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The gift that keeps on giving

Editorial Type: Opinion     Date: 05-2016    Views: 1725      









Cloud adoption does not remove the need for software license management. Alex Hilton, CEO of the Federation Against Software Theft (FAST) claims that in fact, it has made it even more complex

A formal approach to management of the software asset pool has become essential because of the complexity caused by the influx of new devices and on-demand cloud services. The questions that all IT executives need to answer are simple, but doing so candidly may be somewhat harder. It's essential to know what software is running on your systems and that it is all legitimately licensed. Equally, knowing what software licences you have purchased and are no longer being used can prevent waste.

To be frank, it will be a rare individual who can confidently claim to have all this covered. The demands on the modern IT environment mean that with increased value to the user of scale and capacity, keeping pace with software licensing is as complex as ever.

Those using unlicensed software leave themselves open to a claim for illegal historic use and of course reputational risk, while some may overcompensate and buy extra licenses just to be safe. In fact the reality in most organisations will be a software estate that sits between the two extremes, under-licensing on some and overpaying on others. It seems that most prefer to be legal.

Pirating software remains a serious issue in the UK. Whether it is a deliberate act or unintentional some, through no fault of their own, have found themselves at risk, especially in a hybrid environment. But the obligations and consequences are clear.

Company liability can be significantly higher than the cost of paying for compliance purchases plus potential back payment for illegal historic use, especially when reputational risk is factored in. It is not just the business that carries liability either, as a company officer can be criminally liable if they consented or connived in the commission of the offence.

Software licensing has to be considered as part of a responsible internal governance posture, rather than just a burden for the IT department. It's not just a question of the company doing the right thing by paying for the software it uses or being efficient by making sure you're not paying unnecessarily for licenses.

Pirated software can also make the business vulnerable to cyber breaches, which are more prevalent than ever. If users are downloading cracked software and installing it then that often brings malware with it. Cyber health matters in protection of the business assets and shielding of customer information, for example, against hacks.

The IT network has been transformed by the cloud and connection of multiple devices. The IT department now has to consider the licensing impact from tablets and smartphones that users introduce into the IT estate. BYOD has produced several of these challenges, many of which have focused on information security and data protection. As more employees use their own devices for business purposes, correctly managing software licenses becomes increasingly important.

Looking at this as a cost challenge, enterprises want to make sure that workers have access to the applications needed to carry out their jobs and to manage compliance cost effectively. Business end users must be comfortable with the rules that their BYOD activity can impact and be clear on their licensing obligations.

A comprehensive set of software asset management (SAM) policies and procedures need to be established and reviewed to ensure that businesses have complete, real time visibility of their IT landscape and can define and control how license consumption will be overseen.

For IT professionals, having a comprehensive license optimisation environment helps them to control software spending as well as offering the peace of mind and confidence of a secure and compliant software estate - one that functions within the publishers terms, while operating within the more complex mobile first, cloud-centric world. NC

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