Software license compliance- Steps to get compliant

For any organization, violating compliance is easy and such violations happen either intentionally or unknowingly. With large network and several thousands of machines deployed and each having different software installed, it becomes difficult for administrators and IT heads to validate all software in use. In addition to this, indistinct usage policies make organizations more vulnerable to deviations from software license compliances.

A very common scenario can be where a valid licensed software is purchased and it gets installed in all the systems within a department. This situation may sound innocuous, but the compliance has already been breached. Single licensed software can be installed on a single machine and not distributed to other systems. This type of a scenario is clearly a violation of software license compliance. What steps can an organization take to ensure that it stays compliant with licensing terms and conditions? Let us discuss.

Know the software licensing policy of your organization

With complicated licensing terminologies and intricate clauses included in the license agreements, it is important that organizations define a clear and unambiguous licensing policy. There are diverse licensing types used such as open licensing, volume licensing, concurrent licensing, non-concurrent licensing, OEM, upgrade licensing, subscription licensing and competitive upgrade licensing among others. Depending on what is best suited for an organizational structure, any of the licensing policies can be incorporated. Moreover, it is advisable for organizations to pitch in licensing experts who adept in legal matters and can instigate correct policy reforms. This measure is also important during license procurement process for understanding the license agreements inside out. Furthermore, proper license policies help organizations to track the installed software and distinguish between the ones which are licensed and those which are on lease.

Software inventory and internal audits

For large scale businesses, it becomes mandatory to maintain proper inventory of the software deployed within their premises and those deployed remotely. Determining the exact number of software installed and their license details is crucial in order to meet software license compliances. Software such as Lepide Software AssetManagement enable organizations to generate inventory data on the basis of details such as what all software is installed, is the software used or not, frequency of software usage, whether the software comply by license agreements, etc. With accurate inventory data, the next step is to conduct internal software audits. Software audits help in determining the software metrics and identify loopholes in the policies. Furthermore, audits are uselful for handling software budget and impact the overall infrastructure.

Enforce stringent software usage and installation policies

Enforcement of strict software usage policy is the key towards getting software license compliance. For every organization it is important that a rigid policy is established, enforced and updated from time to time. Such a measure demarcates what is legally acceptable and what is not and addresses issues of software usage during the entire software lifecycle. A comprehensive policy takes care of aspects such as software installation, software registration, software license usage, etc. With stringent policies in place, it becomes possible to eliminate or reconcile unauthorized software and avoid legal hassles.

Therefore, we see that with concrete steps, it is possible to meet software license compliance and maintain software assets.

Summary:

Violating software license compliances can turn around an organization resulting in nasty legal troubles, financial losses and hampered market reputation. However, by following some substantial measures, it is possible to get compliant and avoid any type of breaches. 

Piyush

piyush@lepide.com