The Coming of Age of ‘S.A.M.’
Software procurement, operational management and maintenance now represent a very significant, increasing, and yet often poorly visible, expenditure for most businesses. The truth is that we cannot operate without Software today as it enables our basic business processes and often underpins our competitive offering. It should be surprising then that many businesses still struggle to control the deployment, use, remediation, licensing and security impacts of Software in the workplace. As a result unnecessary risks are incurred ranging from under used software and poor lifecycle management driving up costs to unauthorised software deployment and poor license reconciliation increasing the tangible security and compliance risks to the organisation.
That said, the Software Industry has sought to provide guidance and best practice to the business community through supporting the launch of the ISO 19770-1 SAM Best Practices standard in 2006. With ever increasing awareness of this standard along with the growing adoption of ITIL as a framework, the business community is adopting a more proactive approach to SAM, going beyond the traditional stimulus from the risk of a compliance audit to seeking to harness maximum value and control from their investment in Software.
This blog has been established to provide an on-going commentary about the drivers for SAM, real-world best practices, industry activity and evolving trends. With relevance to both the business executive and the SAM practitioner, I am seeking to provide an independent view on whats working, and whats not, and to encourage a wider discussion that will enable businesses to harness the full potential of their investment in Software in a practical and efficient way.
So bookmark this blog, follow the commentary … and share your thoughts and insights to drive greater recognition and awareness of the real benefits that can be achieved though effective management of Software.
