Software is a critical but costly asset for most organizations today. Whether procuring licenses for productivity suites, design software, industry-specific applications or IT management tools, these expenses require diligent oversight and optimization. Mismanaged software can result in compliance risks, overspending, and underutilized shelfware.
Start with a Comprehensive Software Audit
You can’t properly manage your licenses until you have full visibility into what’s deployed across your organization. Conduct a meticulous audit to inventory every single software program installed on all devices and servers. Note not just the titles but also the specific license types, product use rights and number of seats provisioned for each.
Compare the audit findings against your procurement records and contract documentation. Chances are you’ll uncover many discrepancies between what’s actually in use versus what you’re paying for. This baseline inventory allows you to right-size licenses to eliminate wasteful expenditures.
Implement a Software Asset Management System
Once you’ve established your initial software footprint, put structures in place to continuously track, control, and optimize license positions. Adopt dedicated software asset management (SAM) tools that centralize all license data, monitor usage patterns, and automate many key management tasks.
SAM systems enforce request/approval workflows for any new software procurement while providing unified visibility in your full software estate. They cross-map licenses to specific users, devices and cost centers for chargeback/optimization purposes. The people at Opkalla say that in Microsoft license management scenarios, they align your inventory with your Volume License agreements to avoid over deployment and compliance risks.
Align Software Purchasing with Forecasted Needs
Rather than just renewing existing software agreements on an annual autopilot, take a more strategic approach aligned to the evolving needs of your workforce. Analyze software usage patterns and productivity metrics to project what new license requirements may emerge in the coming years based on growth, new projects, office relocations, etc.
Proactively mapping out a detailed software roadmap saves money by avoiding rushed procurement decisions. You can thoughtfully plan software consolidations, time bulk deployments with new hardware refreshes and negotiate longer-term enterprise contracts for better volume discounts.
Harvest/Reallocate Unused or Underutilized Licenses
Even with forecasting and controls in place, organizational and project changes inevitably leave software licenses dormant and underutilized at times. Instead of wasting those investments, regularly collect any unused program licenses and redistribute them to teams that require them.
Automatically configure software asset management (SAM) rules to identify licenses that are sitting idle for specified periods. Hold software owners accountable for regularly certifying which provisioned products their teams still actively need. Turn on software metering features to illuminate exactly which modules/capabilities different groups utilize most.
Provide End-User Software Education
Software is only as useful as an employee’s ability to properly leverage it. Maximize your license ROI by providing robust end-user training programs. Whether computer-based tutorials, in-person workshops or on-demand webinars, ensure comprehension of each program’s full feature set.
Incorporating software learning paths into new hire onboarding gets employees up to speed quickly. Providing ongoing training to current users helps maintain proficiency in underutilized capabilities. Learning new skills empowers teams to fully utilize tools instead of wasting access to licenses.
Conclusion
With software representing a huge chunk of IT budgets, you must manage licenses as the critical assets they are. Gain complete visibility, implement automated tools, and institute proactive oversight processes to understand your full software footprint.
Shift from reactive purchasing to forecasting models based on evolving workforce needs. Harvest and redeploy dormant licenses to prevent shelfware waste. And be sure to provide user education that maximizes software adoption and productivity for every provisioned license.
Efficient software license management transcends just cost savings. It promotes license compliance, ensures teams have proper tool access, prevents productivity leaks, and extracts maximum ROI from these critical investments.