Software Asset Management is Good for Business
A report on software asset management practices and program maturity. Conducted by ECP and sponsored by IBSMA.

Executive Summary
The field of software asset management (SAM) is developing rapidly, as the software industry strives to hold businesses accountable for software licenses, and businesses work to get the most value from the software they purchase. Based on a comprehensive survey of SAM practices, this report offers IT managers straightforward information to help them make intelligent choices about improving and managing their SAM efforts. The report covers cost savings, platforms managed, staffing, priorities, the role of the SAM manager and tools. Respondents are rated into five maturity categories, according to a scale and survey instrument developed by The Productivity Group.

Survey respondents report that SAM is good for business, generating an average 131 percent return on investment, with average savings of $717,000. Consistent with our prior research, the majority of respondents report programs covering PCs or workstations and, to a lesser degree, midrange servers and mainframes. Virtually every respondent cited software licensing or cost savings as a top-three priority.

SAM managers are a diverse group and end users report this is a demanding, multidimensional job encompassing business, technical, finance, purchasing and vendor management tasks. Many tools support software management, and software discovery tools lead the way, respondents said. Contract repositories and software usage tools were cited next, though far less often. For discovery, software usage and metering, Altiris was the most frequently cited tool, followed by Microsoft SMS. Peregrine Asset Center and internally developed tools were the most often cited contract management tools.

The results of this survey indicate that firms have moved beyond spreadsheets and databases and are now using software based on specific technologies to discover and track their assets. This provides real-time inventory and quicker problem resolution. Inventory data are often linked with financial and contract data; and proactive management of processes, standards and practices is the norm. From this point, firms can move toward optimization, putting metrics in place and improving performance. With greater management and control over software assets, overbuying is reduced and underperforming assets can be eliminated or redeployed.

Work clearly remains to be done to raise awareness of the value of software asset management, and SAM managers will need to find ways to engage senior management in the process.

Table of Contents
Introduction
Methodology and Audience
Major Findings: Savings, Platforms Under Management, Staffing and Priorities
SAM Maturity Levels
Who Manages SAM and the Role of the SAM Manager
Software Budgets
Tools
Conclusions

Appendix
SAM Maturity Levels

Available in print and PDF. 20 pages.