Compliance with software licenses: Questions and Answers for IT equipment

In a new study published by King Research, IT managers often reveals that their companies will certainly ensure software license compliance audit can happen. Why software licensing policies become more complex and the number of software applications used will feel increasing every year. All these factors influence the software inventories and violations of software license compliance audit and increased risk of new requirements.

Why care about compliance with software license companies and organizations?

Violation of the terms of the software license can be problematic for companies and organizations of all sizes. The company can not produce a valid license to use the software that each was sentenced to a fine of up to $ 150,000. I also know that unlicensed software installed on personal responsibility for network administrators in their network assets, or even jail time, fines, accordingly, were confiscated. Software such as combating piracy software providers BSA (BSA) and the Industry Association of Software and Information (SIIA) has created organizations like. These organizations and companies that violate the license terms and throw them against the software requirements is responsible for finding organizations. Even the destruction of large companies and $ 13 million from $ 11 million, resulting in payments in many cases.

Small businesses should care about compliance with software license. One of the main error is small, because it will not have a job to check. Litigation and penalties - are small in the same way that large corporations really faced with compliance license violation in business. In each case, being out of compliance can be many times higher than the fines and spent time in the set in motion processes and technology to ensure compliance with money.

I can be a license overbought quick and easy solution?

Some business owners and managers to request a license number needed to treat and protect commercial license compliance issues. License Idea any license compliance will be identified during the inspection as litigation and unnecessary fines can save a company to create a buffer of a certain amount of unused licenses. Of course, this approach may work in some cases, but can not use the software associated with each type. For example, permits are granted for a limited number of employees and can not be transferred to other users. If additional licenses, although it is not a software used by authorized personnel must be determined in the case of a violation of the license.

Another reason to avoid the degree of over-bought is a significant savings. Licensing costs for the purchase of unused licenses, the performance of internal audit and software license need is usually required to maintain an inventory much larger budget. You can register your software budget significantly even hired an external auditor.

Make a software license inventory?

The simplest method for asset management and inventory control software licenses are manually using spreadsheets. Many small businesses rely on this approach, but can only get out of control. This approach is based on static data and company fails when it starts to grow. All software installations performed by a single person can only work when really small office. The rights of others to install and uninstall data software inventory software audit software manually, once completed yesterday still no guarantee picked correctly.

The best way to collect software inventory information is automatically updated using special software. All computers on a corporate network monitoring systems and software inventory to the central system can save the list of applications installed on each computer. You can send notifications to a network administrator immediately in case of unapproved changes to software to be detected. Collected software inventory information can be compared with information on purchasing the software. Network administrators should be responsible for centralized to store all software agreements and invoice software for granting authorized storage permits, so that many copies of each software element is allowed and what software is installed on how computers can be. This information can be compared with the actual audit information obtained from computer software company to find and resolve any violations.