SAManage IT Management Blog

If you’re looking to improve the way you organize software licenses and IT contracts, then SAManage is the ideal solution for your needs.  It enables you to eliminate the time and errors associated with multiple spreadsheets and other manual software license tracking methods.  In fact, our suite of IT management tools can simplify and enhance the way you handle software assets and related vendor contracts throughout their entire lifecycle.

Getting started is fast and easy.  You can add new IT contracts in just three quick steps, so your software licenses and other assets can be conveniently retrieved, reviewed, and managed from a single, centralized location:

Step 1: Create Your Contract

To add a new contract into the system, click on “New Contract” at the top right corner of your screen.

New Contract

Select the type of contract (software license, hardware purchase or lease, service or maintenance agreement, etc.), and enter the start and end dates – as well as any notes – into the appropriate fields.  Next, attach any important documents, such as purchase receipts, packing slips, invoices, and copies of license agreements.  All of these will be required to prove software license compliance in the event of an audit.

If its a previously-owned asset that’s being added to the SAManage system for the first time, you may also want to attach any documents that were previously used to manually track software licenses and their allocation.

And, don’t forget to check the ”Renewal Reminder” box, and select how far in advance you’d like to be notified.  You’ll receive an email when the contract expiration date approaches.  This will give you ample time to prepare for re-negotiations with your vendor or to explore alternatives.

Step 2: Enter Specific Asset Information

Next, you’ll need to add the product(s) purchased under the IT contract.  If its software licenses you bought, we suggest you enter the version number, so you can better track what upgrades have been made, and when new ones may be due.  And, be sure to include the number of licenses you purchased.

Capturing items and products under a contract

In some cases, your company may own multiple software packages from a single vendor.  These may or may not have been purchased under the same IT contract.  For example, you may have acquired multiple ERP modules, or you may utilize Microsoft Office, which bundles several applications into one package.

Scenarios like these can be addressed in two ways.  You can create a separate contract for each individual application.  For example, even if you purchased all the Microsoft Office products at the same time, you’d create one contract in the system for Excel, one for Word, and so on. Each contract would contain the related details for only that particular solution.

Or, you could group multiple products into a single IT contract, and list each separate software package individually within the details of that agreement. For example, you’ll create a single contract called “Microsoft” and include all the licensed products as items for that contract.

Step 3: Link Contracts to Purchase Orders

You can easily associate contracts to purchase orders, so you can more precisely monitor invoices, total purchase costs, payments made, etc.  Simply select “Add Purchase Order” at the right side of your screen, then enter the Purchase Order number, the date of the purchase, the total purchase price and the vendor paid.

Tracking purchases under a contract

Learn more about out SaaS IT asset management solutions, and how they can help you improve the way you manage your software license agreements and other IT contracts.

Most companies today manage their technology inventory by logging and tracking assets manually, a process that is both cumbersome and error-prone. In fact, more than 65 percent of companies have immature IT asset management strategies in place, according to Meta Group.

Companies who don’t use automated tools to manage hardware and software inventory are likely to face significant challenges. For a variety of reasons, they will struggle to effectively monitor the various components within their infrastructure, and maximize the value of IT assets throughout their lifecycle.

A Dynamic Business Landscape

Today’s organizations are undergoing rapid change – mergers and acquisitions, expansions or downsizing, etc. Each one of these changes has an impact on IT inventory, making hardware and software asset management somewhat of a “moving target”. For example, new employees will require new equipment, while a layoff will make PCs, software licenses, and IT other assets available for use by others. Opening a new branch may call for the purchase of new hardware, while a shift in business strategy may require new applications to be acquired and deployed. This type of dynamic, ever-changing environment makes taking IT inventory a challenge.

A Geographically-Dispersed Network

Long, long ago, companies operated out of a single location. If they wanted to know what IT assets they had, and where they were located, they simply walked around and took stock. However, today’s firms do business on a global scale, with branches, offices, and even remote or home-based employees performing work out of numerous locations spread across the world. With IT assets housed at so many different locations, it becomes harder to manually monitor changes or additions in the environment, such as when an employee installs software on a PC, or when a new peripheral like a scanner or printer is connected to a network. As a result, IT asset inventory logs can quickly become outdated.

