IDG Contributor Network: Are software audits still necessary in the age of cloud computing?
Virtually every organization has some form of IT infrastructure and software licensing. For many, the cost to license software is in the tens of millions of dollars, and it’s obviously a vital part of running a business. With so much money on the line, and the potential impact of not having the necessary software, it’s easy to see why an increasing number of organizations are finally being proactive with software asset management (SAM).
The nature of software is that it is easy to install and run, or to access tools and data on or from multiple devices and doing so may go unnoticed by IT administrators. Accessing email or data on a corporate server from an employee’s smartphone, for example, typically requires some form of software license. Employees do this every day, and it’s often in the best interest of the organization to let them, but if the organization doesn’t manage it properly, the consequences can be severe.