IT shops are struggling to grasp the disposition of the software they own, to the point that they may inadvertently fall out of compliance with their contractual obligations to software vendors. Software asset management (SAM) solutions promise to fix all that. They present a set of tools, practices and processes that take the uncertainty out of software licensing and enable organizations to fully optimize software inventories. But efforts to establish formal SAM programs are sometimes clouded by myths and misconceptions that result in avoidable setbacks.
From heightened expectations about the efficacy of SAM tools to a lack of understanding of audit risks, organizations too often fall prey to complacency. And there are significant risks to simply ignoring how software is liscensed and used throughout the enterprise.