that are financed by the biggest software companies on the planet (BSA Members). Their work is split into two parts; education/awareness and enforcement. One half of their... 

Are Companies Underestimating IBM Audits? I recently interviewed Alan Swahn, VP of Product Management at Flexera Software. We discussed IBM Licensing and the IBM audit program. Q. Why IBM? Shouldn’t companies spend more time focusing on Microsoft, Adobe or Oracle audit compliance? Many of IBM’s customers are facing significant software audit risk, as IBM has implemented a comprehensive audit program.... 

Root Cause Analysis not Bandaids If organizations are to escape the painful cycle of firefighting against software audits and progress towards fully-fledged software asset management the focus needs to be on managing and acting on exceptions. That is, identifying where leakages in management of software occur, taking action, and refining processes accordingly over time. No grand true up, but gradual... 

This article has been contributed by Phara E. McLachlan, CEO of Animus Solutions Inc. IT Asset Management, (ITAM) should never be viewed as a “nice to have.”  For every organization, it is truly “need to have” for various reasons, including compliance and cost containment. A fundamental part of ITAM is Software Asset Management (SAM). SAM applies to everyone – from your regional bank to... 

This article has been contributed by Scott D. Rosenberg of Miro Consulting. As consultants who help companies during software negotiations and audits, we often get involved with their internal legal counsel, and occasionally their external counsel.  Senior executives usually believe that they know when to get lawyers involved in the negotiation process.  One of them told us this issue is as black... 

I have been travelling the length and breadth of the UK over the last couple of weeks meeting with clients and attending events. Idle time on trains during this period got me thinking about what the software licensing industry can learn from the railways, and in particular, what can be learnt from how the rail transport industry protects its revenue and manages the compliance of travellers (Its amazing...