Many organisations see software inventory management as a basic component of an effective licence position, which is true, but this is only scratches the surface of what software inventory management is. Full visibility of you software inventory can act as the basis for monitoring and managing all changes within a software estate.

Some very large organisations don’t have the luxury of having access to entitlement data so software inventory management actually acts as the main factor in leveraging software data for risk mitigation and cost savings. Once software data has been accurately processed and classified, additional attributes like the software category can be leveraged for the purposes of consolidation opportunities.

Do you know how many applications you have doing the same job? On average organisations have at least 6 products which in some way fulfil the same task, a common is example are tools that convert documents into PDFs. There is value in limiting this task to a single application, leveraging a better commercial deal and driving real cost savings.

How about counterfeit software? Do your tools tell you where cracked and counterfeit software is installed? Some vendors impose fines of around $150,000 for counterfeit installations and this can be very damaging when it comes to vendor audits or new negotiations.

SOURCE: livingstone-tech.com