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Published byHarriet Houston Modified over 9 years ago
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How to be a less attractive software audit target Helpful intelligence from License Dashboard Presented by: Matt Fisher, Director
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Agenda How did we get here? A short recap from Webinar #1 How to become a less attractive software audit target Volume Licensing Record-keeping & centralized contracts Define, document & enforce policies Standard builds Inventory License Management ELP statements Audit clauses Lessons to learn & next steps
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License Dashboard in 60 seconds Technology used to successfully deliver 1,000 SAM projects globally Designed, built & maintained by licensing experts Used by SAM and licensing consultants in Europe, US, Canada & Australia Recognized by leading vendors Microsoft (SAM partner), Adobe, Symantec, VMware and more Technology supported by licensing expertise Full range of Professional Services, SAM Consultancy & Licensing Advice Delivery options to meet your needs: Perpetual and subscription on-premise or Managed Service
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How did we get here? License = EULA; EULA = right to audit “(e) You agree that xxx may audit your use of the Software for compliance with these terms at any time, upon reasonable notice. In the event that such audit reveals any use of the Software by you other than in full compliance with the terms of this Agreement, you shall reimburse xxx for all reasonable expenses related to such audit in addition to any other liabilities you may incur as a result of such non-compliance.” EULA strongly favours the publisher: Audit at any time with ‘reasonable’ notice Reimburse… for all reasonable expenses …any other liabilities Audits on the increase 65% chance of audit in next 12 months - GARTNER
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How to be less attractive Top #2 criteria for determining who to audit: Inconsistency in purchasing History of poor compliance Addressing these will lower the risk of audit
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1. Use Volume Licensing Addresses #1 criteria for audit: “inconsistency in purchasing” Gives vendor better visibility of license transactions Reduces likelihood of significant compliance failure BUT…. Carries an administrative overhead – not automatically ‘cheapest’ option Needs to be managed… usually includes reporting / true-up
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2. Improve record keeping Collating license entitlements is most painful part of audit Typically poor record keeping, no centralization, no visibility of OEM, FPP etc Record-keeping failures can lead to compliance cost Labor lost to paper-hunting Upgrade licenses alone are NOT entitlement, need the appropriate BASE license Begin to collate licenses before an audit Even if you only use a spread sheet! Track ALL license purchases Write a policy on license recording Better still… Invest in a license repository or license management solution
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3. Define & document policies Most organizations lack formalized software management policies Increases risk of lax practices, over-deployment & over-purchasing What to define: Who is entitled to what How software requests are initiated, approved, executed DOCUMENT the policies: Provide these to an auditor on-demand ASK a vendor’s input Keep updates as organization and practices evolve Automate the enforcement of policies
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4. Standard builds Make life easy Minimize the chance of discrepancies by standardizing Build standards can be stored in many inventory solutions Quickly see if machines are ‘non-compliant’ Standardized builds also: Reduce support overheads Simplify upgrades and patching Reduce training requirements
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5. Deploy inventory solution(s) Inventory / Audit / Discovery / Autodiscovery – all the same Baseline is critical to effective license management Agent and agent-less options – what suits your needs? Larger, complex environments may need more than one tool Windows is the easy part Linux, Mac, Unix, Citrix, Virtualization much more difficult Software audit options – EXE and MSI Looking ahead ISO 19770-2 Software Tagging BUT… inventory solutions produce A LOT of data! For License Management, you will need filtering & transformation
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6. Reconcile licenses against usage The hub of effective license management USAGE (inventory) vs ENTITLEMENT (license repository) Can’t be done with a spread sheet! Historically, reconciliation a slow, tedious, highly-skilled task Solutions now available to automate many of the key steps: Filtering & cleansing audit data Importing & validating license entitlements Associating licenses & recognizing usage rights Intelligently reconciling licenses Intelligence is key – HOW can the license be used
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7. ENGAGE with the vendor Don’t wait for a software audit Volume licensing = account management = better visibility = less audit risk Make sure vendor knows about your SAM strategy Consider signing-up to self-certification schemes or attending events Be vigilant and firm on new contracts No ‘reasonable time’ clauses in contracts Insist on 60-days + audit notice
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Coming next… How to survive an audit request Minimizing cost, risk and disruption July 19 th 2012 – 15:00 UK, 16:00 CET, 10:00 EST Life after an audit request Making sure the pain does not continue July 26 th 2012 – 15:00 UK, 16:00 CET, 10:00 EST Read the white paper View a weekly live solution demonstration
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Thank You www.licensedashboard.com
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