Hey fellow Software Asset Managers! I'm curious if any of you have a dedicated team and process in place for handling software audits. What's your experience been like? What specific steps do you include in your audit response process? And who makes up your team - is it members from legal, procurement, IT, or finance? Let's get together and share some insights!
4 Answers
If we got audited, we’d probably fail miserably. But just kidding! We can actually account for every software license and ensure total compliance. We've got a lot of open source software, and honestly, our Central IT has turned into a committee-heavy policy machine with lots of non-tech folks. They seem eager to add an audit team, but I'm not sure that would actually help anything!
Hahaha, nice try Microsoft! But seriously, audits can feel like a nightmare sometimes. Have you noticed how some folks act like audits are a crime against humanity? I mean, some people just want to ignore them and hope they disappear! Just saying!
Honestly, I've never worked at a place big enough to have a formal software asset manager role, much less an audit response team. So, nope, not for me!
I've seen companies where they hire a 'deal maker' to negotiate licensing terms. Not the same as an audit team, but it kind of covers some ground, right?
Interesting take!
It's usually the companies that hide usage that get hit hardest in audits. If compliance thinks they can just negotiate out of it, that’s a recipe for disaster! Clear communication across teams is crucial to avoid those messes.
Cries in trying to understand Microsoft licensing 🙁