Software asset management (SAM) is the business discipline organizations use to optimize their investment in software assets by tracking and reconciling installed inventory, measuring the usage of products, and integrating this information with contract, licensing and financial data.

How effective is your software asset management program? Are you getting the return you expect?

It has been estimated that the savings can be up to a 30% reduction in costs the first year, with continued savings of 5–10% for the next five years. The challenge is to understand the current level of your organization’s software management effectiveness and efficiency. Do you know how effective your program is today?

Description

TAC Experts have used our long-standing expertise to create a software assessment approach for evaluating software assets. This approach, combined with our expertise, provides vital information on software assets to C-level executives. Our approach is to:

1. Determine your organization’s SAM rating (through interviews and work sessions) on each of eight key success factors in the SAM assessment model, by platform, for both the executive and staff levels.
2. Identify and collect barriers (at all levels) that increase the risk to achieving higher ratings.
3. Score the current SAM assessment data, and correlate internal views and trends, as well as prior assessment years, to relevant external data.
4. Analyze and document the results.
5. Identify gap-closing ideas for addressing the current status, and opportunities to ensure long-term success.

The results of this service enable enterprises to manage strengths, improve weaknesses, and develop a self-funding software management roadmap.

Deliverables

Standard

TAC provides the following standard engagement deliverables as part of the Software Asset Management Service:

• Software Asset Management Assessment Report — a written report which includes:
  • An overview of scores for selected platform(s) gathered from management and key staff interviews
  • Graphical evaluation of the eight key dimensions of the SAM process by weighted footprint across selected platform(s)
  • Comparison of SAM process results contrasted by executives and staff
  • A summary of SAM strengths by selected platform(s)
  • Identification of the major SAM opportunities for improvement by selected platform(s)
  • A summary of current barriers to SAM process improvement
  • Recommendations for gap-closing ideas, and strategies to ensure long-term SAM success
  • Scoring and graphical representations of SAM process maturity for selected platform(s)
  • Assessment of client’s overall SAM process maturity
  • Cost/benefit impact analysis of improving SAM maturity


• Software Asset Management Savings Tools
  
  A “SAM Impact Tracker Savings Tool” in Microsoft Excel is provided to the client for use during the engagement. The tool enables the client to track and record each event that takes place as part of the Software Asset Management engagement. An event may be a cost saving, a cost avoidance, or a process improvement activity such as the elimination of a software product or the renegotiation of a software contract. Written reports can be prepared easily by the client on a periodic basis, based on the data captured and summarized in the tool, and used to support the program to client management. These reports are typically done each quarter.

Optional

In addition to the standard set of deliverables described above, TAC can provide the following deliverables to further support a client’s software asset management needs:

Inventory Support: Based on the SAM assessment, we can develop a comprehensive asset inventory baseline for ongoing comparison and action.

Contract Analysis and Support: Based on the SAM assessment, we can selectively (as requested by the client) review one or more software vendors’ contract terms and conditions (Ts&Cs) with related environment factors in order to develop a comprehensive vendor strategy.

Usage Analysis and Support: Based on the SAM assessment, we can develop a comprehensive asset usage baseline for ongoing comparison and action.

Ongoing support: TAC offers analytical and research support for the SAM assessment results.

Performance Dashboard: An automated visualization tool that enables management to view all the important SAM measurements/KPIs in a simple, easy to understand pictorial format.

Logistics

TAC Expert Sherry Irwin facilitates the workshop and provides knowledge transfer based on her extensive expertise and experience. The client provides the venue and facilities.

Target Audience

CFO (primary), CIO, COO

The executive and management team(s) responsible for software product evaluation will gain key information critical to cost-effective actions. This service will enable the management team to ensure that their quality and testing practices, processes, and results are consistent with high performing organizations.