The path to the right SAM tool
SAM tool selection: The path to the right software asset management tool
Many companies face the challenge of managing their IT resources efficiently. A professional software asset management (SAM) tool can help – provided it is selected carefully.
Do you need a SAM tool?
When is it worth the effort to introduce a SAM tool? After all, this ties up important resources, costs a lot of money and without the right expertise, the achievable benefits are uncertain.
SAM tools are complex software systems that are often operated in the company for many years. Choosing the right tool should be carefully considered.
Whether and when a SAM tool is worthwhile for your company depends on a number of factors:
- the size of the company,
- the type of software used,
- the complexity of the IT landscape and
- the desired added value for the company
are key factors in deciding whether a SAM tool makes sense.
This may seem overwhelming at first glance. In this article, we want to help you develop your own feasible tool strategy.
SIZE OF THE COMPANY
From how many employees and devices is it worth using a SAM tool?
The use of such a tool is more suitable for larger companies with around 500 employees or more. In addition to the size, the company structure must also be taken into account. If your company has many employees at different locations and the management of the IT landscape is being taken over by an increasing number of employees, a SAM tool can also be useful for smaller companies.
TYPE OF SOFTWARE USED
Does your company mainly run Office software on centrally managed devices without employees having the option to install additional software? Is access to cloud services also centrally managed? Are there only a few exceptions to this approach in the company?
Then a SAM tool can probably offer you little added value.
If you recognise yourself in the following description, you should definitely read on:
- The number of software products in use is constantly growing.
- Software is often purchased bypassing IT. Cloud products in particular are booked spontaneously and nobody has an overview of how much of which product is used where and for how long.
- Only a few employees are aware of the complexity of licence metrics and there is not enough time to monitor them regularly.
COMPLEXITY OF THE IT LANDSCAP
The more complex the IT landscape, the more difficult it is to maintain an overview. Virtualised server clusters, database systems with hot and cold backups, WVDs, cloud services and mobile devices present you with increasing challenges?
This is where a SAM tool can help to build the necessary bridges between the system landscapes and bundle information in one place.
DESIRED ADDED VALUE
Probably the most important question before any new software is introduced: Why?
What exactly is the SAM tool supposed to achieve? Cost reduction? Overview and reduction of shadow IT? The management of IT assets? Licences and maintenance?
Depending on the tool and configuration, a variety of goals can be achieved. Only with a clear objective can these be achieved efficiently and the right tool selected for you.
However, some goals can also be achieved without a dedicated SAM tool. With the right advice and realistic ideas, you can save yourself a lot of headaches later on.
Conclusion
Have you decided to use a SAM tool, identified a need in your company and have an idea of the goals you want to achieve with this tool? Then you can get started.
Goals and effort when selecting SAM tools
Plan processes
After setting goals, you should start planning. What is the best way to translate the objectives into action? Which functions, interfaces and views must the tool provide in order to optimally implement the requirements?
Careful planning of specific processes, outputs and inputs is fundamental to the successful introduction of such software. Otherwise, there is a risk of constant reworking and customisation of the system without being able to implement the daily work in the new software.
Here is a selected example of a typical SAM process:
You want to use a SAM tool to manage your software maintenance, have an overview of ongoing costs and arrange renewals when necessary.
To do this, it makes sense to define clear workflows in advance. Which specific data should be entered. To what extent should reports be generated? How can the purchasing or finance department be integrated into the process?
Even simple processes can be complex to implement. But it is better to equalise this complexity in advance than to deal with it afterwards.
Provide resources
Another point that can cause even the most promising project to fail is a lack of resources. This is where it pays to have planned concrete goals and processes precisely in advance. In addition to the people involved in the process, other resources (employees, hardware or external consultants) should also be taken into account.
The cost of training and troubleshooting, as well as duplication of work during implementation, should also be generously planned in order to avoid bottlenecks later on.
Other points in the selection process that need to be planned:
- Participation in product demonstrations
- Implementation of proof-of-concept projects
- Negotiation of contracts
How should you proceed when selecting a SAM tool
Now it’s time to look for the right tool. There is plenty to choose from, and a good catalogue of requirements helps to create transparency. Even if there are already ready-made catalogues, it is advisable to create a catalogue of requirements tailored to the specific circumstances.
Show modesty. Write down as many possible features as you can. Not all of them are equally important, but they will be weighted in the next point.
You should also ask the provider whether the feature is included out-of-the-box or whether it has to be implemented in the tool at additional cost. If a feature can only be integrated into the tool with a great deal of effort, or if the extension incurs additional costs, this should be reflected in the rating.
In addition to comparing features, the evaluation of SAM tools should also shed light on the costs and potential effort involved during implementation.
External factors should not be ignored either. For example, whether good documentation is provided, what training is offered and how support is organised.
Define weightings
In order to meaningfully prioritise the selected categories, it is advisable to differentiate between ‘must’ criteria, “should” criteria and ‘can’ criteria.
In this case, ‘must’ criteria are requirements that must be implemented in the product.
‘Should’ criteria are also important, but failure to fulfil individual criteria does not lead to the failure of the project.
