Software Asset Management (SAM) solutions are designed to help businesses manage their software licenses, usage, and IT assets more efficiently and effectively. Every organization will have a number of software applications with licenses that need renewing, costs that need to be regulated, and compliance requirements that need to be adhered to. Without the right management tool, staying on top of all of these factors can easily become overwhelming.
Software Asset Management solutions are used to track applications across your organization, ensure license compliance, optimize software usage and reduce costs by eliminating wasted licenses or redundant applications.
An effective SAM solution will integrate with an organization’s software infrastructure, inventory all applications across networks, allocate licenses, and produce comprehensive reports for better decision making. If a piece of software is underused, the SAM solution can identify it for proper reallocation or remodeling of licensing agreements. If licenses are falling to adhere to compliance requirements, admins can be alerted, encouraging them to renew agreements and prevent potential legal issues or fines.
For end users and IT administrators, SAM solutions streamline software license management, promote a clearer picture of software usage, encourage cost-saving strategies, and ensure the organization stays within the bounds of compliance.
The SAM market is a competitive one, with numerous solutions offering a unique take on software asset management. They range from solutions dedicated to SAM, to integrated parts of broader IT management or IT Service Management (ITSM) suites. This guide will delve into the top Software Asset Management solution providers and examine their features, such as software inventory tracking, license management, compliance reports, spend optimization, cloud-based applications tracking, among others.