The world of software has changed a lot over just a few years. Until recently, purchasing licenses by contract and sending activation keys by mail, then email, was the norm.
This in no way compares to the short time now required to obtain and install software from the cloud and pay monthly, depending on the number of licenses.
These developments are, of course, improvements, but questions remain: do you really need so many features and licenses? Are you still paying for licenses that are no longer needed? Do all of your staff need to have the full software suite on their workstations? These questions are difficult to answer, and if you are not able to take a concrete look at all the software - or the application park - of a given company then certain problems arise.
In itself, a monthly license does not represent an very high cost, but when multiplied by the number of employees and reduced to an annual expense, then it becomes a whole different matter.
Software Asset Management solutions allows such pitfalls to be avoided by undertaking a series of actions.This solution first includes a comprehensive analysis of the real use of software in an enterprise.
This analysis covers functions that are not used or even deployed in an organization’s technological infrastructure. It also notes the presence of unused software that should be an essential tool for a given group of employees. By the same token, it also identifies when software only useful for a small group is accessible by all staff from their workstations.
A good software asset management service includes producing accurate reports on users and their software usage. The company will be able to identify, for example, that some staff members use office software like Teams installed locally on their workstation (as opposed to using the web version of the software, in the browser) and that others only use an email service on their cellphones.
In the latter case, the software asset management company will advise optimizing the purchase of licenses by opting for an email-only service rather than a software suite. The department will also advise the client on necessary renewals and those that can be abandoned, as well as on unnecessary functions for the company. Expert firms will make the changes and adjustments necessary for this optimization for the client.
In addition to saving on the number of licenses and software that need to be deployed, the results produced by this service provide negotiation leverage when renewing company agreements with software suppliers.
A company that does not collect confidential data, for example, will not have to deploy all the components of a software suite offered as a whole. Good application park hygiene also improves cybersecurity by avoiding monitoring redundancies and by relying on the most effective tools for the organization’s real needs.
In a nutshell, managing software assets is like a housekeeping operation: after a first deep clean, maintenance becomes easy, efficient and enjoyable!