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IBSMA and SAM Standards The IBSMA is an active voting member of the U.S. Technical Advisory Group (TAG), the official body representing the U.S. to ISO/IEC Joint Technical Committee 1, Subcommittee 7 (JTC1/SC7). ISO/IEC 19770-2 | Software Identity Tagging Charles Ansell is the IBSMA's liaison for SAM standards activities. Please contact IBSMA with inquiries or questions on the latest developments or information on how to register input on any of these activities. SAM standards publications are listed at the bottom of this page. Last update: Nov. 3, 2008 ISO/IEC 19770-2 | Software Identity Tagging The IBSMA promotes adoption of tagging standards on the part of publishers, SAM tool vendors and end users, in the belief that a standard for software identity tagging will go a long way to streamlining SAM processes, especially those aligned with ISO/IEC 19770-1. In October 2006, ISO/IEC/JTC1 Subcommittee 7 (SC7) Working Group 21 (WG21) asked IBSMA to draft ISO/IEC 19770-2, a prospective international SAM standard for software tagging and identification. WG21 is responsible for ISO/IEC software asset management (SAM) standards, and in 2006 ISO published 19770-1, the first and only international SAM standard, defining process areas by which organizations can optimize SAM practices. IBSMA completed an initial draft in May 2007, which described a data model for software identity tags, determining what identification information software publishers and authorized resellers should include in tags, as well as where and in what format. IBSMA granted rights to ISO for further development and publication of the standard. For more information on the history and content of the prospective ISO/IEC 19770-2, refer to SAM Standards Explained. Between January and May 2008 a WG21 subcommittee, led by Steven Klos of Agnitio Advisors, updated and released second and third drafts of 19770-2 for public review and comment. Group members and liaisons incorporated comments and changes into the document and forwarded it to ISO for review by WG21 members at the May 2008 SC7 plenary. Steven Russman and Charles Ansell of IBSMA attended the SC7 plenary meeting in Berlin (May 19-23, 2008) as nominated representatives of the U.S. TAG. At the WG21 meeting, members voted to approve the immediate release of ISO/IEC 19770-2 as a combined committee and final draft (CD/FCD). The convener, however, deferred the CD/FCD release. On September 22 the fourth and final draft was turned over to ISO. (See Working Group 21 Releases Final Validation Copy of ISO/IEC 19770-2 on IBSMAforum.) The CD/FCD document is to enter the next phase this fall and circulate among SC7 member-country bodies for a voting period of three or four months (depending on the type of draft). Country standards bodies will vote to approve or disapprove the draft and submit comments for the working group's review. The IBSMA revised its earlier estimate of the document’s formal approval and release as an international standard from May 2009 to the fall of 2009 or spring of 2010. As of publication of this article, the IBSMA was unable to confirm a date for the draft's release to SC7 members and the final publication date could be delayed if the CD/FCD is delayed. The ISO/IEC Directives, Part 1 (5th Edition, 2004) outline the project stages for standards development, which are summarized in Table 1 below. Table 1: Summary of the Stages of Standards Progress
ISO/IEC 19770-3 | Software Entitlement Tagging Provided by software publishers and authorized resellers, entitlement data elements describe product use rights specified in software license agreements, such as license terms, pricing metrics and locations for deployment. The entitlement data may be used to reconcile with software inventory data to support license compliance processes. The entitlement elements specified in the standard would reconcile with publisher-provided standard identity elements, specified in the format and location mandated by ISO/IEC 19770-2. If adopted, an entitlement tagging standard, working in tandem with one for identity tagging, would do much to streamline license compliance tasks. For more on how these two standards would interoperate with each other, as well as with ISO/IEC 19770-1, refer to SAM Standards Explained. Last year, Tomeny chaired the IBSMA Software Licensing Practices Committee (SLPC) and developed a framework for an international software entitlements tagging standard. Because of the consistency in leadership, the IBSMA has reason to expect the OWG to use the SLPC’s work as inspiration and guidance when developing content. Download the Framework and Data Standard for Software-use Entitlement: A Status Report. OWG members will ultimately determine the content of the new standard. The proposed table of contents is included in the new work item proposal (N4086). According to Tomeny, the OWG intends to submit a draft document to WG21 at the next SC7 plenary in 2009. *Other Working Groups may be formed by the Convener of a Working Group to handle officially sanctioned tasks or projects. Members of OWGs are not required to be members of country standards bodies or to represent an SC7 liaison, which is a requirement for membership in an SC7 Working Group. The use of OWGs expands the range of people who may participate in standards development. IBSMA SAM Glossary & ISO/IEC 19770-1 Review ISO/IEC 19770-1 Review Discussion on review of ISO/IEC 19770-1 commenced in Berlin in May 2008, and the IBSMA expects developments at the WG21 interim meeting this October. We also expect heightened discussion, both within WG21 and the SAM community as a whole, on creating a process assessment model for ISO/IEC 19770-1 and for certification of software license compliance processes. Such a model is in high demand, because, as the standard is written, conformance for an organization’s certification is an all-or-nothing undertaking. Only organizations of exceptional SAM and IT service management process maturity can meet all outcomes called for in the standard. An industry-standard process assessment model would allow for partial certification of an organization’s SAM process maturity. We invite IBSMA members and qualified contributors to register input for possible revision, extension or elimination of ISO/IEC 19770-1, or for development of a process assessment model. Charles Ansell is the IBSMA's liaison for SAM standards activities. Please contact IBSMA with inquiries or questions on the latest developments or information on how to register input on any of these activities. Get Involved! Much of the work of drafting standards involves dealing with technical comments and lobbying for votes at SC7 meetings. Members of national standards bodies (e.g., the IBSMA is a member of the U.S. TAG and a voting SC7 member), SC7 liaisons* and their delegates are eligible to attend SC7 meetings at which discussions, revisions and votes control the fates of standards. Nonmembers and visitors are not permitted at SC7 meetings and SC7 liaisons do not vote on SC7 initiatives. If standards development is important to you or your company, and you want to ensure ongoing input and a voice on standards processes, the IBSMA urges U.S. nationals and citizens to work with the IBSMA and the U.S. TAG. The IBSMA sends delegates to U.S. TAG and SC7 meetings year round; next events include the U.S. TAG meeting in the spring of 2009. At U.S. TAG meetings, members formulate the official U.S. positions on SAM standards. If you are interested in being a part of the U.S. delegation on SAM standards, or learning more about the standards process in general, contact IBSMA. *The Business Software Alliance (BSA), the International Association of Information Technology Asset Managers (IAITAM), the IT Service Management Forum (itSMF) and ISACA are SC7 liaisons to WG21. Notes and releases IBSMA Joins Industry Effort to Promote SAM in China (Apr. 10, 2008) Framework and Data Standard for Software-use Entitlement: A Status Report (includes the framework and data standard) SAM Industry to Weigh In on New Software Tag Standards (Jan. 24, 2007) SAM Standards Go International (excerpt from Tools Manager, Fall 2006) SAM Pros See High Demand for ISO 19770 Standards (October 2006) SAM Standards Explained (July 2007) Links for more information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
