The beauty of the Cloud lies in its simplicity. Deploying a new service takes just a few mouse clicks, a hosted application subscription can be purchased on a credit card. Always on, instantly available, the Cloud seems to be the answer to many common IT problems.

A study by software firm Dynatrace found that 79% of businesses are concerned that there may be hidden costs associated with Cloud services. Most assume that these costs will be in the form of additional charges for unexpected resource usage, but they are more likely to come from increased administrative overheads – particularly for the Software Asset Manager.

Who is in control of software purchasing?

The ease with which Cloud applications can be purchased means that many business units are bypassing the IT department altogether. Often this means that the SAM has no record of the application or the associated license count, making it almost impossible to maintain accurate records.

Trying to reclaim control of the software purchasing process becomes a political battle. The ability to circumvent purchasing bureaucracy offers business unit leaders an opportunity to deploy applications quickly and efficiently, maximising productivity and reducing lead times. For the CTO, the bureaucracy is a necessary evil, if only to give them

SOURCE: origina.com