What Is Software Asset Management

The main priority of software asset management (SAM) is to protect the organization’s main value-asset, which is their manufactured software. SAM is a necessary component of protecting a specific piece of software throughout its development stages. If allowed to get into the wrong hands, the software’s earning potential and overall value to the market would be reduced dramatically. It is the job of the SAM team to protect the software against malicious threats such as these.

Ultimately, the power that SAM holds lies in the hands of upper-level, senior management, as it is their duty to oversee the protective elements underlying the assets of the software. It is important for companies to keep their software licenses under a focused microscope in order to prevent having to deal with the legal ramifications down the line. 

The most pertinent area in which software asset management becomes prevalent is in the issuance of licenses to external parties. It is important for the company with the original copy of the software to carefully choose amongst potential buyers due to the possibility that the software’s assets could be jeopardized. It is the software that makes the company, and therefore, it needs to be treated like the valued resource that it is.

What happens if a company’s software assets are compromised? What should a company be concerned with when it comes to protecting their software? To answer this question, the residual effects of the crisis need to be evaluated. If the assets come under attack, this will not only hurt the financial solvency of that particular piece of software. It will also greatly damage the business producing and manufacturing the software, as their main source of income will be jeopardized. Not only will the IT department suffer time and resource setbacks, but upper management could also realize some time and effort lost due to the urgency and the severity of the matter.

Another area that could be compromised if SAM is not strictly adhered to is that confidential company information that is located within the software could be leaked to the public. If the software has not fully reached the last developmental stage, there still might be some proprietary data indicating key elements of the company located within the software package. Having this leaked to the public would only further exacerbate the consequences.

It becomes quickly apparent that software asset management is an integral part of any company’s software plans. In order to maintain a sense of financial stability and security, it is very important that higher management place a well-respected team in charge of software asset management to ensure the safety of the company.