SAM Certification? The Next Generation is a SAM Credential!

What if your ITAM or SAM certification was global and based on your competencies instead of some so-called standards provider’s proprietary programs? The Institute for Technology Asset Management is the ONLY global ITAM / SAM credential provider that integrates practitioner competencies into a training regimen that delivers precisely the knowledge you need to succeed - Short-Term as well as Long-Term. Here are some details:

The following is in response to Rory Canavan’s post on LinkedIn. You can read his original commentary here.

In the real world of technology portfolio management, there has been an unfortunate collision between SAM / ITAM training programs and applied process standards. The narrow practitioner knowledge focus, plus the initiative costs, linked with the unnecessary initiative complexity (for a clear majority of enterprises) translate into altogether too many failed asset management initiatives.

I think Rory hit upon the critical elementary roadblocks to both ITAM & SAM when he touched upon the nature of industry standards being sold by proprietary training providers. Standards should be easily accessed by any practitioner, from any sized enterprise, in any industry, anywhere in the world - not locked in to single providers who predicate knowledge of, and use of, those standards on only their own training/publications.

When there is a tightly controlled narrow range of intentionally divergent resources, practitioners are forced to choose one over another. If practitioners are continually locked in to their chosen credential providers, they may never gain access to alternative (less costly / less complex / more ROIC) options for reducing costs / risks while increasing delivered value and, ultimately, establishing the credibility of global certifications.

Within the Next Generation of SAM / ITAM training, practitioners no longer need to constantly fail in their attempts to “shoehorn” massive standards developed for multinational enterprises into their unique local small- to medium-sized business. Instead, The Institute empowers practitioners to scale down overly complex and unnecessarily costly standards to match their specific needs based on intelligent process management.

So? Here’s what we’ve done:

In 2006 the Institute for Technology Asset Management created the industry’s first “Competency-Based” SAM and ITAM credentialing programs (based on the original SAM/ITAM training systems Al Plastow developed in 2000). We’ve eliminated much of the groundwork for you by reviewing standards such as ISO & ITIL and ensuring that your practitioner training meets, and most frequently exceeds, the competencies needed to integrate those standards into your specific technology environment.

Competencies mean practitioners gain the skills they need to get realistic operational results while also competing in the asset management job market – based on skills / experiences employers are genuinely searching for. These competencies empower you to establish a core knowledge base or, if you desire, pursue a deep dig into a highly focused skill – based on services you can genuinely deliver.

Real World Example: The typical software asset management – SAM – training certification includes less than 20 minutes of actual contract-related negotiations coverage. The Institute starts practitioners out with six (6) times that level of skill. But we go significantly further than any other training option by opening your professional development to more localized training opportunities.

Competencies should know no knowledge borders. While (for example) the classic SAM certification body essentially forces practitioners to continue using a single source for ongoing professional development, The Institute encourages its members to pursue additional training at the local level as well as online, and that continual practitioner improvement is applied to your ongoing credential baseline. Further, The Institute will accept previous training certifications, integrating them into our existing competency requirements.

Real World Example: You can now “trade up” your existing proprietary certification to a global competency-based credential. The Institute will evaluate your previous training documentation, giving you credit for previous training toward gaining Institute credentials. Consider this the SAM and ITAM professional development version of a “competitive upgrade” – without all the strings attached. The same framework applies to your ongoing professional development.

When the typical practitioner, certified via the classic proprietary framework, wishes to continue or renew their “license” to practice, they are most frequently locked in to the original provider. To renew the certification, they’re usually expected to attend a costly conference, or attend a proprietary course (or six). As frequently, the renewal process will channel the practitioner into enduring software / hardware / or consulting industry-sponsored events, listening in to sales pitches rather than competency-based growth opportunities.

Real World Example: The clear majority of SAM training, certification, and re-certification opportunities are either directly sponsored by, or semi-controlled by, suppliers of IT goods and services. Does anyone honestly believe that these same suppliers are genuinely training practitioners to locate all opportunities for spending less, gaining additional value, or eliminating costly audits related to their products / services? The Institute programs are based on your own competencies, not on sponsor agendas. Institute credentials are 100% supplier neutral – about your skills, not on what suppliers want you to buy.

When practitioners consider the range of Institute competencies, a significant difference in credentialing becomes obvious: Institute credentials cover the range of reality competencies that any truly global credential should address. This enhanced range of skill exceeds, by a wide margin, any alternative SAM training program on the planet (we’ve narrowed the following focus to SAM to demonstrate the differences).

