Software Auditing

Any organisation wishing to establish a realistic view of its computer software licence must ensure it has a clear understanding of the software installed on all its PCs, laptops and servers.

The best way of doing this is to carry out a network wide software audit of the hard disks using one of the many asset discovery tools. Whilst SAMpartners do not offer a software auditing service, we are in a strong position to offer independent advice and guidance on the strengths and weaknesses of the market leaders, deployment techniques and most importantly, the likely quality of the software auditing reports they create.

The computer software audit will result in the creation of a detailed inventory from which a range of internal projects can be initiated and supported. An example of this is a company wide migration to a new version of software. Trying to carry out this project without a clear understanding of the size and shape of the existing estate is a recipe for disaster!

A software audit or asset discovery project is vital to the success of a licence reconciliation project but its value does not end there and regular updates to the inventories will ensure everyone with an interest in the IT estate will be able to use up to date and accurate information.

Naturally, there will be challenges such as remote users or stand alone machines that never log into the network but with some planning and effective communication these can be effectively addressed. Again, SAMpartners’ experience in this area can be a vital source of valuable input to the project.