Why bet on Software Asset Management?

By Adriano Vieira, President of Compusoftware Solutions & Reseller

The Brazilian industry faces a difficult year, without great prospects for growth in the medium or short term. With the market down, processes that optimize investments and minimize risks have increasingly attracted the attention of entrepreneurs. Many companies began to invest, for example, in programs such as Software Asset Management, given its impact on a corporation's planning.

 
By adopting a management policy, the company has the possibility to improve a series of processes and the advantages go beyond cost reduction. With the methodology, you improve security and compliance, anticipate future software needs, automate manual processes for greater efficiency, and prepare for technology updates. It is a practice in which all departments of the company win, from IT to the Board of Directors. 
 
To adopt Asset Management, the first step is to make an inventory of all software deployed – either manually (in the case of SMEs) or through automatic tools. With the result in hand, the customer can compare the programs they actually have with the company's current licenses, verifying that the agreements cover all titles and versions listed.
 
This step is essential to identify a counterfeit copy or misuse of a license – two actions that constitute software piracy. Such practices can bring civil and legal penalties to the corporation, with payment of compensation and prison sentences (which can reach up to four years). In addition to negatively exposing the brand in the market and bringing financial losses, piracy also makes the company vulnerable to cyber crimes, caused by the infection of viruses, malware and even data theft.
 
After comparing inventory to contracts, it is important to review policies and procedures related to software lifecycle and government regulation. It is possible to determine the versions that will be adopted, which programs will be allowed and whether it will be possible to connect external devices (such as a pen drive) to the hardware, among other directions. In this way, the customer can avoid future compliance problems, whether in the external environment (manufacturers and government) or internal (employees).
 
It is also essential that the company develop a Software Asset Management plan that includes regularly scheduled inventories, employee training and sample checks. Through the SAM (Software Asset Management) methodology, for example, the corporation can achieve savings of 5% to 35% in licensing in the first year of project implementation – according to statistics from the Gartner Group consultancy.
 
The market needs to be aware that the effective control of IT assets offers efficient management of the corporate network and promotes the creation of transparent rules for the work routine. In times of economic uncertainty, Software Asset Management should be one of the priorities for anyone dealing with software and licenses, as it is an essential tool to ensure the competitiveness of the business. It is also worth remembering that when a company does not properly manage its assets, it is inevitable that costs will increase, which end up reflecting in the final price of the product or service. One way or another, the bill always arrives. Why, then, not avoid it?