Imagine a world where large IT hardware and software vendors have become so large, that a 2 or 3 letter acronym is now the best way to pronounce their brand name.  Some of them have been providing your organization with IT solutions for several decades, thus interlocking their existence through many departments across your enterprise.   Yes, I am sure you can name some, like…<insert a 2 or 3 letter acronym here>.  For now, I’ll call them “The Big Guys”.

The Big Guys are providing you with a wide range of software and hardware solutions, likely to be cross-platform and cross-departmental implementations.  For many of you reading this, it’s no surprise that The Big Guys (among many others in the industry) have made software compliance audits a critical part of their annual revenue goals.

This practice has become increasingly common in recent years and has led to many sleepless nights for today’s CIOs and CFOs.  Although it’s also shocking that The Big Guys carry a Software Asset Management offering in their bag.   In my opinion there is something fundamentally off-base here because it’s been proven time and again that The Big Guys will continue auditing their customers while at the same time, participate in SAM solution RFPs.

Here’s my problem with the concept.

Some of these Big Guys have created their SAM offerings through the acquisition of smaller software companies, or they’ve cut an OEM deal to integrate SAM technology into their heritage enterprise management software portfolio.  In fact, some of them are now forcing customers to buy their SAM modules when add-ons or new products are purchased and deployed in your enterprise.

Let’s assume that you are the typical small, mid or large sized global enterprise.  Let’s also assume that you are buying IT products and services from The Big Guys and you plan to forge a SAM business practice within your organization.

Needless to say, you have chosen to do this because:

• The recent mass attack in software audits among The Big Guys and many others in our industry
• You may have suffered audits in the past or realize that they’re coming (regardless of the long-standing relationships you developed with their sales reps)
• Your company budgets several millions of dollars each year to cover software audit fees and your CFO has gotten fed up with this approach

Finding an ideal SAM solution ensures that your organization is:

• Complaint and aware of which IT assets are deployed and how they’re used
• Nimble to eliminate over-spend and seeking to optimize your software portfolio
• Conducting internal self-audits to get ahead of compliance risk
• Enabling IT administrators to handle technical objectives so that your SAM goals are achieved with a real business intelligence solution, not a configuration management product

Now comes the time to issue your RFP for a SAM solution.  Who should you choose?  Well if you dare ask The Big Guys, they’ll probably have a SAM module which fits right into the other hub and spoke enterprise management or desktop software packages you’ve bought from them in the past.  If you notify them of this RFP then you’re instantly communicating to them, that license compliance is a concern at your organization.

With a target on your back, you continue through the RFP process and choose your SAM vendor.  If The Big Guys loose this award, doesn’t this give them an opportunity to capitalize on your perceived weaknesses?  After all, your esteemed Big Guy sales rep may get incentives to produce compliance revenue from customers like you this year; knowing that you have a need for improving license compliance initiatives.  Seems like a fairly compelling audit event if you ask me.

In closing, you may consider limiting your SAM solution talks with vendors who are not actively out auditing their customers.  Successful IT Asset Management and Software Asset Management vendors are specialists and knowledge experts in our business.  We are independent advisers who understand the sensitive nature surrounding license compliance and IT cost control.   More importantly if one of us doesn’t win your SAM business, we won’t come back and bite you with an audit.