‘Can’ criteria are ‘nice-to-haves’, optional functions whose fulfilment is not directly necessary for the project objective, but which, for example, make working with the tool easier or enable later extensions.
The aim is to prioritise the requirements. In combination with the expected effort, a point value can be calculated for each category and product. These points can be objectively compared with each other.
Evaluation of the requirements catalogue
With the help of manufacturers, sales materials, offers and demos, you have now filled your catalogue of requirements with evaluations and this generates a number. Now what?
The combination of weighting and categories is totalled to achieve a comparable figure for different products. Depending on the number of categories selected, it makes sense to take a closer look at the categories. To do this, you can filter according to must or should criteria.
Make sure that the individual criteria categories do not carry too much weight due to the sheer number of categories. It is a good idea to group similar criteria together. The maximum achievable score for a category should correspond to the focus of its requirements.
Perhaps a clear favourite will emerge from these figures. However, it is not yet necessary to decide on a specific product. Adjustments to the ratings should be made after demos or POCs.
Stakeholders in the SAM tool selection process
When selecting a SAM tool, it is important to involve all relevant stakeholders in the company in the selection process. This not only ensures that the optimum tool is selected, but also that the tool is operated successfully.
In addition to licence management, other possible stakeholders include:
- Operational IT departments (e.g. client management)
- IT security
- Data protection
- Contract management
- Procurement
- Strategic decision-makers such as portfolio managers
Tips for negotiation
If your evaluation was successful and you are enthusiastic about one or more SAM tools, the next step is the price negotiation.
Especially if you are talking to several manufacturers or partners, you need comparable information.
There are a few levers you should know when negotiating prices.
- Licence metric: Which metric is used to licence a SAM tool? The metric is often the ‘number of end devices, clients or devices’. Think about how many devices you have in your company now and whether you are likely to use more or fewer in the future. This consideration influences the next adjustment screw, the runtime.
- Runtime: For what period do you conclude a licence agreement with the SAM tool manufacturer? Are you buying your SAM tool or are you taking out a subscription? In the case of a purchase, you generally do not have the option of reducing licences once they have been purchased. If you rent licences via the subscription model, you often have the option of reducing the number of licences after a certain minimum period. It is always possible to increase the number of licences.
- Components and modules: Which components would you like to purchase? SAM tools usually consist of different and sometimes confusing individual components. There is often a component to be purchased for the management of clients and their software and a component for servers and their software. The type or software products that you want to manage with your SAM tool are also not included in the basic price. SAM tool manufacturers often sell their connectors for identifying SaaS software separately. The identification of software usage from special manufacturers such as SAP, Oracle or IBM also requires special connectors that have to be paid for separately. So take a look at what is hidden behind the items in an offer for a SAM tool.
- Price and price increase: You have received an offer that meets your content requirements. A purchase price is a one-off payment, while maintenance for the SAM tool is paid periodically, usually annually. With a subscription, you pay all amounts periodically. If there are several offers available, calculate the costs over the next 3-5 years in order to make a comparison. The question of possible price increases is important when comparing prices. Once you have purchased and implemented a SAM tool, it would be very annoying if the manufacturer were to increase the costs for maintenance or subscription without planning. If possible, negotiate an upper limit for the price adjustment after a certain runtime.
💡 POC – Proof of concept
Requirements have been clarified, goals set, now it’s time to put the SAM tool through its paces. Here, too, there are a few things to consider in order to get the most out of a POC.
Goals of a proof of concept
The most important thing first: Not all requirements or workflows can or should be covered in a POC. It is advisable to limit the scope to the essential core points.
This can be decided in co-operation with the manufacturer.
The objectives of the POC should be documented before the POC, so that their implementation can be evaluated after the POC.
Scope of a POC
With the help of the scope, it is now possible to define the organisational framework for a POC. This should definitely be done before a test environment is set up.
- Over what period of time will testing take place?
- How is the tool configured by the manufacturer for the functions?
- Will the test take place in an on-premise installation or in the cloud?
- What effort will the manufacturer put in and what costs will they incur?
Once the framework conditions have been defined, the POC can begin. Concentrate on the defined scope. The future users should be involved in the testing. During the POC, regular coordination with the manufacturer should take place in order to answer questions as quickly as possible.
The possibility of integrating the POC environment into the production system (should you decide in favour of this tool) should also not be overlooked. This saves time and effort during implementation.
Conclusion of the evaluation – I have a SAM tool, what now?
The evaluation is intended to give you the best possible overview of possible SAM tools and show you the tool that best meets your requirements. To this end, requirements were compared against their feasibility and made comparable across different providers with the help of weightings.
The POC proved that the selected tool can actually fulfil your requirements. External factors such as technical implementation and commercial issues were clarified with the providers.
Congratulations, you have now selected a SAM tool. The next step is to move from the concept to implementing the tool in your IT landscape
Are you interested in the topic in more detail and would like to talk to an expert? Then get in touch with us!
The author
Kirsten Springer, Managing Director and SAM tool expert at SAMtoa GmbH
