Friday, February 25, 2011

Software Asset Management Tools

When it's time to purchase automated technology asset management software, it's also time for a little reality orientation. Vendor hype aside, there is no silver bullet tool that will deliver miraculous value for peanuts. To gain maximum ROI from any IT asset management software acquisition you need to identify and prioritize which tool to purchase, in what order, and establish your preferred functionality criteria.

When it comes to automated information technology asset management tools you will always gain the best bang for your buck by starting with a quality discovery tool. The discovery tool enables your IT asset manager and/or software asset manager to conduct a hardware and/or software audit in minutes (compared with hours and days using the hand audit processes). The IT asset management discovery tool usually operates on a server, auditing systems when they are started at the beginning of the work day, or according to a pre-set schedule. (But, with many, can also conduct local or online audits of systems.)

Caution: Not every technology asset management software product can be used to discover both hardware and software. While some tools may be adjusted to function in both capacities, a tool that isn't designed for both hardware and software can be a complete disaster. What's more, many tools cannot be tweaked to add new items to the discovery search - a serious problem when you decide to audit for illegal music or MP3 files.

When setting your functionality expectations, consider the following:
  • How difficult is the product to install / implement? Can your internal team perform the implementation or will you have to bring in an expensive provider team?
  • How difficult is the product to manage / administrate on a day-to-day basis? Can your existing personnel do the work or will you be forced to hire a dedicated technician? Is training cost-effective and will it cover your unique needs?
  • Can the product be set to "manage by exception"?  This means that, once you have established your configuration audit baseline, the product primarily searches for changes to that baseline - quicker and more cost-effective.
  • How easily does the product generate reports? What pre-designed reports are included? How difficult is it to produce a customized report? Are reports developed around a common source, or is the process proprietary?
  • How easily and accurately does the tool discover hardware? Can your personnel adjust the scan for a specific hardware item?
  • How easily and accurately does the tool discover software? Can your personnel adjust the scan for a specific range of software titles? Can it scan for products belonging to a specific copyright holder (a MUST during a license compliance audit)?
  • Does the product contain, maintain, and accurately update an internal software product and copyright holder dictionary against which it compares what it discovers? How frequently is this database updated?
  • Will the database accept data covering legacy applications - those that were written in-house or are otherwise not on the typical software publisher roles?
  • Can the product be used to discover "rogue" products such as those MP3s mentioned earlier, or video/movie titles, graphics, fonts, or even games? (Do not try to convince me that none of your systems has any of the items on that list - they do...)
  • And the beat goes on...
Want more? There are other considerations to bring into the picture. We haven't discussed licensing terms and conditions, or volume purchasing agreements, or any of a wide range of details - but do you get the picture?

Need any questions answered or additional information? Check out the Knowledge Briefings on the BizTechNet.org web site. Interested in bringing in one of our experts to consult or provide advice? Interested in getting supplier-agnostic training in how to deliver effective technology asset management or software asset management value? Contact our training division at TAMinstitute.org.

    Who are your stakeholders & what do they expect?

    One of the key omissions made by enterprises when acquiring business technologies is failing to clearly understand / define the needs of the people, departments, companies, and suppliers that are involved in the event. We ALL tend to minimize, or ignore, the stakeholder analysis. Result? Many, many failures to deliver value to the enterprise.

    Per the Project Management Institute PMBOK, stakeholders are: 

    I know... In today's economic environment, we all tend to bow down to the pressures of "Just get it done." Guess why acquisitions fail to deliver, cost too much, have poor contractual terms and conditions, exceed the budget, or expose the enterprise to legal risks? We never seriously clarified what it was we were doing.

    So, here's your best bet to gain more effective results: Conduct a stakeholder analysis for every IT acquisition. Try to discover the primary individuals or entities that will be involved in, or impacted by, your actions. Ensure that you at least look at their surface needs and expectations. (Surface is NOT optimal, but it's a massive improvement from the norm.)

    Next, document the expectations of those stakeholders. Put what you know in a table or spreadsheet format. Look over your lists and set priorities.