Beware of Software License Creep

And no, I’m not referring to the sales rep who tries to sell you a pirate copy of Windows…
License Creep is a condition where control over software license compliance is slowly lost. You may end up with too few or even too many license for you installed software. Either way it can be costly. 1E Consultants and Developers are a battle hardened bunch of elite troops out there in the real world day after day, dealing with some very big companies.So we recently did a quick ask around the guys here regarding the many ways in which companies can suffer from License Creep, based on our own experiences in the field and those of others…
Here are the top 5:
Mergers
Companies taking over other companies is a prime example of a breeding ground for bad Software Licensing management. When companies merge, there should always be an audit of software licenses. It may be that you have an excess and could save some money, or you may end up a few short.. but this activity is often way down the list when mergers or acquisitions happen. It shouldn’t be.
Rapid Expansion
Companies are required to change direction on a sixpence these days to cope with and ever more fluid business environment. When the CEO decides that the company needs 250 more sales folks, desks, computers, telephones etc are all things that have to be ordered. Software can simply be rolled out by your Systems Management team but are those licenses in place? Check it.
Runaway Self Installs
This tends to happen more than companies would like to admit. In a loosely controlled desktop environment, your users may be able to download and install just about anything they think they need. Their manager may have approved this (or not), but what about record keeping, maintenance and upgrades?
Version Version Version
Yes it bears repeating because this in my opinion is one of the biggest headaches in large companies where there may be several different versions of the same software (MS Office for instance) throughout the enterprise. Which version is licensed, and for how many users?
Who is using What?
Unused software, just like unused servers of desktops cost you money.The problem is that it’s harder to spot. That software that was rolled out five years ago may be obsolete now, but is it still installed, and where?
You can see that just from these 5 examples the potential for wasting money and/or breaking the law and incurring a fine is huge. Software Licensing waste can be a huge drain on resource, which is why we are launching the answer in the form of AMP – our Application Management Platform.
If you are lucky enough to be attending MMS 2011 this year you can find out all about AMP there, just drop by our booth or attend our session on March 23rd. For full details check here