Constant Asset Upgrades or Replacement

Technology innovations emerge at a sharp pace, as new and better software and hardware solutions are being introduced by vendors all the time. And, while technology budgets are stagnant or shrinking in today’s tough economic times, companies still invest in the latest and greatest solutions to help them maintain an edge. The acquisition of new hardware, software, or subscription-based technology services means more than just a new physical asset to track – there are financial assets to consider, like contracts and software license management.

Only comprehensive, fully automated IT asset management solutions can help organizations keep their technology inventory up-to-date and balanced at all times, even in the face of rapidly-changing architectures and business conditions. With IT asset management systems, businesses can achieve complete, real-time visibility across their entire technology landscape, knowing exactly what they have, where it is located, and how it is being used at all times.

Learn more about powerful, on-demand IT asset management solutions from SAManage, and how they can help you can avoid the pain of manually managing your IT assets

Understanding your organization’s software license compliance standing is a key part of managing your routine business risks. To mitigate the risk of an external license audit or noncompliance fines, you have to be in a position to easily view your company’s compliance status at any time and take any required action to get back on track.

To analyze your company’s license compliance status you have to reconcile your organization’s software licenses (“what you own”) with your software inventory (“what you use”). This sounds a lot easier than it actually is, as your software inventory keeps on changing when users install or remove software from their computers, and new computers gets added or removed across your network. What makes it even more complicated is the clutter of software across your network, which typically includes patches, security updates, drivers and other types of software that has nothing to do with licensing or compliance.

To make it easier to reconcile software licenses and software inventory we created the new software reconcile feature:

Reconcile your software inventory with your software licenses

The new reconcile feature analyzes your software inventory and lists software titles with no matching license available in the License Repository.  As you work your way through the list you can mark the software as such that requires no license, or simply create a new software license and enter any licenses you own into the License Repository. This provides for a quick and effective way to go through your software inventory, make sure you capture all the software licenses you own, and validate your license compliance standing.

Learn more about software license management and how SAManage can help you manage your IT assets, or get started today and sign up for a free trial of SAManage.

What is Software Asset Management?

Learn how companies can improve IT efficiency and ensure license compliance with Software Asset Management.

Download our quantifying the value of software asset management white paper.

When it comes to virtualization, there are many things to consider before executing your plan. Sure, there are many advantages – among them reduced costs, improved flexibility and scalability, optimized performance, and minimized administrative burden – and you want to begin reaping those benefits as quickly as possible. But, without proper attention to software licensing and compliance considerations, your new virtualization strategy could actually put your company at risk.

Virtualization makes it possible to run multiple operating systems and applications on the same physical hardware at the same time. This approach has added a level of complexity to software license management. Even the slightest change in the virtual environment – which nowadays can be completed in just minutes – can have a profound impact on existing licenses.

How do you minimize your exposure? Many experts agree that software license management systems can help companies overcome the compliance challenges associated with license virtualization.

Compounding the problem is that, to date, vendors have yet to get on the same page when it comes to software virtualization and related license requirements. Although they can agree on one thing – that software virtualization will make per-server and per-user pricing a thing of the past – varying support, limits, and restrictions among fee structures have left companies unsure how to address license virtualization.

Microsoft was the first to take this problem seriously, introducing a simple license virtualization plan several years back that would allow customers to pay for licenses based on the number of processors the software will run on in virtual mode. Since then, some vendors have taken measures to make their licensing approaches more “virtualization friendly”. But, many others have yet to follow suit, creating tremendous confusion and concern among companies who are embarking on software virtualization strategies.

With SAManage, license compliance is made easy, even in environments where software virtualization plays a prominent role. By providing companies with a greater ability to track the licenses contained both on physical desktops, as well as within virtual machines, and reconcile them with what’s been purchased, companies can more effectively achieve compliance and eliminate the risk of fines and penalties in the event of a third-party audit.

