As your organization's IT inventory grows, being able to efficiently keep track of software assets is a big plus — especially if you are an IT admin or Managed Service Provider (MSP). This is where a best-in-class Software Asset Management (SAM) solution comes in handy, as it can help your team manage all your IT software assets within one platform.
In this guide, we'll explore what SAM is all about, outline the top 5 best practices for managing software assets, and discuss how they can benefit your organization by optimizing operations.
What is Software Asset Management?
Software Asset Management (SAM) offers a simple yet strategic approach to managing and optimizing the purchase, utilization, and maintenance of software assets throughout their lifecycle.
By implementing SAM best practices, organizations can build a comprehensive software inventory, ensuring effective management and better control of their IT software assets. This proactive approach prevents security risks from outdated software while monitoring compliance with licensing agreements to avoid financial penalties.
Additionally, SAM ensures that effective onboarding and offboarding processes are set in place. For instance, SAM streamlines the process of granting new employees access to necessary software resources. During offboarding, SAM also helps to securely revoke software access to prevent data breaches. Accordingly, these standardized measures allow employees to have access to the software tools they need, enhancing productivity and security.
SAM enables IT leaders to maintain an up-to-date software inventory, track usage patterns in real time, identify underutilized software applications, and more — ultimately safeguarding the organization’s software investments and driving operational efficiency.
What are the best practices for Software Asset Management?
Implementing SAM requires you to follow several best practices to enhance software usage, ensure license compliance, and maximize the value of software investments. Here are the top 5 best practices to keep in mind:
1. Create a Software Asset Management policy
Creating a formal SAM policy is the foundational step in managing IT software, as it acts as a clear and trusted reference. This policy must outline how all software assets will be managed, detailing roles and responsibilities for both leadership and employees. It should also include the organization's objectives for software management, along with guidelines for software acquisition, usage, and retirement.
Ensuring that all employees understand and follow the SAM policy is vital for its success. Regular training sessions and updates on the policy can help reinforce its importance and encourage compliance among staff members.
2. Conduct regular audits
Regular audits play a critical role in maintaining an accurate inventory of software assets and ensuring compliance with licensing agreements. These audits involve evaluating software usage, identifying discrepancies such as unauthorized software installations, and taking corrective actions when necessary.
As audits track compliance with software vendor licensing agreements, they act as a preventative measure to avoid unnecessary fees and reduce security risks from dated software. Automation tools can significantly accelerate this audit process by instantly discovering software installed on all managed devices and streamlining the data collection process with just a few clicks.
3. Choose the right Software Asset Management solution
Selecting the right solution makes SAM a game-changer. A dedicated SAM tool can streamline tasks such as inventory management, license tracking, and regulatory compliance by providing an accurate overview of your software landscape in half the time and for a fraction of the cost.
Additionally, you can opt for a SAM solution with advanced capabilities to identify the software needed for onboarding or offboarding employees based on specific departmental needs.
GoTo Resolve’s best-in-class IT Asset Management software is equipped with all these robust SAM features and more, enabling you to experience the benefits of a comprehensive IT software asset inventory, automated workflows, and in-depth reporting insights — all within one easy-to-use platform.
4. Standardize procurement
Standardizing procurement processes is essential for maintaining consistency and control over software acquisitions. This involves creating clear standards for purchasing, renewing, or retiring software, while ensuring alignment with organizational policies.
Establishing a centralized procurement system allows IT teams to track software purchases, manage vendor relationships, and negotiate favorable terms. Standardization also reduces the risk of unauthorized software installations and ensures that all software acquisitions meet the organization's security and compliance standards. A powerful SAM solution simplifies this procurement process, as you will no longer need to manually juggle multiple vendor agreements.
5. Monitor software usage
Monitoring software usage is critical for optimizing resource allocation and reducing costs. By identifying unused or underutilized software, organizations can consolidate licenses, reallocate resources, and eliminate unnecessary expenses. It’s also helpful to keep track of any overused software, so that an informed decision can be made about its distribution.
Monitoring software usage involves tracking metrics such as software installation rates, frequency of use, and user feedback. This data provides valuable insights into software effectiveness and helps identify areas for improvement.
Implementing Software Asset Management with GoTo Resolve
By following these best practices, you can streamline SAM and keep costs in check with the right tool. GoTo Resolve’s IT Asset Management software, fully equipped with robust SAM capabilities, is the ideal solution. With automated features that seamlessly identify all applications installed on managed Windows devices, GoTo Resolve can help you maintain a complete software inventory with customized details and actionable insights.
GoTo Resolve is a powerful, all-in-one remote IT support solution offering both software and hardware asset management with integrated conversational ticketing, secure remote access, plus comprehensive remote monitoring and management — all within one unified platform.
To learn more about how GoTo Resolve can help you effectively manage IT software assets, visit our website here.
