Software Asset Management (SAM) Blog

SAM specialist Centennial Software has joined forces with Forrester Research to offer a free ‘Getting a head start in SAM’ webinar on October 2nd 2007.   The webinar, featuring guest speaker Evelyn Hubbert, will help organizations understand the importance of Software Asset Management and how to sell it to the board in the wider context of IT Governance initiaitives.

Learn more about this event here.

Investors in Software (IiS) are holding a one day course for all SAM consutlants and practicioners on ISO/IEC 19770-1.

The course will be a practical introduction to the ISO/IEC 19770-1 SAM Standard including key principles, GAP analysis, compliance, conducting assessments and certification.

Course content:

* Introduction to ISO/IEC 19770-1 and its founding principles

* Expectation gaps between a ‘licence compliance’ mindset and and the standard’s view of SAM

* Overview of the SAM Self-Assessment Engine

* Conducting gap assesments

* Implementing the standard

* Certification

To reserver a place email feedback@investorsinsoftware.com

An unnamed media firm has agreed to pay the Business Software Alliance (BSA) a record £1.7 million ($3.5m / €2.5m) for significant shortfalls in its software licensing.   The firm was reportedly investigated by the BSA at the request of software vendors including Adobe, Autodesk, Avid and Microsoft.

The BSA then worked with police to raid the company and seize assets.

Together with the £250,000 fine levied against a UK organization earlier in the year, it appears that vendors and the BSA are becoming more aggressive in their compliance activities - although it is important to acknowledge the efforts made by firms like Microsoft, which aim to educate their customers not only to the need to be fully compliant but also the business benefits of adopting software management best practices.

The International Business Software Managers Association’s SAM Standards Committee was formed in July of 2006 to support and develop industry-standard practices for software asset management.

 For the late information on he activites of the committee please visit:

http://www.ecpmedia.com/ibsma_samstds.html

Also you can dowload the slides from Investors in Software’s  July webcast on the benefits of IiS membership and services from:

http://www.investorsinsoftware.co.uk/da/56568