SAM: as it is correct to manage program assets

What is the SAM project

SAM (Software Asset Management is management of program assets) is a package of measures, necessary for effective control for softwares which are used by the company. Initially SAM projects were directed to compliance to legal requirements and failure from the non-licensed software. In process of development of IT the role of SAM sharply increased. If earlier risks, then now the main motivation — business value, the solution of business and strategic tasks were the main engine.

"Focus was on a technical part earlier: help with inventory, give understanding that actually is at the company, to optimize current costs, i.e. to answer basic infrastructure questions — the associate director of department of business consulting of Softline Ilya Pankratov tells. — Now SAM is more integral project which means great value for the customer. We try to solve in a complex the customer's problems taking into account his development strategy. For this purpose as much as possible we use all available technical means".

Why projects on management of program assets gain relevance

SAM projects develop together with IT. They help to solve several questions, key for business, at once. The software park directly influences company management. To accept the thought-over business solutions, it is necessary to have the most complete and reliable information. SAM helps to introduce amendments in the development strategy, to solve business challenges and to consider risks. It is fair both for the big companies, and for the enterprises of medium and small business.

"whether SAM projects allow to make strategic decisions to put, for example, in clouds now or to wait whether to implement a management system for configurations whether to optimize acquisition of software and so on — Ilya Pankratov explains. — If to speak about business challenges, then it is clear that IT should support business. SAM helps with determination of budgets and work with financial parameters: these are investments into software, expediency of acquisitions, a possibility of economy. And, of course, SAM strengthens cybersecurity regarding risk minimization of penetration and loss of information and also fulfillment of requirements of regulators".

Experts note that reliable information about the available program assets gives understanding of strategy of economy: at the expense of what information systems, projects or divisions it is possible to optimize costs. Besides, the complete information about the set software and trends of its use can help to distribute, for example, the payment for software on specific business units (departments) which more often or are more complete than it is used.

How did clouds change SAM?

Cloud computing directly affected the principles of carrying out SAM projects. Approaches because now it is necessary to consider many new aspects exchanged. When consider relevance of transition to clouds, study advantage of use of clouds, correctness and an investment payback, scenarios of transition. It if costs a question of transition.

If clouds are already used in the company, then there is a question of control and asset management. Financial subjects emerge too. They depend on specific criteria, for example, of access to cloud resources, volumes of their use (and, respectively, payment values). Therefore a financial part of SAM changed from simple recalculation of cost of software to attempts of creation of flexible and dynamic model.

Changed clouds and the sphere of information security. Asset management is connected with role models of use of software: who has what access rights. The question of arrangement of data is important. But you should not forget also about banal licensing as lack of control — too a problem for cybersecurity.

In general, development of technologies led to emergence in profile software for carrying out SAM projects of add-on modules which close the new cloud directions.

What companies need SAM projects

SAM became popular on average and small business recently. The companies from this segment usually begin removal of debris with optimization of the software park, without passing to profile solutions of large vendors. SMB even more often think: how to buy what is necessary, to do it by an optimal method and how to estimate tangible assets.

The example is Klyon group for which by Softline the overview of program assets on 530 PCs and 80 servers carried out. After that recommendations about consolidation of loads of the equipment and use of such options of licensing which would provide the maximum virtualization were made. It gives the chance to reduce costs for hardware-software providing, engineering infrastructure and electric power approximately by 30%. The efficiency of personnel and top management at the same time increases by 20-40%. A bonus — achievement of necessary performance and scalability of servers and disk subsystems at any moment. If to speak about a cut on the industries, then interest in SAM is retained also by the large companies, for example, banks, retail and industrial corporations.

Regardless of business value, it is worth understanding that to implement the SAM project independently it will be problematic. Though anyway it is worth carrying out some preparatory work which is useful to experts of integrator. For example, to attend to inventory, to determine volumes and the directions of financial expenditure for program assets.

"After that for good reason specialists in the analysis of the business processes connected with software, experts in the license analysis can be accepted — Ilya Pankratov specifies. — How to select integrator? The specialized company is valuable the experience. For example, Softline in a year carries out more than 200 projects worldwide. We understand some things which are beyond one company, the general trends and approaches, uncommon — industry or country — possibilities of optimization. Anyway, the specialized companies have advantage over alternative options, like set in staff of certain specialists or problem solving "on a measure from receipt"".

