Its best to cooperate with the auditors, albeit while protecting the interests of your company. Software license compliance is focused on avoiding under licensing, by ensuring compliance with license entitlements often with inadequate focus on the number of licenses as compared to software deployments. Software audit control with self audits is a key component to managing software assets. Contract software license agreement obtaining a copy of your contract andor software license agreement puts you on even ground with the auditors, as the audit scope is always determined by the contract you have with the vendor. There are a couple of ideas i have of how to approach this however been searching and to find a detailed audit. Hi all, i am looking for software licensing compliance guidance audit program. Being underlicensed can bring with it hefty costs as well as even. Typically, the first question the target of an audit asks is whether the audit is legitimate. License compliance reports are used for compliance inspection at any time. Once the scope of the audit has been established, it should conduct an internal assessment of software license compliance to quickly determine the scope of software use. Weve also observed that many customers struggle to keep up with the complexity and changes in software licensing. We all know, when it comes to license compliance, the squeaky wheel gets the grease, or in.
What is microsoft license compliance verification commonly known as audit microsoft license. Most software is sold at either the enterprise, concurrent user or specific quantity of licenses. While compliance is usually the primary objective of organizations concerned about software license audits or dealing with bills from manufacturers, software optimization is the ultimate benefit. This video is simply a spoof on software sales folks. Compliance license compliance auditing is done in real time using our asset management system. Additionally, having this information aligned prepares the organization for an inevitable software audit. A software licensing audit or software compliance audit is an important subset of software asset management and component of corporate risk management. If youre anticipating a software license audit and, lets face it, you should be youre most likely concerned with non compliance. How it departments can prepare for a software license audit cio. Comparing your installations with purchases is the core of compliance, as this easily shows whether or not you are legal and would pass an audit. An external audit can consume a lot of time and resources, so its important that it organizations take proactive steps to ensure software license compliance and avoid an external audit disaster. Be prepared for microsoft compliance audit bang cloud experts. The software license compliance audit was included in the department of internal audits fiscal year 2014 annual audit plan, as a carryover from the prior year. When it comes to software assets, the term compliance holds several meanings.
Software audit control with selfaudits is a key component to managing software assets. Those that are done by the big accounting firms and those that are conducted by organizations such as bsa the software alliance. Implementing and managing a software license compliance program can be highly complex and resource intensive. However, compliance must take into account other license. Understanding of common software licensing terms, contract terms and intellectual property law in relation to.
How to handle a software license audit november 22nd, 2017. Heres a look at some of the steps a corporate it organization can take before the auditors arrive to maintain compliance and limit potential. Facing a software audit is a daunting process, which takes time, money, and resources to complete. Vendors use it to ensure youre using your software correctly and following your contract.
Be aware of the potential types of software license compliance audits your company face e. All the major software vendors are ramping up their audit frequency. Software license compliance audits it asset knowledgebase. Software license audit or software compliance audit is an important subset of software asset management and an important component of corporate risk. Keyaudit is a free software audit tool that determines the status of software license compliance. When implementing a software license program, you should begin by performing a compliance audit. What you need to know when your company receives the email from microsofts sam license team for a software compliance audit. License compliance verification faq microsoft volume licensing. It managers often struggle with visibility and find themselves blindly purchasing software. Generally, this is positive but can be a problem in contract and audit negotiations. How to respond to a software license compliance audit and. Centrally control any numbers, user lists or other. Although the software vendor will conduct its own audit. For most companies, it is a matter of time before they will be audited by one of the major companies that are auditing businesses for proof of software licensing compliance some of the main.
Here are 10 ways your organization can get a head start on managing your software compliance. However, a comprehensive software audit that examines not only license compliance, but also software utilization, often yields more in license savings than the cost of. When a company is unaware of what software is installed and being used on its machines, it can result in multiple layers of exposure. How to handle a software license audit license dashboard. The issue of compliance is forever on the minds of it executives, and even more so in the last 10 years, due to increased audit activities by software vendors, complex licensing rules and the management of multiple vendors. Audits are preformed periodically to identify any software cis that are identified as not having licensing 8. Software license compliance audit program objective. Just as notable, software vendors are also increasing the intensity of their audits. If you have software, you will have a software license audit. License compliance verification faq microsoft volume.
Its really no secret to anyone that software companies audit their clients for additional revenue. An adversarial attitude about a software audit is unwise. When it comes to software licensing compliance, manufacturers are stepping up their game. Get expert advice on licensing compliance from new book, what top cios know, by eric j. Frequently asked audit questions some typical questions auditors wish to know about software licensing.
Without the proper resources, processes and expert partners, software vendors risk uncovering the true value of non compliance and maximizing outcomes driven by compliance. How to survive a software licensing audit informationweek. As part of autodesks ongoing license compliance program, your company has been selected to undergo a software compliance audit to ensure that your organisations installation and use of autodesk products and services is in compliance with applicable autodesk licensing agreements. Software license audit or software compliance audit is an important subset of software asset management, and an important component of corporate risk management.
A software license audit is no different than any other audit only the information asked for should be provided nothing more. Software license compliance manager jobs, employment. Whether you are faced with a software audit, struggling with software license compliance, or engaging in software licensing. How it departments can prepare for a software license audit. Six steps to completing a software audit and ensuring. To evaluate the current practices on the installation or use of commercial software packages, and determine whether employees are. How it departments can prepare for a software license audit as revenue for new software licenses is down, software vendors are focusing more on licensing audits to recover some of that lost income. How to beat the software license compliance audit if you have software, you will have a software license audit. Gartner and other industry pundits have noted this acceleration for the last few years, and there doesnt appear to be any slackening of the pace. Software license compliance audit fort worth, texas.