It’s a no-brainer that organisations across the board want to reduce spend on software, operations and support, and, at the same time, lower the risk of being over- or under-licensed. However, when it comes to adopting software asset management (SAM) tools to help them do this, many are reluctant, due to the complexity that tackling SAM sometimes entails and the lack of understanding typical software agreements. Unfortunately, it’s often viewed as a tedious ‘tick box’ exercise that doesn’t add value to the business.

But this isn’t the case. SAM does more than tick boxes, it answers critical enterprise- level questions, says Chris Ogden, MD of RubiBlue. “With a growing number of tools and software solutions aimed at driving greater efficiency, accountability, data and suchlike, there’s a strong need to ensure that these solutions deliver, and this is where SAM comes in. Look at it from a risk mitigating aspect. You move from a space where you had no idea what software tools were being used or whether all of your data was being protected, to one where you have clear visibility into applications and solutions. From another angle, are you using the most cost-effective, service-delivering solution out there? If not, why not?”