Organisations get the most benefit from cloud computing when they implement proven best practices for managing software assets effectively.
This is according to a study by BSA | The Software Alliance, titled "Navigating the cloud - Why software asset management (SAM) is more important than ever". The study notes that, using SAM as a cloud enabler, businesses are able to realise the benefits and cost savings of deploying computing resources in the cloud. However, ineffective SAM in the cloud can undermine many of those same benefits.
"Software asset management needs to be an integral part of an organisation's cloud strategy, from implementation, to managing the life cycles of software assets," says Jodie Kelley, senior VP and general counsel at BSA.
"Without proper SAM, many of the benefits provided by cloud computing, such as cost and risk reduction, will not be realised," she says.
BSA defines SAM as the practice of managing the life cycle of software assets within an organisation. One objective of SAM is compliance with the organisation's software licence agreements, it explains, adding that SAM is applicable to, and necessary for, all organisations using software.
An organisation must know which software assets it is entitled to and the impact that moving to the cloud will have on those assets, says Kelley. Adopting cloud architecture without properly addressing SAM-related considerations can result in serious errors associated with cost and risk analysis, she adds.
According to BSA, SAM should be fully embedded in the cloud management process, from the initial planning and design of the architecture, to contracting and negotiations, to monitoring the cloud service provider's (CSP's) compliance with service level agreements, to designing and implementing controls over software assets, to verifying the CSP billing.
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