Setting realistic expectations is key to SAM tool success

Best practice

Setting realistic expectations is key to SAM tool success

Software Asset Management (SAM) tools require significant investment and resource to achieve results. Preliminary results from a survey conducted by The ITAM Review suggests setting realistic expectations is key to SAM tool success.

Investment in tools

An investment in SAM tooling can be compared to investing in a new customer relationship management (CRM) technology. Whatever goals you hope to achieve, be it increased profitability, shorter sales cycles, improved customer retention etc., they won’t be achieved simply by the new system existing within your organisation. KPIs need to be set, processes need to be created (and followed), and people need to be bought into the change and provided with adequate, and timely, training.

A quote which seems applicable to this, and any discussion about tools and technology, is:

“Technology and tools are useful and powerful when they are your servant and not your master”

Stephen Covey

SAM tools are a key element of a mature ITAM practice, able to identify and optimize rapidly…but they should not be the centrepiece. The focus should always be on the company goals and moving towards success, with the tool being an instrument to help deliver that.

Conversely, having no tool at all can make ITAM maturity a difficult journey, and almost impossible to reach the upper echelons. Particularly as the next generation of IT assets – SaaS, IaaS, Containers, Internet of Things etc. – start to become more prevalent, manual management of assets becomes a Herculean task. Simply within a cloud environment, where things are moving and changing at a phenomenal rate, truly mature cost optimization requires automation and dedication.

Secrets of success

The ITAM Review is conducting research into the secrets of SAM technology success. To participate in the survey, click here. Early results suggest that organisations typically underestimate the amount of resource and effort required to maintain SAM tool technology and that functionality doesn’t quite match the original sales pitch. “I would have asked a lot more questions about how the technology actually works, rather than relying on the blurb” said one survey respondent.

Implementation need not be overly complex, but setting expectations is key. SAM tools should be tested and implemented with a specific business outcome in mind, backed up by a well thought out project plan with clear responsibilities and milestones based on real life experience. Success requires a balance of people, process, and technology.

Learn more

The full results of the survey will be broadcast online on the 4th May 2020. Hear from Neil Frodsham of SHI and Martin Thompson of ITAM Review as they discuss the key findings from the survey and highlight how setting realistic expectations is key to SAM tool success, and how this also applies to SAM Managed Services providers. Register here.

Links

Take the survey
Register for the webinar

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