It’s more common than ever to have a vendor request a software licensing audit, even for small businesses. Are you prepared to handle this?

An audit can be very stressful, not to mention extremely time consuming and possibly quite expensive. The best way to survive is to prepare in advance.

Keep an inventory

It is critical to keep good records of what you own. This is called SAM, which stands for software asset management. Some people use special SAM tracking software, but even a detailed spreadsheet can make all the difference in the world when facing an audit.

Save all receipts and invoices to document your purchases. Also save any license keys you are provided. Most often this information is provided electronically, so you can save it in your data files, but set aside a storage area for any hard copies, boxed software, CDs and license certificates.

SOURCE: herald-review.com