It takes a concerted effort to implement a successful Software Asset Management (SAM) program, but there is one ingredient that is so critical to success that I wouldn’t want to see anyone launch a SAM initiative without it.

It’s true that a well-designed SAM program needs good data and carefully selected indicators. But the one thing that every SAM program needs above all? High-level executive support.

SAM Programs and Executive Leadership: Make or Break

Executive support is the main catalyst for creating partnerships that will drive the SAM agenda. From the Chief Technology Officer to the Chief Financial Officer, the senior leadership in an organization needs to buy in to the SAM program and what it aims to achieve. Securing that buy-in up front, and maintaining it through implementation, can mean the difference between making measurable business improvements and creating an exercise that feels more like pulling teeth. It does this by opening the lines of communication, and setting the expectations for collaboration.

SOURCE: beaconize.com