Software audits are not something that business owner’s look forward to, but they are unavoidable. Most companies have an idea of when audits for accounts, health and safety and other issues are due to take place, but audits on software licensing can take place unexpectedly. There are many events that can trigger an audit, and it is important that you plan ahead and try to operate in compliance with the rules at all times.

Livingstone offers software asset management tools that can help you to track your software licensing. These tools track not just the number of licences and their terms, but also costs, renewal dates, vendor information and more. Let’s take a look at some of the things that could trigger an audit for software licensing in your business.

Leadership Changes

Leadership changes, or other major changes within your company such as significant job losses, can trigger both a software and licensing audit. Anything that draws attention to a company can mean that auditors instinctively turn their eyes on your business.

Other Audits

Publishers are not really supposed to share information with each other, but if it is found that a company is not in compliance with the software licensing rules of one company, then there is a good chance that they will be audited by another publisher.

Bad PR

If a company has attracted negative attention, perhaps because they were accused of being non-compliant in other areas of their operations, then software publishers may decide to confirm that the company is using their software in compliance with the licensing rules that the publisher has put in place.

Suggestion by a Sales Rep

A sales rep for a software company may opt to call for a software audit if the company has begun an inquiry into a large software purchase and then decided not to follow through. If the sales rep has been dealing with the company for a long time, then they will have had a lot of access to information about the company, and they will be in a position to express concerns about the way the company is run and the software that they are using.

When a publisher audits a company’s software licensing compliance, they are doing so to protect their own revenue, so they have the incentive to be very thorough. To ensure the continuity of your company’s operations and to protect yourself from potentially significant fines, you should make software asset management an important part of your company’s policies.

About the Author:

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Livingstone provide an end-to-end software asset management solution for organisations looking to gain complete visibility and control over their software licensing spend.

Combining their unique approach, accurate inventory and entitlement data with experienced Software Asset Management (SAM) specialists, they understand their client’s software licensing needs and goals. They arm their specialists with vendor agnostic Livingstone technology to provide real time licensing transparency and control.