The Institute professional development credential is NOT for everyone. We’ve replaced – heavily supplemented – the classic SAM training to more accurately reflect the competencies you need to succeed - anywhere on the planet.

Real World Example: Most existing SAM training programs deliver less than ten (10) hours of actual instruction. That instruction includes any and all data entry into generic course handbooks – resources usually bulked up with extensive details that simply will not apply to a majority of practitioner needs. The Institute SAM program delivers over thirty-five 35 hours of focused time-on-task instruction that is supplemented by a comprehensive, self-paced, and customized workbook – where you genuinely apply what you have learned to your unique environment.

Real World Tragedy: In one globally recognized certification program, the approximately 12 hour SAM training session includes over an hour of indoctrination into the sponsoring organization as well as a two-hour tutorial on how to pass the certification exam. Neither of these time-consuming activities contributes to your actual practitioner competencies. What’s more, neither of these actions contributes to the credibility of your certification.

So… What are the competencies that The Institute delivers to our practitioners? Take a look at the list. Compare these competencies to the alternative training options. Keep in mind that The Institute does not deliver, nor will we deliver, the current “over-night” certifications that seem to be the existing standard. Nor will The Institute programs expose you to vendor/supplier sale hype in either instruction or communications.

 

Finally, and here’s a stunning concept: The Institute competencies also address mainframe issues, FITARA, and the MEGABYTE Acts!

Want more? Contact us and discuss our differences.

SAM Practitioners: Watch Out for This Source Code Escrow Disaster

When your enterprise acquires a mission critical software package or suite it is vital that you include a “software code escrow" clause in the license agreement. This practice is intended to ensure that, should the software publisher shut down, go out of business, or become the victim of a buy-out, you will still have access to the original source code for your application. Essentially, the full source code is placed in storage with an independent third party for later recovery and use. Unfortunately, the source code escrow safety net concept has frequently become a casualty of sharp business practices.

Government Software Asset Managers: Be VERY aware of source code escrow. This single contractual clause is nearly as critical to your ongoing operations as the software products themselves. Also, to be fully compliant with FITARA and/or MEGABYTE, this clause should always be utilized as a key element of due diligence in technology spending.

The way escrow was originally designed to work is as follows: The software publisher places the code for your specific version/release of the application in secure storage. If, or when, the software publisher goes out of business you have the right to acquire the source code so that your mission critical application doesn’t fade away. Then, if the software publisher fades away, your enterprise can download the code and continue using the product, theoretically without interruption.

Real World: We’ve seen at least multiple instances of major software publishers that have been bought out by competitors who have immediately ceased all support of the acquired publishers’ applications with the specific intent of forcing consumers to acquire an entirely new product line when the first is no longer available. Source code escrow is the only recourse for a consumer who finds their applications have been phased out.

In recent years, however, the way escrow has been working has been anything BUT effective. On one hand, software publishers tend to be hesitant to genuinely deliver working source code to the escrow holding service. Instead, they may (intentionally, or not) deliver the wrong code, or they deliver code that is defective. On the other hand, software publishers may actually deliver valid code, but that code is never checked to ensure that it transferred accurately.

The bottom line is that, when the consumer attempts to access the code, it is essentially useless – it won’t work at all or the code is for the wrong product, version, or release. The end result is a source code escrow safety net that literally fails to provide its intended value – leaving the consumer holding a mission critical application that is gradually failing to function.

Resolution: When negotiating for ANY mission critical application, always include a source code escrow process. Fully define that process and include very specific procedures for conducting periodic code reviews to ensure that the code you THINK is available for your safety net genuinely IS available and is the correct version/release to match the product you are using. Also, ensure that you allow for transfer, storage, and testing of any future upgrades, patches, fixes, or modifications to the base code. 

All of this is even more critical when we plug so-called cloud services into the mix. Keep in mind that a clear majority of cloud storage service contracts include a clause that permits the service provider to re-locate your stored data to another server - anywhere on the planet - without either notifying you, or without your consent. The end result is that you will simply not be aware of the condition of, or location of, your code - possibly (probably?) a significant disaster scenario.

Failure to take these basic steps during the original negotiations with the original software publisher can expose your enterprise to sharp practices – whether deliberate or unintentional – that could easily spell complete failure of a mission critical application in the long term.

As usual, there is much more to source code escrow than we can cover in this briefing. For additional software life cycle management training, check in at TAMInstitute.org for additional strategies and tactics that genuinely work in the real world.