Additionally, SAManage solutions make it easy to audit installed software at any time. Audits can be conducted automatically, in just minutes, without the need for IT staff to waste countless hours manually performing related tasks. This is particularly important because virtual environments are far more dynamic than physical ones. So, audits related to license virtualization need to be conducted far more frequently to keep compliance in check.

Visit our Web site to learn more about license virtualization, why it’s so important to your software virtualization strategy, and how software license management solutions from SAManage can help your company stay compliance as you begin to “virtualize”.

In a recent King Research survey, approximately two-thirds of the more than 340 IT professionals from mid-market companies polled claimed they were not properly addressing license compliance, with unlicensed software existing somewhere within their organization. An even higher number – more than 70 percent – state that they are unprepared for a vendor audit and the potential fines that could result from lack of license compliance.

These results demonstrate the enormous risk that IT departments at small and mid-sized business face when it comes to license compliance. Gartner claims that as many as 70 percent of mid-sized businesses and larger enterprises have already faced an external software audit over the past few years. And many other industry pundits expect the number of audits to increase in the coming months, as the struggling economy forces software vendors to scrounge for revenues as more and more customers scale back their licensing agreements or cancel their maintenance plans.

But, ensuring license compliance presents many challenges. For example, as businesses purchase more and more applications from different vendors, and deploy a growing number of desktops, licenses become much harder to keep track of.

Experts agree that software asset management (SAM) and software license management solutions are among the most effective ways to ensure adherence to existing licensing agreements. With the right technologies in place, companies can more accurately log and monitor their software inventory. This makes it easier to gain insight into license allocation, immediately detect the presence of illegally-installed or unauthorized applications, and promote license compliance across the enterprise.

With solutions from SAManage, license compliance is made easy. Businesses have all the tools they need to:

• Uncover and minimize the risk associated with license non-compliance
• Track adherence to software installation guidelines
• Easily manage licenses and terms in a comprehensive, readily accessible repository
• Automate and accelerate internal audits, and document license compliance results
• Implement and enforce formal software usage policies

What is Software Asset Management?

Learn how companies can improve IT efficiency and ensure license compliance with Software Asset Management.

Download our quantifying the value of software asset management white paper.

Organizing Software Licenses and IT Contracts in SAManage has become a lot easier: This week’s release includes the new CSV Import feature that makes it easier to get started with organizing your financial records and Contracts. Simply create your new Contract and import items, products or purchase records to that Contract using the following three steps process:

Select the Contract to import to:

Select an existing Contract (the Contract type can be either a software license, lease, subscription or maintenance Contract) and the type of records you wish to import, either purchases or items that will be associated with that Contract:

Select a file to import:

Select a CSV file to import. Make sure the CSV file includes a header line to describe the column’s content.

Map the fields:

Map the columns from your CSV file to the Contract fields in SAManage. The top section shows the first few lines from your CSV file to make it easier to map the columns based on content. Done mapping? click import to import your file.

Your CSV file will be imported online and once completed, you’ll be redirected to the Contract to verify that your file was imported successfully. Simple isn’t it? go try it out now, or if you don’t have an account, sign up for your free 30-day trial here.

We recently enhanced the SAManage Contract Organizer and made it easier to organize software licenses and IT contracts: you can now use the vendors and resellers repository to track the vendors you do business with, and capture the vendor’s details in one place, making it easier to keep track of your financial assets and business relationships:

The SAManage Contract Organizer makes it easy to store your software licenses and contracts, and add purchase records to track purchases made against a contract. The new vendors and resellers repository is a great way to associate purchases with a vendor and track who you buy software and hardware from, and how much you paid each time. Here is a quick overview of the process:

Use the new vendors repository to organize your contracts of various types:

Software License Contract – create a new software license contract (for example Microsoft), add the items (such as Office, SQL Server or Sharepoint) and the quantities for each item to capture how many licenses you have for each software. Add a purchase record to capture the payment made for that license, and associate it with the vendor you bought the licenses from. You can also attach a scanned copy of your purchase order or legal agreement to the Contract to organize everything in one place.

