Hey everyone! I'm pretty new to the IT scene and our small company is trying to establish better processes. One of our architect teams is looking at some new software, but I'm concerned about the terms being presented by the vendors. For instance, they mentioned that we could use one license across multiple computers but could only have one active session. When I asked for that information in writing, they acted like they never said it. Who exactly should be responsible for reviewing the terms and conditions before we make a purchase? I'm thinking this might fall under the legal team's responsibilities but I'm not entirely sure.
6 Answers
Don’t just take their word for it! Ask for the exact terms they can provide in writing. If you're at a smaller company, escalate it to the CEO or equivalent and make sure you get their approval. If they won’t give it to you, then I’d advise against the purchase altogether.
Just be a pirate and take whatever! Just kidding, actually do your due diligence!
Thanks for all the great advice, everyone! We do have a procurement department, so I’m planning to chat with our CEO about putting a solid procedure in place for these kinds of situations in the future.
In my experience, the legal and compliance teams usually handle software reviews. It’s super helpful when you work with a reliable value-added reseller (VAR) too! They can help navigate those tricky terms without much hassle.
Totally agree, having a good VAR makes everything smoother.
In my organization, it’s mostly the procurement department and the CISO managing these reviews. Rarely do we involve the legal team directly for this, which might seem odd!
Wait, your legal team doesn't check T&Cs? That seems risky!
Right? At the end of the day, we rely on procurement and risk management.
It's essential to have shadow IT policies in place, but ultimately, the executive team makes the final call, not IT.
Absolutely, I’ve asked for clear terms before and it saved us a lot of trouble later.