Back to Basics: What is SAM (Software Asset Management)?

This post is the first in our “Back to Basics” series, where we will break important elementary ideas down into the simplest terms possible. The more these topics are understood in a straightforward way, the better your organization will be at crucial IT practices. Let’s get Back to Basics!

If you are the IT manager for an organization, you are likely familiar with the term SAM. It stands for Software Asset Management, and here’s what it means.

In ITIL’s words: “Software Asset Management (SAM) is all of the infrastructure and processes necessary for the effective management, control, and protection of the software assets within an organisation throughout all stages of their lifecycle.”

In other words: SAM is a IT practice for managing and optimizing the software applications used within an organization, from request to approval and deployment all the way to retirement, with various processes and management tactics in between.

SAM requires a combination of people and processes in order to maximize software investment within an organization. Some common goals of SAM are the following:

– Reduce costs by optimizing software use & maximize ROI

– Minimize legal risks by remaining compliant with software licenses

– Manage each stage of the software lifecycle, from request through approval, procurement and retirement

– Encourage positive business structure, growth & best practices

There you have the very basics of software asset management – stay tuned for further posts on SAM tasks, processes and more!

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