By chance I read an article today in an engineering design journal (long story….) summarising changes to the licensing of Autodesk software. I’ve been to their Web site and there’s nothing highlighted that the casual visitor would notice, so I’m going to quote verbatim from what I read today in Professional Engineering. They quote from Stephen Hooper, … Continue reading Huge changes coming to Autodesk licensing
With Microsoft Enterprise agreements easily costing hundreds of thousands or millions of dollars / pounds / euros, it continues to sadden me that organizations will sign up without having any significant level of information regarding the Microsoft products that they have installed and actually use. When a 90 day Microsoft product usage survey to establish … Continue reading Software Asset Management and Fiscal Responsibility
A new study has found that the UK now has the highest incidence in Europe of overweight people, through poor diet and lack of exercise. With so many clear advantages to eating healthily, it’s a mystery that the message still doesn’t get through and that we don’t see more people deciding to do something about … Continue reading Software Asset Management and Healthy Eating
Software Asset Management standard to be re-structured I first referred visitors to this blog to ISO 19770-1 in a post in March 2010, and a technical briefing note generated around the same time. ISO 19770-1 sets out processes which would be implemented by an organization pursuing Software Asset Management. The twenty seven processes outlined in … Continue reading ISO 19770-1 : your chance to contribute
Software License Compliance – a risk not worth taking? In a recent press release on the Business Software Alliance’s Web site, the BSA’s UK-based Michala Wardell reminds anyone listening that not paying attention to compliance can results in penal costs that far outstrip the nominal cost of the software in question. The offending Scotland based organization … Continue reading License Compliance not going away as significant risk issue
IT Asset Management – multiple areas of RoI The commonly cited and generalized reasons for making the effort with ITAM are reducing risk and reducing cost. Less often quoted, but equally valid, is an increase in user productivity. In a short white paper that you’re welcome to download (no registration required), we set out in … Continue reading The breadth of opportunity for RoI in IT Asset Management
Has your organization ever sold a retired computer with applications still installed? Have you ever purchased software this way? A recent court ruling in Seattle has sent a chill down the spine of many IT Asset Managers around the world as the U.S. District Court upheld that software publishers can prevent their products from being … Continue reading Court ruling hikes pressure on Software Asset Management
IT Asset Management – foundation for action Vector’s quarterly strategy review was held in our Montreal office over the second half of last week and Saturday, and at a lodge hotel out in the country on Sunday until we had to head for the airport. As usual, we considered short term needs, medium term objectives, … Continue reading ITAM – basis for effective and pro-active control
Software Inventory Analysis with Black and White Lists One of the most basic – and most immediately useful – uses for rich software inventory information, is white list and black list reporting. A white list of applications which every PC should have installed, and a black list of applications that should not be found on … Continue reading White List – Black List – SAM
As an IT professional, how bad do you think the non-compliance situation is in your organization? In very many organizations today, the top brass still hasn’t got the message on the potential cost savings from a strong SAM program, or on the risk reduction, or simply on the organization’s legal obligations to its suppliers as well … Continue reading Non-compliance in licensing – it’s so easy!