Subscription Service Contract - using Salesforce.com or a hosting company? create a new subscription contract and add the items (for example your hosting plan) under that subscription, and add a new purchase record to track any payments made. You can specify a payment recurrence (monthly, quarterly or annually) and easily see when and how much you’re paying each vendor. Writing down any discounts you received when subscribing to the service is always a good idea and can be useful during contract renewal discussions. Here is how a purchase record looks like:

SAManage makes it easy to organize your IT Assets and Contracts in one place. Learn more about SAManage SaaS IT Asset Management service and how it can help you better manage your IT Assets, or sign up for a free 30-day trial today.

SAManage makes it really easy to keep track and organize your software licenses and IT contracts such as subscriptions, hardware leases and maintenance agreements. SAManage’s Contracts Organizer will help you keep track of contract details, renewal schedules, agreement terms and proof-of-purchase records as attachments.

Software Licenses: Keeping track of software licenses you own is a tough job. Licenses are purchased from multiple resellers and OEM with new hardware. To be fully license compliant, it is necessary to maintain proof of license ownership, such as purchase receipts, packing slips, reseller invoices or copies of all license agreements. The SAManage Contract Organizer will store it all for you and allow you to easily reference the licenses whenever you need, and makes achieving software license compliance easy. Keep track of the software titles and quantities under the license, and even receive reminders prior to license expiration to allow you to better prepare for license renewal.

Subscriptions: Today’s organizations are using a variety of subscription services, ranging from SaaS services such as Salesforce.com to hosting accounts, domain registrations, outsourced email or backup services and much more. SAManage Contracts Organizer makes it easy to enter your subscription agreements , track products subscriptions and purchases under a subscription contract and attach the actual contracts and invoices under the same contract.

Leases and Maintenance contracts: Track your hardware leases and assets that are under a maintenance agreement with SAManage. Assign assets to leases and track which assets are impacted when your lease expires. As with all other contracts, you can set a renewal reminder to let you know before your lease expires so you can make the necessary arrangement to return the leased hardware or purchase it ahead of the contract expiration.

Learn more about SAManage SaaS IT Asset Management service and how it can help you better manage your IT Assets, or sign up for a free 30-day trial of SAManage today.

Did you know that many companies are still using a spreadsheet to manage software licenses? whether you are a 10 person company or a large enterprise, software licenses are a business asset (and a rather under-utilized one) and deserves better care.

Like many other business assets, software licenses can and should be optimized to extract more value to your business. Optimizing software licenses can help you reduce your software costs by only renewing the licenses you use, and better prepare for license renewal negotiations. It can help you stay compliant with license agreements by making sure you have sufficient licenses for all the software that is used across your company.

To effectively manage software licenses, a company has to align its financial records (software licenses) with its inventory (what software is used). This can become a challenge in today’s modern IT world, when your software inventory is rapidly changing as new computers are purchased and more software gets installed. It becomes an even bigger challenge when you want to optimize software licenses as part of your ongoing business process, and not as a one-time event.

SAManage can help you optimize your software licenses as part of your IT Asset Management strategy. Our service will organize your software licenses in one place, remind you when renewals are due, and easily correlate licenses to your inventory at any time, so you know what you have and what you need. The SAManage license repository will help you:

1. Organize your software licenses in a centralized repository, keep track of proof-of-purchase, resellers and purchase records.

2. Monitor renewal dates and notify you when license renewals are due, so you could better prepare for an upcoming negotiation, and only renew what you need (SAManage will tell you how many licenses you actually use today). You can even use the service to plan and consolidate multiple licenses into a single agreement as part of your renewal.

3. Reconcile software licenses against current inventory, to detect any under or over license situations. Our service will reconcile your data when your inventory changes, so you know your status at any time, and could incorporate this process into your IT Asset Management plan.

Using an IT Asset Management service will help you eliminate the “license spreadsheet” and better manage your software licenses as a business asset. You can see how simple it is to manage your IT Assets with SAManage by signing up for a free, 30-days trial of our service.