How to implement the SAM project: choice of the partner, basic approaches, stages, cost

The first stage — problem definition. Business and the company integrator need to define painful points, to understand that now not as it should be or it would be desirable to correct. This task is directly connected with the development strategy the company and depends on specific plans. For example, input of new shops in network, standardization of software at geographically distributed enterprise, value assessment of the company or the transaction on merge can prepare.

The second stage — data collection, including — inventory which helps to understand what software is available and for what it is used. This stage it is possible (and it is necessary) to automate using SAM solutions.

The third stage — collection of data on purchases: the contracts, licenses, any documents connected with gaining access to personal accounts of vendors. Here legal and finance documents are browsed. The license analysis which prepares the soil for technical and contract optimization is carried out. This process can be automated also partially.

"After that usually the stage of discussion of opportunities, specific projects, potential results of their implementation follows — Ilya Pankratov says. — Different scenarios taking into account the available business challenges are offered. After that the specific project is selected and implemented".

Project cost depends on scales of the project and tasks facing business, up to dependence on number of computers and servers. If the analysis and recommendations about optimization can borrow of one month before half a year for the companies of average value, then implementation of specific solutions takes more than half a year.

What results should be expected according to the results of the SAM project

The main result — transparency of management of program assets. Understanding that is at the company, how much is it and as corresponds to development strategies, gives possibilities for further optimization, risk reduction, determination of more accurate vectors of use of new technologies.

"It is possible to give ALROSA company in which Softline was implemented by the serious SAM project as an example — Ilya Pankratov tells. — ALROSA is the world's largest producer of diamonds in carats. The management of the enterprise made the decision on design and system implementation of management of IT assets (ITAM). Its existence allows to reduce housekeeping overheads of IT resources, to make their use effective, to provide license purity according to requirements of the Russian legislation".

Having analyzed IT infrastructure of the company and also a circle of tasks and business needs of ALROSA, specialists of Softline recommended to select the solution Flexnet Manager. It helps to keep "smart" account of software for which the library of rights to use forms base. Also the solution allows to prepare consolidated statements about actually used software products.

"Specialists of Softline inspected over 5 thousand PCs and 372 servers in divisions of ALROSA company in the Sakha (Yakutia) Republic, Moscow, Moscow area. The management system for IT assets was implemented taking into account scaling of infrastructure and expansion of the park of the equipment to 7500 PCs — Ilya Pankratov remembers. — In a project deliverable experts of Softline entered data on names softwares (more than 3 thousand), applications (over 226 thousand) into a management system for IT assets of the customer and collected 450 packets of documents of title. The ALROSA company received centralized operation by the software, the developed complex of internal processes, an opportunity to perform monitoring of needs for acquisition of software".

ALROSA was satisfied, having noted that the carried-out project allowed the enterprise to provide the centralized and structured data storage, gave the chance in the automatic mode to analyze the software and PC configurations, to keep account of IT assets and to manage their lifecycle. Costs for administration of resources and rationally a distributed load for specialists were as a result reduced.

Transition from SAM projects to the managed services

Today it became insufficiently simple to carry out the SAM project and to consider that the question is closed for long time. The situation with program assets in the company changes quite dynamically, and the most important, both business challenges, and methods of their solution are also very mobile and often densely connected with software. Questions according to different scenarios of use of software, optimization of investments, to control of use of software, often require the certain specialists qualified in this sphere. It is more and more companies — both large, and absolutely small — make the choice for benefit of permanent attention to the subject SAM, for example, select a role responsible for management of program assets.

Vendors also actively support service approach to management of program assets. In particular, the Microsoft corporation announced the Microsoft SAM Managed Service Program program.

"Softline is the first Russian company which underwent accreditation as provider of the Managed SAM Service — Ilya Pankratov reports. — Participation in this program not just shows the high level of the provided service, but also allows to give additional benefits and services from Microsoft corporation and with its support. Management of program assets on a permanent basis allows our customers to reach the new level of control, optimization of assets of software and security of IT infrastructure. Also the efficiency of response to any calls connected with the changing business challenges and a technology environment increases".

See Also

• Ilya Pankratov, Softline: SAM is reasonable approach to optimization taking into account the business development strategy